Korean Fried Tofu with Vegetables and Peanuts Recipe
This colorful dish with crispy tofu, vegetables, and peanuts is a plant-based answer to Korean meat dishes in a sweet-salty sauce. In Korea, more and more people reach for this kind of meal as a quick after-work dinner, because it’s light yet really satisfying. The flavors are a bit like a stir-fry from Chinese cuisine combined with Korean sauces based on soy sauce and gochujang.
A quick, plant-based take on Korean sweet-salty stir-fries, with crispy tofu and a bold gochujang sauce that feels both comforting and light. It’s an easy way to bring Korean-inspired flavors into a weeknight dinner without using meat.
Chef's tips
Dry the tofu really thoroughly before frying—this is the key to getting a nicely browned, slightly crispy crust. Don’t overcrowd the pan, or the tofu will steam instead of fry. Adjust the amount of gochujang to your heat tolerance, and taste the sauce before adding it to the pan so you can balance it with a bit more honey or vinegar if needed.
How to serve
Serve in deep bowls over hot short-grain rice, with extra chopped peanuts and chives on top. For a more Korean-style spread, add simple sides like kimchi, lightly pickled cucumbers, or a green salad with sesame dressing.
Ingredients
- tofu firm, drained - 300 g
- bell pepper red or yellow, cut into strips - 1 piece
- carrot cut into thin matchsticks - 1 piece
- zucchini cut into half-moons - 0.5 pieces
- onion sliced into thin wedges - 0.5 pieces
- garlic finely chopped - 2 cloves
- soy sauce base of the sauce - 3 tablespoons
- gochujang Korean chili paste, use less for a milder version - 1 tablespoon
- honey or sugar, to balance the heat - 1 tablespoon
- rice vinegar adds a light acidity - 1 tablespoon
- vegetable oil for frying the tofu and vegetables - 3 tablespoons
- sesame oil added at the end - 1 teaspoon
- peanuts roasted, unsalted, roughly chopped - 3 tablespoons
- chives chopped, for serving - 2 tablespoons
- rice cooked for serving, preferably short-grain - 200 g
Preparation
- Remove the tofu from the package, pat it very dry with paper towels, then cut into cubes about 2 cm wide. The better you dry the tofu, the crispier it will be after frying.
- In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, gochujang, honey, and rice vinegar until you get a smooth sauce. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the tofu in a single layer and fry for 6–8 minutes, gently turning the cubes every few minutes, until golden and lightly crispy on all sides. Transfer the tofu to a plate.
- In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil, then add the onion and carrot. Fry for 3–4 minutes over medium heat, stirring often, until they start to soften but are still slightly crunchy.
- Add the bell pepper and zucchini and fry for another 3–4 minutes, until the vegetables soften but don’t fall apart. Add the chopped garlic and fry for 1 more minute, stirring so it doesn’t burn.
- Pour the prepared sauce into the pan, add the fried tofu, and gently toss so all the pieces are coated in the sauce. Cook for 2–3 minutes over low heat, until the sauce slightly thickens.
- Remove the pan from the heat, pour in the sesame oil, and sprinkle the dish with chopped peanuts and chives. Serve immediately with hot rice.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
This dish is inspired by Korean home-style cooking, where quick stir-fries in a punchy sauce are a staple after a long workday. Using tofu instead of meat keeps it lighter but still very satisfying, especially with the contrast of crispy tofu, crunchy vegetables, and roasted peanuts.
