I had a huge triumph today. I finally successfully made tofu. I’ve tried cooking with tofu in the past and could never really get it to be the right flavor or texture. When I cooked it in a skillet it would fall apart, when I baked it in the oven it would be bland and lifeless. Today, though, today was 100% success! This Pan Fried Sesame Tofu with Broccoli had texture, it had flavor, and none of that bland mushiness that I’ve always ended up with in the past!
Use Cornstarch for Crispy Tofu
I was almost to the point where I believed that I’d never get tofu right, but I got inspired the other day and started looking up tutorials. I found this tutorial on How to Make Crispy Tofu without Deep-Frying over at TheKitchn.com and decided to give it a try.
The technique involves pressing out excess liquid, seasoning with salt (or marinating), coating with cornstarch, and then shallow pan frying until golden and crispy all over. I really wasn’t prepared for just how nice and crispy the tofu would turn out. It was simply amazing. Just as good as deep-fried (IMHO)!!
Now that I know how to do this, I can’t wait to experiment with more flavors. I seasoned this tofu with just a pinch of salt, knowing that I was about to drench it in yummy sesame sauce, but I still couldn’t stop popping the naked cubes into my mouth. They were so good even on their own! I can only imagine how good they’ll be with other flavors. Stay tuned because that is definitely going to be happening in my kitchen in the near future.
Pan Fried Sesame Tofu with Broccoli
Servings 3Ingredients
SAUCE
- 1/4 cup soy sauce ($0.20)
- 2 Tbsp water ($0.00)
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil ($0.33)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.08)
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar ($0.22)
- 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger ($0.10)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 2 Tbsp sesame seeds ($0.15)
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.04)
STIR FRY
- 14 oz block extra-firm tofu ($1.99)
- Pinch of salt ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.08)
- 2 Tbsp neutral oil (vegetable, canola, peanut) ($0.04)
- 1/2 lb frozen broccoli florets ($1.00)
- 3-4 green onions, sliced ($0.23)
- 4 cups cooked rice ($0.88)
Instructions
- Place a few folded paper towels or a clean, lint-free dish cloth on a large plate. Remove the tofu from the package and place it on the towels. Place more towels on top, cover with a second plate, and then weigh the top plate down with a few canned goods or a pot filled with water. Press the tofu for at least 30 minutes to extract excess water (refrigerate if pressing for longer).
- While the tofu is pressing, prepare the sauce so that the flavors have time to blend. In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, grated ginger, minced garlic, sesame seeds, and cornstarch. Stir until the brown sugar and cornstarch are dissolved, then set the sauce aside.
- Cut the pressed tofu into 1-inch cubes, then season with a pinch of salt. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp cornstarch over the cubes, then toss to coat. Repeat with the second tablespoon of cornstarch, or until the tofu cubes have a nice even coating of cornstarch.
- Heat a large skillet over medium flame. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp oil and tilt the skillet until the bottom is coated in a thick layer of oil. Add the dusted tofu cubes and let cook until golden brown on the bottom. Use a spatula to turn the cubes to an uncooked side, and cook until golden brown again. Continue this process until brown and crispy on all sides, then remove the crispy tofu to a clean plate.
- Add the frozen broccoli to the hot skillet and briefly stir fry until slightly browned on the edges. Don’t worry if it’s not thawed through yet, it will warm through after adding the sauce. Lower the heat to medium-low.
- Give the bowl of sauce a good stir, then pour it into the skillet with the broccoli. Stir and cook until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken (this should happen very quickly). Once thickened, turn off the heat and stir in the cooked tofu cubes.
- Serve the tofu and broccoli over a bed of cooked rice, topped with sliced green onions.
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Nutrition
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How to Make Sesame Tofu – Step by Step Photos
Start with a 14oz. package of extra-firm tofu. Yes, I realize this photo is of just “firm” tofu. I was so starry-eyed by the sale sign that I accidentally bought firm instead of extra-firm. Good news is that the only difference is the amount of moisture, so I just pressed my tofu for extra time. Read more about the different tofu varieties here.
Take the block of tofu out of its water filled package. Place some folded up paper towels or clean, lint-free dish towels on a large plate. Place the tofu on the towels, then cover with another set of towels and another plate. Place something heavy on top, like canned goods or a pot with water (a pot with water can be tricky to balance). If you use harsh detergents to wash your dish towels, paper towels might be a better idea. Let the tofu press for about 30 minutes for extra-firm tofu. I had just firm tofu, so I let it go for an hour. If you let it press for extended time, just be sure to put it in the refrigerator. Some people let theirs press all day, it just depends on the texture that you like.
