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Parve
Easy
1 Hour
Diets 
This is another dish that I have often – it’s great for lunch or dinner and really only takes minutes to make. The frying step is actually optional – it gives the tofu more bite and when I cooked this dish for a cookery class, the class was split, with a few preferring the texture of the fried version. At home though, I often skip this step and simply put the tofu straight into the pan with the sauce and simmer for a silkier, softer tofu, but I’ve included the frying step here in case you prefer your tofu to have more texture.
800 grams/1 and 3/4 pounds firm tofu
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 long red chilli/chile, sliced
3 tablespoons Korean soy sauce
1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon Gefen Toasted Sesame Oil
1 and 1/2 teaspoons caster/superfine sugar
1 teaspoon crushed/minced garlic or 1 cube Gefen Frozen Garlic
1/4 teaspoon Gefen Ground White Pepper
freshly steamed rice
1 spring onion/scallion, checked and roughly chopped
Place the tofu onto a plate and rest another plate on top. Place something heavy on top and leave for about 10 minutes to squeeze out all the extra water from the tofu.
Meanwhile, mix together the sauce ingredients with 150 milliliters/2/3 cup water in a small bowl.
Pat the tofu dry and then slice into large rectangles, around one centimeter/1/2 inch thick. Season with the salt.
Place a large frying pan/skillet over a medium-high heat with the vegetable oil. Carefully lay the tofu into the pan and fry on each side for two minutes.
Add the onion, chilli, spring onion (saving some of the green part for garnishing) and sauce. Bring to the boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve garnished with spring onions and with freshly steamed rice.
From Balli Balli by Da-Hae West, published by Ryland Peters & Small
Photography by Clare Winfield ©️ Ryland Peters & Small 2025
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