Braised Tofu with Sweet Potato Stems: A Classic Rice-Stealing Dish
How to Make Delicious Braised Tofu with Sweet Potato Stems – A Guaranteed Rice Thief!
We’re making a delicious braised tofu dish using sweet potato stems that have been frozen. This recipe is perfect for a hearty meal and brings out the best in simple ingredients.
Main Ingredients- 1 block Tofu (approx. 300g)
- 1/2 bundle Frozen Sweet Potato Stems (thawed)
- 1/4 Onion
- 1/4 Carrot
- 1/4 Green Onion
- 0.5 Tbsp Perilla Oil
- 0.5 Tbsp Cooking Oil
Braised Tofu Seasoning Sauce- 2 Tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili powder)
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 0.5 Tbsp Sugar
- 0.5 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Anchovy Sauce or Tuna Extract
- A pinch of Black Pepper (dash dash dash)
- 2 Tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili powder)
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 0.5 Tbsp Sugar
- 0.5 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Anchovy Sauce or Tuna Extract
- A pinch of Black Pepper (dash dash dash)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, let’s prepare the ingredients. Cut the tofu into large, thick pieces, about 1.5 to 2 cm thick. Thaw the frozen sweet potato stems and lightly squeeze out any excess water. Thinly slice the onion and carrot, and diagonally slice the green onion.
Step 2
Gently press the tofu pieces with paper towels to remove excess moisture. This helps the tofu firm up and absorb flavors better during braising.
Step 3
Heat a pan over medium-low heat without any oil. Place the patted-dry tofu pieces in the dry pan. This process removes remaining moisture from the tofu, allowing it to brown nicely.
Step 4
Once the tofu has released its moisture and begins to turn golden brown, add 0.5 Tbsp of perilla oil and 0.5 Tbsp of cooking oil around the edges of the pan. If you don’t have perilla oil, you can use only cooking oil. Pan-fry the tofu until both sides are golden and slightly crispy.
Step 5
While the tofu is frying, let’s mix the seasoning sauce. In a bowl, combine 2 Tbsp gochugaru, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 0.5 Tbsp sugar, 0.5 Tbsp minced garlic, 1 Tbsp anchovy sauce or tuna extract, and a dash of black pepper. Mix well.
Step 6
Now that the tofu is nicely browned, it’s time to braise it. Tip: For a deeper vegetable flavor, you can omit the tofu initially and braise only the vegetables with the sauce. However, today we’ll braise everything together.
Step 7
Arrange the thawed sweet potato stems, sliced onion, carrot, and green onion attractively over the pan-fried tofu.
Step 8
Pour in about 5 ladles (approximately 250ml) of anchovy or kelp broth. If you don’t have broth, plain water will also work.
Step 9
Drizzle the prepared seasoning sauce over the ingredients and stir gently to combine it with the broth.
Step 10
Cover the pan and simmer over medium-low heat for about 10-15 minutes, or until the sweet potato stems and vegetables are tender and the flavors have melded. Since the tofu is already cooked, the goal is to soften the vegetables and infuse them with the sauce.
Step 11
Towards the end of cooking, you can gently flip the tofu or spoon some of the braising liquid over the vegetables to ensure even flavor distribution.
Step 12
Finally, sprinkle some sesame seeds over the top before serving. Your delicious braised tofu with sweet potato stems is ready! Enjoy it with a bowl of warm rice.
