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Korean Braised Tofu with Vegetables

Korean braised Tofu with Vegetables (Dubu Jorim)

Dubu Jorim is a one pan Asian side dish with fresh veggies and crisp tofu braised in a delicious Korean style sauce with soy sauce, Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes), sesame oil and aromatics!
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian, Korean
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4
Author Vanitha Bhat

Ingredients

  • 500 gm or 1 lb tofu medium tofu
  • 1 cup green bell peppers cubed
  • 1 cup yellow bell peppers cubed
  • 1 cup celery chopped
  • 1 cup carrot sliced
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Black pepper powder

FOR THE SAUCE:

  • 4 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar or mirin
  • 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 ½ tbsp maple syrup or jaggery/brown sugar/sugar
  • 2 tbsp Gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes) (or 2 teaspoons chil flakes and 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder)
  • 1 large green chili or Serrano pepper diced according to spice level needed
  • ½ cup onions finely chopped (red or white)
  • 2 to 3 tbsp finely chopped garlic about 4 large cloves
  • 2 green onions green part, chopped
  • ¾ to 1 cup water

FOR GARNISH:

  • Toasted sesame seeds
  • Chopped green onions

Instructions

TO PREP THE TOFU:

  1. Remove tofu from pack, press some paper towels over it to dab excess moisture on all sides.
  2. Cut into big sized cubes (your preference) and set aside.

TO PREP THE VEGETABLES:

  1. Wash, drain and chop, slice or cube celery, bell peppers and carrots.

TO PREPARE THE SAUCE:

  1. In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients of sauce, mix well, do a taste test and adjust if needed. Set aside.

TO MAKE KOREAN BRAISED VEGETABLES WITH TOFU:

  1. Heat a large wide saucepan and add 2 tbsp oil.
  2. When oil is hot, add the cubed tofu, sprinkle some salt and pepper and sauté on medium high heat, stirring often until they turn light golden brown and are slightly crispy on the edges. This step is optional. You can add it directly to the final curry.

  3. When tofu cubes are well sautéed, remove using a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.

  4. In the same saucepan, if needed, add more oil (I did not) and celery; sauté on medium high, stirring often for a minute.

  5. Add rest of the veggies – bell peppers and carrots; fry again, stirring continuously on high heat until slightly charred but still has a bite; about a minute or two.

  6. Immediately add the sauce mixture and braised tofu, mix well and bring to a boil.

  7. Lower heat, simmer for a minute or so until the sauce is slightly thick and tofu and veggies have absorbed some of the sauce. Adjust consistency if needed (by adding a bit of water; not too much).

  8. Garnish with finely chopped green onions, toasted sesame seeds and serve hot with a bowl of freshly cooked hot rice.
  9. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  • Adjust the amount of spices and aromatics according to personal preference.
  • You can make this just with tofu (cut into large, thick chunks) too and you can substitute with any other vegetable you like or have.
  • If you cannot find Gochugaru (needed for an authentic taste), you can use red chili flakes and/or red Kashmiri red chili p;owder.