Teriyaki tofu is a simple, quick, and flavourful meal that can be made at home in under 30 minutes. This tasty Japanese dish is often served as an appetizer but can also be a main dish when accompanied by rice or other sides. It is also highly diverse as ingredients can be substituted or eliminated to make the meal vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free.
There are several ways that teriyaki tofu can be prepared, but one of the quickest involves pan frying. You’ll also want to try teriyaki tofu with different types of sauces to find your favourites. Instead of teriyaki sauce, add ponzu sauce topped with spring onion and grated daikon (mooli). Tonkatsu sauce, sesame-soy dipping sauce, and garlic-chili sauce are also tasty alternatives.
When making this dish, choose high protein or extra firm tofu. Soft tofu will fall apart as it cooks. For an even heartier meal, serve the tofu and veggies over noodles or rice.
How to Make Teriyaki Tofu
Crisped tofu and homemade teriyaki sauce come together to create a simple dish with tons of flavour. The recipe requires just a few basic ingredients and can be made even faster by using a bottled teriyaki sauce or alternative sauce instead of homemade.
Ingredients:
- 200g extra firm tofu
- 30g potato starch
- 15ml neutral-flavoured oil
- 5g dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
- ½ spring onion
- Pickled red ginger (Kizami Shouga) (garnish)
- Shredded daikon (topping)
To Make Homemade Teriyaki Sauce:
Instructions:
1. Wrap the tofu with a paper towel and place it between two plates. Put a heavy object on top of the plate to help press the excess water from the tofu. Allow the tofu to drain for approximately 20 minutes. Discard the water.
2. Combine the sake, mirin, and soy sauce in a small bowl and mix well to create the homemade teriyaki sauce.
3. Remove the paper towel and cut the tofu into small squares with a thickness of about a ½ inch.
4. Chop the spring onion into thin slices.
5. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan on the stove over medium heat. Coat the tofu pieces with the potato starch. When the oil is hot, carefully drop the coated tofu pieces into the pan. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and crispy. Flip and cook the other side.
6. When both sides of the tofu are cooked, pour the teriyaki sauce on top. Use a turner to carefully flip the tofu so that each side is coated with the sauce. Sprinkle the dried bonito flakes on top and turn off the heat.
7. Serve the teriyaki tofu on a plate. Garnish with spring onions and pickled red ginger. Top with shredded daikon. Serve immediately.
