How to Tofu: Sticky Glazed Tofu 🔥

So many folks tend to pan fry tofu with cornstarch to develop a crispy exterior for glazing in sauces. This method skips the cornstarch yet still delivers crispy edges perfect for soaking up the delicious, sweet, savory, and spicy glaze. Let’s get into it:

FULL RECIPE

ingredients

1 block extra firm tofu, drained, dried, and pressed.

salt, pepper, and oil, as specified in the preparation instructions

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon sriracha

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

preparation

halve your tofu block lengthwise to create two slabs, then cut each slab into thirds and score across the top of each piece. I do a cross scoring (diagonally both ways) as it creates more surface area. add a few teaspoons olive oil on top of each piece scored side up, then season with salt and pepper to your liking. make sure the surface is evenly coated with salt and pepper.

at this point, go ahead and whisk together the soy sauce, maple syrup, sriracha, and rice vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.

heat a nonstick or cast iron pan over medium heat and allow to warm 2 minutes at least. add about 2 tablespoons olive oil and then lay your tofu pieces scored side down in the pan. allow to sear on medium heat for at least 6 to 8 minutes. flip each piece over and continue to searing another 4 minutes. flip each piece on it’s sides to lock in a sear on all surfaces.

once fully seared, pour in the glaze mixture slowly so that it does not splash up like crazy. try to pour over all the tofu pieces. once in, allow it to reduce about 1 to 2 minutes, then begin flipping each piece and shaking the pan as the glaze thickens and reduces. this part should only take another 3 to 4 minutes, but may be shorter or longer in duration. basically, pay attention to the glaze as it thickens and move the tofu around in the pan to evenly coat all sides. you can remove the pan from the heat at times if the glaze is thickening or darkening too quickly. you do NOT want the glaze to burn, as it will result in an acrid flavor.

once finished, serve the tofu over rice, or with ramen, or noodles, or any way you’d like. cooking tofu like this makes me eat the entire block in like 3 minutes, but that’s just me. enjoy, my friends 🙏🏼