While the tofu is being pressed, prepare the sauce so the flavors have a little time to mingle. In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 Tbsp water, 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp rice vinegar, 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, and 1 Tbsp cornstarch. Set the sauce aside.
Once the tofu is pressed, cut it into one-inch cubes. If you still feel quite a bit of moisture on the surface, dab it a bit with a dry paper towel. Reducing the surface moisture is part of what helps these little guys get crispy. Season the cubes with a pinch of salt.
Sprinkle 1 Tbsp cornstarch over the cubes, then toss the cubes to coat. Repeat with a second tablespoon of cornstarch, or until the cubes have a decent coating on all sides.
Heat a large skillet over medium flame. Once the surface is hot, add 2 Tbsp of any neutral oil (this can be canola, vegetable, peanut, untoasted sesame oil, etc.) Tilt the skillet to cover the surface of the skillet, then add the cornstarch dusted tofu cubes. Let them cook until golden brown on the bottom. (P.S. waiting until the skillet is hot before adding the oil really helps prevent the cubes from sticking. Using a non-stick skillet or cast iron will also help prevent them from sticking).
Once they’re golden on the bottom, use a spatula to turn them to a new side. Continue cooking…
Keep repeating the process until they’re golden brown on all sides. They should be CRISPY and pretty darn wonderful. Once crispy on all sides, remove them to a clean plate (I just reused one of the plates from pressing).
Add the frozen broccoli right to the skillet, no need to thaw. There should still be some oil in the skillet, too. The tofu absorbed some, but not all of the oil.
Stir fry the broccoli just for a couple of minutes, or until it gets a touch of brown on the edges. Turn the heat down to medium-low (it’s okay if the broccoli is not thawed through at this point, it will continue to cook with the sauce).
Give the bowl of sauce a good stir just before pouring it into the hot skillet. Stir and cook the sauce until it begins to bubble and thicken (this should happen fairly quickly).
Once the sauce is thick and glossy, add the cooked tofu back to the skillet.
Stir to coat the tofu in the sauce.
Spoon the Pan Fried Sesame Tofu and Broccoli over a bed of cooked rice, then top with sliced green onion. NOM.
Seriously, these little crispy tofu bites were so good I could eat the whole lot, sans-sauce. I’m a tofu convert.
This is a great recipe! I made a couple of small changes. I cut the tofu in thinner slices and I added a 1/2 cup chicken broth to the sauce. This makes for crisper tofu and a saucier sauce.
I’ve made this multiple times and it’s really great! The only modification I make is I omit the extra water in the sauce to make it extra thick and sticky. Otherwise, this is a staple recipe in my house!
I have made this recipe a few times and we love it. So delicious and nutritious. I use fresh broccoli (and lots of it) and I add a red pepper to the broccoli mix.. So darn delicious. I love the smell of the sesame oil and soya sauce. I see some people have problems with cooking the tofu (some sticking issues). Sorry but you need to cook tofu in a good pan – either a high end wok or a great le creuset frying pan – these are my go to every day vessels and I would be lost without them.
I loved the recipe! I am always in search of a good tofu recipe because I really like tofu. I added a little Sriracha to the sauce mixture to add a kick, and used fresh broccoli. Next time, I will add a little vegetable broth or even water to produce a little more sauce.
I just made this for dinner and it was amazing. The recipe is a keeper! I added red peppers and some sliced carrots for added veggies.
Thank you so much!
Very good recipe. I added sweet onion and beans sprouts. Finally I found what I was looking for. Thank you.
Happy to hear it Tatyana!
I coated the tofu in the cornstarch then a bit of oil and air fried to save myself time.
I also tore the tofu, gives it more crags and crevices to get crisp when air fried or baked. Forget where I read that.
So so good! I put it on vermicelli because I didnt have rice. So simple and delicious.
I also crushed some cashews on top because I found them in the cupboard. Yum.
That’s awesome about using the air fryer!
I loved this recipe! I used fresh broccoli and some red bell pepper as well. I should have made more sauce but it was absolutely delicious! Even my meat loving husband enjoyed it. Would definitely make it again!
