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Culinary Explorer
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Dubu-jorim (Soy-Braised Tofu)
Created by
Firm tofu, browned first so it will not crumble, then braised with soy, garlic, scallion, and gochugaru until the sauce clings like a proper weeknight banchan.
Side Dishes
Korean
Weeknight
Meal Prep
Budget Friendly
15 min
Active Time
15 min cook•30 min total
Yield4 servings as banchan
Dubu-jorim lives or dies before the sauce touches it. Tofu is mostly water, so if you slice it and rush it into the pan, it sticks, tears, and breaks into curds. Press it for ten minutes, salt it lightly, pat it dry, then brown both faces. That browned skin is what lets a cheap block of tofu behave like dinner.
My mother made this when the rice was already done and the table needed one more dish with strength in it. Not meat, not a feast, just soy sauce, garlic, scallion, and gochugaru reduced until every slice shone red-brown at the edges. It is banchan, a side dish, but it can carry a lunchbox and it keeps better than many dishes that cost three times as much.
Notebook 58 says 4 tablespoons soy sauce for a 450 g block of firm tofu, and no more unless your tofu is larger. Too much sauce makes the tofu salty before it becomes savory. Spoon the braising liquid over the slices, reduce it until it clings, and stop while the tofu still tastes like tofu. 손맛 is real. I still measure it, so it can be handed on.
Tofu, dubu, entered Korean cooking through the broader East Asian soybean tradition by the Goryeo period and became especially important in Buddhist temple kitchens and ordinary homes where meat was not daily food. Dubu-jorim belongs to the everyday jorim family, foods simmered down in a seasoned liquid until the seasoning concentrates; its red color is a later household form, since chili peppers reached Korea from the Americas after the late sixteenth century and became common in kimchi and banchan over the following centuries.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
firm tofu
Quantity
1 block (400 to 450g)
drained
kosher salt
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
neutral oil
Quantity
2 tablespoons
such as grapeseed or canola
onion
Quantity
1/2 small (about 80g)
thinly sliced
Korean soy sauce (jin-ganjang)
Quantity
4 tablespoons
water or anchovy-kelp broth
Quantity
1/2 cup
gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
garlic
Quantity
3 cloves
minced
sugar or maesil-cheong (Korean green plum syrup)
Quantity
1 teaspoon sugar, or 2 teaspoons maesil-cheong
toasted sesame oil
Quantity
2 teaspoons
divided
scallions
Quantity
2
thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
green chili (optional)
Quantity
1
thinly sliced
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/8 teaspoon
toasted sesame seeds
Quantity
1 teaspoon
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| firm tofudrained | 1 block (400 to 450g) |
| kosher salt | 1/2 teaspoon |
| neutral oilsuch as grapeseed or canola | 2 tablespoons |
| onionthinly sliced | 1/2 small (about 80g) |
| Korean soy sauce (jin-ganjang) | 4 tablespoons |
| water or anchovy-kelp broth | 1/2 cup |
| gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) | 1 tablespoon |
| garlicminced | 3 cloves |
| sugar or maesil-cheong (Korean green plum syrup) | 1 teaspoon sugar, or 2 teaspoons maesil-cheong |
| toasted sesame oildivided | 2 teaspoons |
| scallionsthinly sliced, whites and greens separated | 2 |
| green chili (optional)thinly sliced | 1 |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/8 teaspoon |
| toasted sesame seeds | 1 teaspoon |
Equipment Needed
- •10 to 12 inch nonstick or well-seasoned skillet
- •Wide thin spatula
- •Clean kitchen towel and light weight for pressing tofu
- •Small mixing bowl
Instructions
- 1
Press the tofu
Wrap the tofu in a clean kitchen towel and set a small plate or light pan on top for 10 minutes. You are not trying to crush it, only to pull out the surface water that makes tofu spit in the pan and break when turned. Cut the block into 10 even slabs, each about 1/2 inch thick, then season both sides with the salt and pat them dry again.
Do not use silken tofu here. Firm tofu is the right choice because it can brown and still stay tender inside. - 2
Mix the sauce
In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, water or broth, gochugaru, garlic, sugar or maesil-cheong, 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil, scallion whites, black pepper, and the optional green chili. The sauce will taste too strong on its own. That is correct. It has to season the tofu and reduce in the pan, not behave like a soup.
- 3
Brown the tofu
Heat a 10 to 12 inch skillet over medium heat and add the neutral oil. Lay the tofu in a single layer, leaving a little space between pieces, and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side until each face is golden and lightly crisp at the edges. Do not keep poking at it. Tofu releases more cleanly once it has browned.
A nonstick pan is a safe modern corner to cut. Skipping the browning is not. Without that browned surface, the tofu drinks the sauce unevenly and falls apart. - 4
Add onion and sauce
Scatter the sliced onion between the tofu pieces, then pour the sauce around and over the tofu. Bring it to a lively simmer over medium heat. Use a spoon to baste the tops instead of stirring; stirring treats tofu like meat, and tofu will punish you for that.
- 5
Braise until clinging
Simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes, spooning the sauce over the tofu every minute or so. Shake the pan gently if anything catches. Stop when the onion is soft and only 2 to 3 tablespoons of glossy sauce remain in the pan, clinging to the tofu instead of pooling like broth. This reduction is the difference between dubu-jorim and tofu sitting in salty liquid.
- 6
Finish and serve
Turn off the heat. Drizzle over the remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil, scatter the scallion greens and toasted sesame seeds on top, and let the tofu sit 5 minutes before serving. Eat it warm, at room temperature, or cold from the refrigerator with rice. Chill leftovers within 2 hours and keep them covered for up to 4 days.
Chef Tips
- •Buy firm tofu packed in water, not silken and not the very dry pressed kind. The best dubu-jorim has a browned outside and a soft center, so the tofu still tastes like tofu.
- •Water is acceptable for the braising liquid. Anchovy-kelp broth gives a deeper table flavor, but this is a weeknight banchan, and the dish should not wait for a perfect pot of broth.
- •If your soy sauce is very salty, use 3 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon water in its place. Brands differ. Write down the brand and the amount when the seasoning lands right.
- •For children or a very mild table, reduce the gochugaru to 1 teaspoon and skip the green chili. Do not replace the gochugaru with gochujang; paste makes the sauce heavy and sweet, and this dish should stay clean.
- •This is good meal-prep food. Pack the slices flat in a shallow container with the reduced sauce spooned over them, so each piece keeps its seasoning without turning soggy.
Advance Preparation
- •The sauce can be mixed up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Add the sliced scallion greens fresh at the end so they keep their color.
- •The tofu can be pressed, sliced, salted, and refrigerated on a towel-lined plate up to 12 hours ahead. Pat it dry again before frying.
- •Cooked dubu-jorim keeps 4 days in the refrigerator. Serve cold or let it stand 20 minutes to lose its chill; if reheating, warm it gently in a covered skillet with 1 tablespoon water.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 165g)
Calories
270 calories
Total Fat
19 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
17 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
1220 mg
Total Carbohydrates
9 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
21 g
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