bulgogi-style tofu
Author: 
Recipe type: vegetable
 
Ingredients
  • 19 oz firm tofu (Mine was packaged as four slabs)
  • ¼ cup gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste; look for a heavy, squat jar)
  • 3 cloves garlic, grated or pressed through a garlic press
  • 1 inch ginger, grated
  • 1 small onion, grated
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 stalks green onions, chopped (which I forgot to add before I took the photo above....der!)
  • cooked rice (white, brown, with beans, you choose)
  • cucumber banchan (recipe follows in notes section)
  • sprinkles of sesame seeds
Instructions
  1. Before cubing tofu, press it to remove some moisture (for crisper tofu after cooking). Here's how: Place clean tea towels or paper towels on a large plate, top with tofu, and place another semi-thick clean tea towel on top. Place heavy pot on top for 15 minutes.
  2. Cut each slab into 16 cubes, thus giving 64 cubes total. Why is the number of cubes important? Marinating time may change, depending on how salty you want the tofu and how large the cubes are.
  3. Mix tofu cubes, gochujang, garlic, ginger, onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar together in a large bowl and marinate 2-3 hours, at least.
  4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place marinated tofu onto lined baking sheet for 30 minutes.* When the wayward marinade is starting to blacken and the tofu browning, it is done.
  5. Prepare bowl with cooked rice, cucumbers, and tofu. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds. I also foresee some bowls with a fried egg blanketing the top.
Notes
* Cooking time may change depending on how big you cube your tofu. Cucumber banchan adapted from many sources and lots of taste-testing Persian cucumbers (I used 775 g = 27 ounces), or other small seedless cucumbers 2½ tablespoons kosher salt 2 teaspoons sesame oil 2 teaspoons honey 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1 teaspoon minced garlic 2 teaspoons sesame seeds 1. Wash cucumbers well. 2. Using your trusty mandolin (or a painstakingly steady knife and lots of time and patience), slice thinly. I used my 1.3 mm setting on my mandolin. 3. Add 2½ tablespoons kosher salt to sliced cucumbers, mix well and allow to sit for 30-40 minutes. 4. Add water to cover and place in refrigerator overnight. 5. Rinse well and squeeze out moisture with thick cheesecloth (or clean tea towel). 6. Season with sesame oil, honey, vinegar, garlic, and sesame seeds. You may want to add a little salt, depending on how much you rinsed it off earlier (but it will pull out some of the moisture). 7. Chill. Lasts for 1 week in the fridge.
Recipe by story of a kitchen at https://www.storyofakitchen.com/vegetable-recipes/bulgogi-style-tofu/