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Korean

Korean, Recipes, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian

Korean-Style Fried Tofu with Green Onion Sauce

October 25, 2012

I have mentioned before that I love tofu in many forms.  Either frozen, defrosted, then baked with herbs or straight from the package with green onions, ginger and soy sauce.  Or even cut into cubes, baked  and tossed in nutritional yeast.  Here’s another tofu recipe that’s quick and easy. A friend at work adores this sauce.  He waits patiently for any leftovers I might have and drizzles it on his rice. It has the perfect balance of salty, garlicky, spicy kick to it.

Firm or extra firm tofu works well for fried tofu.

Tofu Xpress

I discovered an ingenious tofu press on a food blog one day.  This simple gadget works great.  Put your block of tofu in the container, press the spring-loaded top on it, place in your refrigerator for a half hour or so, and in no time most of the water will have been pressed out.  The days of wasting paper towels are over!

Slice tofu block into 8 pieces, about 1/4 inch thick.

Korean-Style Tofu Sauce

Korean-Style Fried Tofu with Green Onion Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 block firm or extra firm tofu (12 oz.)

canola oil for frying

Sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon Korean chili powder flakes – optional (I bought Whole Spice Korean chili flakes in Napa Valley and it’s quite mild though it gives the sauce a splash of color).

1/3 teaspoon red chili flakes (more or less depending on how spicy you want the sauce to be).

2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions (or more if you prefer).

1 teaspoon ground sesame seeds (I use an electric  Zojirushi sesame grinder though for a few dollars you can purchase an inexpensive hand grinder at most Asian markets).

Roasted sesame seeds for sprinkling on the fried tofu (optional).

Preparation

Combine soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, Korean chili flakes if using, red chili flakes, green onions and ground sesame seeds in a small bowl.  Mix ingredients to combine well.  Set aside.

Press tofu in Tofu Xpress for 1/2 – 1 hour in the refrigerator (alternately slice tofu and place between several layers of paper towels then put a cutting board on top and weight with a few cans or a large book on your counter for 15 – 30 minutes).

Remove tofu from Tofu Xpress and slice into 8 pieces (about 1/4 inch thick).

Place a skillet large enough to hold all of the tofu on medium heat with 2 – 3 teaspoons of canola oil.

Fry tofu for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned.  Flip tofu over and brown the other side for about 5 minutes.  Remove to a plate and drizzle sauce over the tofu.  Sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds (optional).

I make this the night before and take it for lunch the following day.  Gently reheat the tofu, drizzle with sauce and serve with rice.

Beef, Dinner, Korean, Recipes

Korean Style Hamburger Patties

September 21, 2012

My recipe card says “Korean Buns.”  My mom used to make these for me and my friends when they would come over for a slumber party.  The name of this dish derives from the “Korean” ingredients my mom added to the ground beef that she spread thinly on split hot dog buns. The buns would be placed on a baking sheet and set under the broiler for a few minutes until the meat was cooked through and nicely browned.  These were the perfect slumber party snack.  My variation is to make mini patties which can be eaten with rice and Japanese pickles. Leftover patties make a satisfying bento lunch.

These patties pair perfectly with white rice.

I include water chestnuts in the patties which adds a nice crunch. They remind me of jicama adding texture to the patties without affecting the flavor of the other ingredients.

Diced water chestnuts

Form the meat into small patties and either fry or if time permits heat up the barbecue grill.

Japanese pickles (radish and cucumbers).

Korean Patties with watercressOn another occasion I added a few handfuls of chopped watercress to the patties.  The watercress along with the water chestnuts add a pleasant crunch to these savory patties.

Korean Style Hamburger Patties

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (I use lean ground sirloin)

1 tablespoon finely chopped onion

3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup finely chopped water chestnuts

3 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 heaping teaspoon sugar

1 whole egg

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl add onion, green onion, garlic and water chestnuts to ground beef.  Mix gently with a fork to combine ingredients.  Add soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and mix again.  Add whole egg and mix until all ingredients are distributed well.  Lightly form meat mixture into small patties (2 1/2 inch).

In a large non-stick fry pan heat 1 – 2 tablespoons of canola oil over medium high heat.  When the pan is hot, add half of the patties.  Fry for 3 minutes then flip patties over and fry for another 3 minutes or until nicely browned and cooked through (cooking time will depend on the size of your patties).  Repeat with the remaining patties.

They are especially delicious served with white or brown rice, Japanese pickles and Kabocha No Toroni (Kabocha squash simmered in rice wine and soy sauce).

***You may grill the patties however I prefer to pan-fry them which ensures they have a nice crust on them. And by all means, try the recipe the way my mom made it; spread meat mixture on split hot dog buns and finish under the broiler.

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