Sweet & spicy fried tofu

Vietnamese version (bản tiếng Việt) : click here!

Sweet and spicy, and tofu, such an ideal snack to share!

I learnt this recipe from Maangchi’s Sweet and crunchy tofu. In her original recipe, the tofu was cut into 1×0.5×0.5 (in.) bite sized pieces, coated with potato starch and fried twice so that the tofu was crunchy. In my modified version, I cut the tofu into thin pieces (1x1x0.25 in.) so that I didn’t need to use much oil for frying and just fry them once. I didn’t have rice syrup so I replaced it with honey. Needless to say, the original recipe would be tastier, but my modified version is great for anyone having “problems” with frying. I found myself really lazy with frying stuffs because it was oil- and time-consuming so I would try my best to avoid that. Hopefully when I get a deep frying pot or an air fryer, I would be… less lazy! If you share the same concerns, then this recipe is for you!

Ingredients: (for 4 servings)

• Vegetable oil: 1 cup (for frying)
• Extra firm tofu: 2 packs
• Honey: 1/4 cup (~ 60 mL)
• Gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste): 3 tablespoons (~ 42.5 g)
  (Brands don’t matter here, but spicy level does matter. I used a “Hot” one and it camed out pretty spicy!)
• Spring onion for decoration (optional)

Preparation:

• Take out the tofu from the package and rinse with water. Pad dry with paper towel then cut into 1x1x0.25 (in.) thin pieces and fry in preheat vegetable oil at medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Remove the tofu pieces from the frying pan and place them in a plate with paper towel to get rid of the excess oil.
• Pour the excess oil from the frying pan into a glass jar for further use. For this step, I just wanted to re-use the pan for coating so that I didn’t have to wash another pan.
• Combine the gochujang and honey in the pan, stir on medium-high heat until homogenized and bubbling. Reduce heat to medium-low to prevent burning of the sauce yet still keep it hot till the end.
• Add the fried tofu to the sauce and mix until the tofu is well coated by the sauce, i.e. all the pieces are reddish orange.
• Top with chopped spring onion. From my experience, it can be served as snack or with lettuce wrap to help reduce the spicy taste.

Total time: 1 hour
(Frying in my way really takes a lot of time, making sauce and coating only take 10 minutes! I had better get a deep-fry pot/pan)

Notes:

• Be careful when adding the tofu in hot oil to prevent splashing.
• It would be great if we use deep fry pot/pan when frying and deep fry the tofu twice just like in original recipe.
• The sauce is, indeed, super viscous. Try to stir vigorously to homogenize it and prevent it from burning.