Ginger soy glazed tofu

This is the recipe to cook first if you have never made tofu you were happy with. There is no chili, nothing to burn quickly, no step where timing decides the outcome, and the glaze is forgiving enough that thirty seconds either way makes no difference.

It is also the version to cook for someone who does not eat spicy food, which rules out most of the recipes people recommend to tofu skeptics. Ginger and garlic do the work that chili does elsewhere on this site.

Soy sauce and ginger together are the backbone of a great deal of East Asian home cooking. This is a simple domestic treatment rather than any particular regional dish, and it is written that way deliberately.

Ingredients

Tofu

• 1 block (14 to 16 oz) extra-firm tofu, pressed 20 to 30 minutes
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Half a teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil for cooking

Glaze

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, or 1 teaspoon ground
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, added off the heat
• Sesame seeds and green onion, to finish

Fresh ginger is noticeably better here and grated on a fine grater it takes about thirty seconds. Ground ginger works and tastes flatter, so if you use it, add a squeeze of lemon at the end to compensate.

Method

1. Press and cube. Twenty to thirty minutes under weight, then three quarter inch cubes, then pat the cut faces dry. The pressing guide has faster options if you forgot to plan.
2. Coat. Toss the dry cubes with the cornstarch and salt until they look lightly dusted rather than pasty.
3. Mix the glaze. Whisk the soy sauce, ginger, garlic, maple syrup and vinegar together and set the bowl beside the stove.
4. Fry. Heat the oil in a twelve inch pan over medium-high until it shimmers. Tofu in a single layer with gaps, then leave it alone 3 to 4 minutes until the pieces release themselves. Turn and continue until most faces are golden, about twelve minutes total.
5. Glaze. Drop the heat to medium-low, pour the glaze in, and toss for 60 to 90 seconds. It will bubble, thicken against the starch on the tofu, and coat every piece in a dark shine.
6. Finish. Off the heat, add the sesame oil, then sesame seeds and green onion.

Unlike the sticky recipes elsewhere here, this glaze wants a small amount of gentle heat to reduce properly, which is why it goes in over medium-low rather than off the burner. Do not let it boil hard or the sugar catches.

Where it goes wrong

The glaze stayed thin and watery. Not enough heat, or too little starch on the tofu. Give it another thirty seconds over medium-low and it will tighten.

The glaze turned to lacquer in ten seconds. Too much heat. Maple syrup and brown sugar both go from glossy to burnt fast. Pull the pan off and add a splash of water to loosen it.

The garlic tasted acrid. It went into the pan at frying temperature rather than into the glaze. In this recipe the garlic is in the liquid, which protects it.

Everything stuck together. Crowded pan, so the pieces steamed and the starch turned to paste between them. Two batches. The crisping guide covers the reasoning.

Air fryer and oven versions

Air fry the coated cubes at 390F for 14 to 17 minutes, shaking at the halfway point. Meanwhile simmer the glaze in a small pan over medium-low for a minute until slightly syrupy, then toss the hot tofu through it. Timings for other cut sizes are on the air fryer page.

For the oven, roast at 425F for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, then glaze in a pan the same way. The oven guide covers sheet pan setup.

Serving and keeping

Rice and a green vegetable is the whole meal. Steamed broccoli, bok choy, green beans or a cucumber salad all work, and anything with a little bitterness balances the sugar in the glaze.

It keeps three days refrigerated. The glaze holds up better than a crust does, so this reheats more gracefully than most of the recipes here. Two minutes in a hot dry pan brings it back.