Well well well. Hello there Tuesday. So, Mondayyyy, see ya never?!
Although I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this past Monday since it was spent with a day off work 
Hopefully ya’ll did too!
I spent the day saying my goodbyes to Kim & Mylez (back to schooool wahhh), doing some much needed yoga, digging through bins at the JCrew warehouse sale (police escorts at this thing ya’ll, it was serious lol) and food shopping with Fanatic Mom.
I also spent some much needed QT in the kitchen whipping up this delicious treat: Korean Braised Tofu!
Inspired by this new-to-me site that I’m really enjoying thus far: Gojee.com
Basically, you can enter food items that you are craving, ingredients you have on hand as well as those you dislike and this site will pull up an array of recipes that you may want to try!
You can also flag them as favorites and save for when you’ll want to create them in your own kitchen…
Plus the photos are ridiculously awesome. Something about an attractively bright picture that really pulls me into wanting more, or is that just me?!
This Korean braised tofu recipe came about after a search for:
I Crave —> ”firm tofu”
I Have —> “Sambal oelek”
Shocker there.
I didn’t have a few of the ingredients listed (sesame oil, sesame seeds) so I decided to take a spin on it and make it my own with a few substitutions!
Coconut oil to the rescue…?
I figured that coconut flavors blended so well with the spicy Sambal last time around in this Coconut Chicken n’ Rice Soup, that why wouldn’t they work just the same here 
And that they did! #winning
Picked this up at Whole Foods last week for a mere $1.14 thanks to a coupon in their sale flyer…
Score.
I used this nifty tofu press to pull out all the liquid. But placing it on paper towels between 2 heavy plates will work too
While the tofu pressed out (10 minutes), I mixed up the sauce.
Coconut oil, spicy Sambal, soy sauce, garlic and green onion.
If you have Sriracha on hand, you could use that too. Just omit the extra garlic step.
And p.s. green onions are so easy to grow from leftover grocery store pieces at home, remember this lil’ trick?!
Sliced green onion and minced garlic.
All mixed up with their other friends!
Once the tofu was ready, I sliced it in half then into 1/2″ slices. The first set of slices here were kinda thick, I’d say shoot for about 8 total slices out of the block.
Add to a hot pan with some coconut oil and cook until browned on both sides, also slightly crispy on the outside.
Then add the pre-mixed sauce right to the pan.
And continue to cook for a couple minutes until the sauce turns into a beautiful glaze and the tofu get all caramelized and happy!
To serve this tofu, I’d highly recommend topping it with some additional Sambal or Sriracha just for an extra flavor punch!
What I liked about this recipe was (1) the texture and (2) the flavor.
(1) I think tofu deters many an eater because of the sometimes mushy/spongy texture. Myself included. This dish, however, had a nice firm outside with a perfectly soft middle. It just worked!
(2) The salty soy sauce was mildly offset with sweet coconut oil and the spicy chili sauce was the perfect compliment to the two. Definitely a great mix of flavors!
The leftovers also made a lovely wrap when folded up in a whole wheat tortilla and slathered with a “little bit” more of the spicy Sambal. Just sayin…
So moral of the story: even if you’re a bit “tofu-shy” I’d recommend giving this recipe a whirl! You never know, you just might like it…
Korean Braised Tofu Serves 2-3 Sauce:` 1. Mix sauce ingredients together. Note that if you’re using coconut oil, you’ll want to warm it up so that it’s in liquid (vs. solid) form. 2. Press tofu. I used a tofu press, but placed between 2 plates for 10 minutes or so will work too. Slice in half, then into 1/2″ slices (about 8). 3. Heat 2 tsp oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add tofu slices. Cook until they become browned & slightly crisp on outside, about 7 minutes per side. Turn up heat if necessary. 4. Add sauce to pan with tofu, spreading evenly and cooking over medium low for another 2 minutes each side or until sauce caramelizes & thickens. Serve! Additional chili sauce is, of course, very welcomed here
Inspired by this recipe
