Home » Korean Side Dishes (Banchan) » Pan Fried Tofu in Garlic Soy Sesame Sauce

Pan Fried Tofu in Garlic Soy Sesame Sauce

Pan fried tofu in garlic soy sesame sauce is an easy and delicious Korean tofu side dish. It’s so flavourful that even non-vegetarians would appreciate the taste!

Easy and delicious Korean tofu side dish - Pan Fried Tofu in Garlic Soy Sesame Sauce (Dubu Buchim) recipe. Budget friendly and Vegetarian friendly | MyKoreanKitchen.com Today I’m going to share an easy peasy Korean side dish recipe using Tofu (Dubu, 두부). OK. One thing I learnt from Hollywood movies is that not many westerners like tofu. Can I safely assume that this is a stereotype? Or is this true?

Tofu is quite bland on its own but at the same time it is such a versatile ingredient that you can dress it up with anything. Like a sponge, it will soak up the sauce and then it will release well blended flavour when you bite it.

How to Serve Korean Pan Fried Tofu

In today’s recipe, first, we will be frying some tofu then we will be dressing this up with garlic soy sesame sauce. This dish is called Dubu Buchim (두부 부침) in Korea and it means pan fried tofu.

As I mentioned earlier, tofu is bland on its own, so it is typically served with some soy based dipping sauce at one’s Korean dining table. Alternatively this dipping sauce can be lightly poured or scooped out with a small tea spoon on the tofu. This sauce could be as simple as straight soy sauce or it can be mixed sauce like mine – garlic soy sesame sauce.

Garlic soy sesame sauce is the most common sauce that’s served with tofu but if you like it spicy, you could add a bit of coarse Korean chili powder (Gochugaru, 고추가루) in it as well.

I always make this dish after I use half of the tofu in some other cooking (e.g. Korean soybean paste soup). The Korean grocery store I often go to only carries one size (500g, 1.1 pounds) tofu pack and I often don’t need all of it in a recipe. Fried tofu in garlic soy sesame sauce is simple, easy and quick to make but still very delicious. Also it’s budget and vegetarian friendly. I hope you like it!

Ingredients for 2 to 3 servings as a side dish Easy and delicious Korean tofu side dish - Pan Fried Tofu in Garlic Soy Sesame Sauce (Dubu Buchim) recipe. Budget friendly and Vegetarian friendly | MyKoreanKitchen.com

Main

  • 250g Firm (Korean) tofu – I might be biased but I think Korean tofu seem tastier than any other kinds of tofu I’ve tried.
  • 10g (0.4 ounces) green onion – thinly sliced
  • Some cooking oil (I used rice bran oil)

Seasoning sauce (mix these in a bowl)

*1 Tbsp = 15ml

**If you want to learn more about Korean ingredients, check my 30 essential Korean cooking ingredients list!

How to Make Pan Fried Tofu wit Garlic Soy Sauce

1. Take out the tofu from the packaging and drain off the water. Gently pat dry the outer layer of tofu with some kitchen paper. Cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces. (You can cut it into small cubes or cut into medium-sized rectangles, whichever you like). Gently pat dry both sides of the sliced tofu with some kitchen paper.

2. Preheat a (non-stick) frying pan on high heat and add some cooking oil and spread the oil across the pan. Easy and delicious Korean tofu side dish - Pan Fried Tofu in Garlic Soy Sesame Sauce (Dubu Buchim) recipe. Budget friendly and Vegetarian friendly | MyKoreanKitchen.com 3. Add the tofu and pan fry both sides until they turn golden brown (about 2 mins each side on high heat). Turn the heat off. Easy and delicious Korean tofu side dish - Pan Fried Tofu in Garlic Soy Sesame Sauce (Dubu Buchim) recipe. Budget friendly and Vegetarian friendly | MyKoreanKitchen.com 4. Stack the tofu in a shallow bowl and add the green onion. Pour the sauce around the tofu and green onion. Serve. Easy and delicious Korean tofu side dish - Pan Fried Tofu in Garlic Soy Sesame Sauce (Dubu Buchim) recipe. Budget friendly and Vegetarian friendly | MyKoreanKitchen.com Easy and delicious Korean tofu side dish - Pan Fried Tofu in Garlic Soy Sesame Sauce (Dubu Buchim) recipe. Budget friendly and Vegetarian friendly | MyKoreanKitchen.com

Note

  • If you let the tofu rest for 3 to 5 mins in the seasoning sauce, it should be tastily seasoned well.
  • An alternative to pouring the sauce onto the tofu is simmering the sauce over heat with tofu. This dish will be called Dubu Jorim (두부 조림) –  Braised tofu in garlic soy sesame sauce.


