Tofu is one of those ingredients I love because it has such a fun texture and you can use it so many different ways. And one of my favorite ways to use it is in this home style tofu recipe. This sauce will turn you into a believer in tofu once you taste it, I promise! In China, home style tofu is a hugely popular dish. Every family and restaurant has their own special formula for making the sauce. Here, I found my favorite one in Chinatown. They used doubanjiang in the sauce to further boost the taste of the brown sauce. That’s when I decided I needed to recreate it in my own kitchen so I could have it any time the craving struck.
Create the best tofu texture
In this home style tofu recipe, the tofu is fried until it’s nice, golden, and crispy on the outside yet soft inside. It then is braised in a savory, lightly spicy sauce loaded up with fresh aromatics and vegetables that contrast with the texture of the tofu. When you fry the tofu for home style tofu, the tofu releases water during this process which creates small holes inside the tofu. That’s how you get that tender texture and it also absorbs more flavor. Meanwhile, the outside gets nice and crisp and holds the rest of it together. I highly recommend using medium or soft tofu for this recipe for the best mouthfeel. While the frying method is more complicated than pan-frying, it also delivers a more rewarding result.
Extra rich sauce
The secret ingredient is doubanjiang, or fermented spicy bean paste. It’s a condiment made mostly from fermented fava beans. The savory flavor is further enhanced with chili, salt, and sesame oil. It’s at the root of all Sichuan cuisine, delivering a signature brown hue and spiciness to enhance the flavor. If you’ve never had it, I think it is as umami as soy sauce is, though with more of a fermented potency to it.
Ingredients
I prefer to use plenty of vegetables to add color and texture to the dish. I used carrots, peppers, and bamboo shoots in the dish. You can use other vegetables, as you prefer. Baby bok choy, soaked wood ear mushrooms, onions, and broccoli are some of the most popular options.
How to cut the tofu
To cut the tofu into triangular shaped pieces, here is a quick way to do it. Your table should have the ingredients below before you start cooking.
Cooking process
NOTE: The tofu frying might be the most challenging step in this recipe. If you prefer to pan fry the tofu, that’s totally fine. But if you have some extra time or if you’re hosting a dinner party, I highly recommend you fry the tofu. It creates the best texture, just like the one you’d get from a Chinese restaurant – soft and somehow toothy, and it absorbs way more sauce than the pan-fried version. In China, home style tofu often includes ground meat in the sauce to add another layer of depth to the dish. However, this recipe doesn’t include any meat. The sauce is already flavorful enough and a perfect way to serve it is atop steamed rice or boiled noodles for a healthy and delicious meal that tastes authentic. Want to learn more about Chinese Cooking? Sign up my newsletter to receive the 5-Day Chinese Cooking Crash Course and recipe update! If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
Other delicious tofu recipes
Tofu and Broccoli Stir FryCrispy Marinated TofuSweet and Sour TofuVegetarian Mapo TofuReal-Deal Kung Pao Tofu
Lilja Walter is a part of the Omnivore’s Cookbook team and worked closely with Maggie to develop and test this recipe.