Great work Christine!
This was probably my third time making this recipe, it’s so simple and easy. This time around I found out at the last minute that I didn’t have enough rice so I doubled the sauce and subbed in 1lb of udon noodles. I did find the sauce wasn’t nearly as sweet as I would’ve wanted, not sure if doubling the amount requires some measurement modifications. As a whole it was good as usual and with the udon noodles super filling. I had a small bowl and was full versus when I make it with rice and usually eat more than one serving.
Glad to hear you still enjoyed it Dom!
I really liked the taste of this recipe, but I had to change a couple of things about the prep to make it work. No matter how I try to pan fry the tofu, it always sticks. So, I found a quick recipe online to bake it instead, which gave me perfectly crisp, delicious tofu with much less fiddling. I also found it hard to get the broccoli cooked through in the pan because quite a few pieces from my bag of frozen broccoli were pretty big (nothing was still frozen at the end, but a few of the bigger pieces were still cold in the center). So, the next time I made it I let the broccoli thaw a bit first in the fridge, and then cut up the larger pieces before tossing them in the pan. I also added a little water to the pan to help them steam. Again, I like the taste of the recipe, but the steps just didn’t work for me, so I had to find some workarounds when I tried it a second time.
Good to know Courtney!
I had that issue in the past (stick to pan). So I tried something else. I let the pan get really hot, no oil. Like… really hot. Then I added a bunch of avocado oil which has a higher smoke point and no foul taste like some other oils have if they are too hot. Finally as I poured the oil, I dropped the tofu cubes in and just let them sit. It never stuck! Crazy awesome. I think the higher heat created a quick barrier to prevent sticking.
Great tip Drake!
This recipe was great! The only two modifications I would make is cooking the tofu on a higher temp (it took forever on medium and the oil ended up evaporating, thereby burning some of the pieces) and using less sugar in the sauce, as it was very sweet (honestly you could even skip it!). Red chili flakes are a good addition to the sauce too for an extra kick!
Good to know Amanda!
Do you have the nutrition info for this recipe? Thanks!
I do get that request a lot, but unfortunately I don’t have a reliable source for the nutrition information. The calculators and databases that most bloggers and websites use to calculate the info can be extremely inaccurate, and for something that can so severely impact the health of people with health conditions, I just don’t feel comfortable publishing unreliable numbers. I prefer to leave it up to the reader to use the database or calculator they trust. I’m sorry and I wish accuracy were easier than shipping the food off to a lab for analysis!
If that’s the case, why have it on some recipes and not others? Makes no sense.
Hi Amanda, actually since September a few things have changed. We only recently brought on a Registered Dietician to our team. She’s working hard behind the scenes to update the entire recipe database, over 1500+ recipes, with nutritional information. She’s working her way from the newest recipes back and it takes some time to update them all. Stay tuned!
Thank you for the response! Appreciate the info. I always calculate it myself based on my modifications, but it’s great to have available when possible to help me plan what recipes are good starting points.
Has anyone tried this reheated? I made a big batch and I normally take leftovers to work.
Hi, thanks! I did all the prep and pan-fried was easy to do! Thank you. (Knowing I was needing to drain this thing good, I sliced open the package top along three sides, placed it face down in a tall enough, narrow mixing bowl I have that held it near vertical. I covered it and popped it back in fridge. I’d guess two cups of liquid were in bowl by time I went to cook the next day). Then I didn’t use a roll of paper towels! Only a few by pressing. It was just like my favorite shop makes, crispy on outside, tender on inside.
That sauce tho. WAY too much soy source to my taste. I just need to come up with a sauce I like, but you spared me greasing my kitchen trying to stir fry in a wok.
My favorite Asian shop, the guys got his wok mostly outside. I wanted the taste, but wasn’t looking forward to cleaning the whole kitchen to get it.
This method was just perfect! Hardly any mess!
Thank you for sharing!
Is it no longer possible to read through old comments? On several posts I see many comments have been made but there is no button to read previous comments anymore.
Hi Liz, Thanks for bringing that to our attention! It looks like the button to read more comments has disappeared on mobile for some weird reason (it’s still there when viewing on desktop). I’ll send a message to our tech support to get that figured out right away. :) Thanks again!
Has anyone tried this with regular flour? I don’t think I have cornstarch on hand right now.
Yes you can use flour if you have to. Cornstarch will give it better crisp though!