You can probably tell that we’re totally obsessed with tofu. It’s packed with nutrients, including protein and calcium – and when cooked right, it’s absolutely delicious.
For this new tofu steak dish, we slice grooves into the top and bottom of the tofu to create an ‘accordion’ shape, which helps the tofu absorb lots of flavour, and we bake the tofu in a fiery gochujang glaze.
Notes:
- For the ‘accordion’ shape to work, it’s really important the tofu you use is extra-firm and smooth. The extra-firm tofu we use doesn’t require pressing, just draining. But if your tofu is on the softer side, we recommend pressing it first.
- If the tofu has lots of holes and the surfaces are uneven, the tofu might break apart when you slice into it because you risk slicing all the way through. We recommend first slicing off the uneven surfaces to create a more uniform rectangle shape. You can use the leftover tofu to create tofu scramble.
- You can easily make this recipe gluten-free using tamari. Not all brands of gochujang are gluten-free, so we recommend checking the label.
Things to know:
- Most brands of gochujang are vegan, but it’s always worth checking the label just to be absolutely sure before you buy it. You’ll be able to find it in most large supermarkets and almost every East Asian store.
- Some brands of gochujang can be very salty, which is why we don’t season our gochujang glaze with salt. But we recommend giving your glaze a taste and seasoning with salt, if you think it’s necessary.
- We love pairing these tofu steaks with a zingy cucumber salad, but you can also serve them with cooked veggies, such as broccoli, mangetout or pak choi.
Accordion Style Gochujang Tofu Steaks
Ingredients
- 1 x 450g block of extra-firm tofu, drained, see notes
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, or tamari
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp gochujang, see notes
- 1.5 limes, juice only
- 1.5 garlic cloves
- 210 g jasmine rice
- 1/3 cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1/4 red onion, peeled + thinly sliced
- 1 small handful of fresh coriander, leaves picked
- salt + pepper
- sesame seeds, to serve
Method
- Slice the block of tofu into three large pieces of tofu. Then cut each piece in half lengthways to create a total of 6 smaller and rectangular tofu ‘steaks’.
- In a small bowl, combine the dark soy sauce with the maple syrup, gochujang and juice from 1 lime. Then peel one of the garlic cloves and grate it into the bowl. Give the sauce a stir, then set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C fan / 425°F and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Take one piece of tofu, then place the long sides between two chopsticks. Slice down into the tofu (this will prevent the knife going all the way through) and make vertical cuts at 5mm (0.2”) intervals.
- Then turn the tofu over and place the long sides between the chopsticks again. Slice down into the tofu at a 45 degree angle and at 5mm (0.2”) intervals. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until all the pieces of tofu have been sliced on both sides.
- Transfer the 6 pieces of tofu to the lined baking tray and brush half of the gochujang glaze all over the tofu, reserving half of the sauce for later.
- Pop the tofu in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and reglaze the tofu with some of the remaining sauce, reserving a few more spoonfuls of the glaze for serving. Then return the tofu to the oven for 10-20 minutes or until it’s charred around the edges.
- Meanwhile, cook the rice as per the packet instructions.
- To prepare the salad, add the cucumber to a mixing bowl along with the red onion, most of the coriander leaves, pinches of salt and pepper and the juice from the remaining lime half. Then peel and grate the remaining garlic clove half into the salad and toss to combine.
- To serve, divide the rice and salad between bowls, top with the accordion tofu steaks and pour the remaining gochujang glaze over the steaks. Finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, then roughly chop the remaining coriander leaves and sprinkle all over. Enjoy!