Easy and delicious Korean tofu side dish - Pan Fried Tofu in Garlic Soy Sesame Sauce (Dubu Buchim) recipe. Budget friendly and Vegetarian friendly | MyKoreanKitchen.com

Pan Fried Tofu in Garlic Soy Sesame Sauce

How to make pan fried tofu with garlic and soy sauce
4.92 from 12 votes
Print Pin Rate Save
Course: Side dishes
Cuisine: Korean
Keyword: tofu
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 3
Calories: 76kcal
Author: Sue | My Korean Kitchen

Ingredients

MAIN

  • 250 g firm tofu , I might be biased but I think Korean tofu seem tastier than any other kinds of tofu I’ve tried.
  • 10 g green onion (0.4 ounces), thinly sliced
  • Some cooking oil , I used rice bran oil

SEASONING SAUCE (MIX THESE IN A BOWL)

  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp raw sugar
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/4 tsp minced garlic

Instructions

  • Take out the tofu from the packaging and drain off the water. Gently pat dry the outer layer of tofu with some kitchen paper. Cut the tofu into bite sized pieces. (You can cut it into small cubes or cut into medium-sized rectangles, whichever you like). Gently pat dry both sides of the sliced tofu with some kitchen paper.
  • Preheat a (non-stick) frying pan on high heat and add some cooking oil and spread the oil across the pan.
  • Add the tofu and pan fry both sides until they turn golden brown (about 2 mins each side on high heat). Turn the heat off.
  • Stack the tofu in a shallow bowl and add the green onion. Pour the sauce around the tofu and green onion. Serve.

Notes

1 Tbsp = 15 ml

Nutrition Info (per serving)

Calories: 76kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 701mg | Potassium: 187mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1.2mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Tried this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Rate this recipe with a comment below and tag me on Instagram @MyKoreanKitchen.

Written by: Sue

Last Updated:

Welcome to my Korean kitchen! I’m so happy that you're here. I am Sue, the creator behind My Korean Kitchen (since 2006). I love good food and simplifying recipes. Here you will find my best and family approved recipes. Thanks for stopping by!

NEVER MISS A NEW RECIPE

Join 20,000+ other Korean food lovers! Get the latest recipes from My Korean Kitchen delivered to your email inbox. It's free!

I will only send you emails related to My Korean Kitchen. Unsubscribe at any time.

Copyright: Unless otherwise noted, all photography and content on this site is the intellectual property of Sue Pressey of My Korean Kitchen. Please do not copy and/or paste full recipes and images to any social media channels or websites without my prior written consent. This is strictly prohibited. You may however, use a single image and a summary of my article in your own words, provided that proper attribution is given to myself and an appropriate link back to my original recipe. Thank you.

Disclosure: My Korean Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Subscribe
Notify of
Rate This Recipe With Your Comment




40 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Brianna
January 13, 2024 12:20 pm

My husband and I made rice with peas and carrots and soy sauce and served this on top as dinner. Fantastic!

Patrice
July 25, 2022 5:11 am

Sooo delicious and simple, goes together so quickly. Perfect! Thank you!

Heather Elisabeth Randolph
September 21, 2021 2:58 am

Delicious! Can’t get enough of this. So simple but so delicious!!!
Sliced my tofu a little on the thin side and they were crispy & delicious!

Kim Christensen
January 22, 2021 7:45 am

I’m American and love tofu. It helps that I lived in Indonesia for 3 years when I was a kid.

July 11, 2020 9:57 am

Hi Sue,

I am thinking to start keep some side dishes in the fridge. Wondering if I can cook this more and keep it in the fridge? If I can do that, how long can it be stored in the fridge?
Any other side dish that we can store it in the fridge so that we do not have to cook it everyday?

Debbie
June 8, 2020 1:26 am

I am Korean and I might be your Grand-mother’s age. But never learned how to cook Korean food. But I love to eat.
I have a box of firm Tofu in my refrigerator now but I didn’t know what to do with it. I am so glad you had Fried Tofu recipe, my daughter found it and she forwarded your Link to me. I will try out as soon as I get Garlic. Thanks for your show and I will be looking forward to hear from you often.

Sincerely;
Debbie

NEVER MISS A NEW RECIPE

Join 20,000+ other Korean food lovers!

Get the latest recipes from My Korean Kitchen delivered to your email inbox. It's free!

Connect

NEVER MISS A NEW RECIPE

Join 20,000+ other Korean food lovers! Get the latest recipes from

My Korean Kitchen delivered to your email inbox. It's free!