I'm not supposed to have soy, but god I love tofu, and why not splurge now and then? Yes. I believe tofu is a splurge.
I should have sampled the jalapeno before I made this, because it definitely could have been spicier. Jalapenos' heat are such a gamble, though. If I had sampled, I would have added additional chili powder or ground up some dried red chilis. As is, still delish. If you're scared of heat, this will work for you.
Source: The Korean Vegan | Serves: 2 | Time: 30 min
Changes: replaced potato starch with tapioca starch; skipped red onion; replaced soy sauce with coconut aminos; skipped mirin
Ingredients
1 16 ounce block extra firm tofu pressed and chopped into 1/2 inch bite sized chunks
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp tapioca starch plus 1 extra teaspoon
7 cloves garlic minced
2 seeded #jalapenos, sliced
2 whole scallions white parts chopped, green parts sliced
1 tbsp gochagaru
1-1 1/2 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup
4+1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
To a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of starch to tofu chunks. Gently toss the tofu to make sure they are all evenly coated. Set aside.
Prepare the sauce by mixing together chili powder, aminos, white wine vinegar, maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon of 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, jalapenos, 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.