Spicy & Crunchy Garlic Tofu, also known as Kkanpoong Tofu, is a delicious Korean dish that's full of flavor and texture. It's typically made with crispy tofu cubes that are coated in a spicy, garlicky sauce. The sauce often includes ingredients like garlic, chili peppers, soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar, which gives it a sweet and tangy kick. The dish is usually garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, making it a flavorful and satisfying meal.
116 ounceblock extra firm tofupressed and chopped into 1/2 inch bite sized chunks
1teaspoonsalt
2Tablespoonspotato starchplus 1 extra teaspoon
7clovesgarlicminced
1/4red oniondiced
2Korean green chilis, slicedcan sub seeded jalapenos
2wholescallionswhite parts chopped, green parts sliced on a bias
1Tablespoongochagaru
1-1 1/2Tablespoonsoy sauce
1Tablespoon white wine vinegar
2Tablespoonsmaple syrup
1/2Tablespoonmirincan leave out if you don't have any
4+1Tablespoonsvegetable oil
1/8cupdried red chiliscan leave out if you don't have any
1/2Tablespoonsesame oil
1Tablespoontoasted sesame seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
To a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of potato starch to tofu chunks. Gently toss the tofu to make sure they are all evenly coated. Set aside.
Prep your vegetables by mincing the garlic, dicing the onion, slicing the Korean chilis, and chopping up the scallions.
Prepare the sauce by mixing together gochugaru, soy sauce, white wine vinegar, maple syrup, mirin, and 1 teaspoon of potato starch. Set aside.
To a very large non-stick pan, add 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat. When oil is very hot, add coated tofu chunks in one layer,making sure they are not touching each other. If they touch, they will stick to one another.
Cook the tofu and flip them one by one, until they are brown on all sides (approximately 7 minutes). Remove the tofu chunks from the pan and set them aside on a cooling rack to drain the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining tofu.
When all of the tofu has been fried, in the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Then add the garlic, onions, chilis, and scallions and saute the vegetables until the garlic starts to brown.
Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the sauce, stirring it with a wooden spoon until it reduces down into a thick sauce (approximately 30 seconds). Turn off the heat.
Gently add back the fried tofu and stir everything together, so that the tofu chunks are evenly coated in your sauce.
Garnish the tofu with ½ tablespoon of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
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