Japanese Braised Tofu (Meal Prep-friendly Recipe)

Cook time: 8-24 hours | Makes: 16 cubes

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 block extra firm tofu 

  • 1 cup broth or dashi 

  • 1/4 cup of dark soy sauce, mirin, and sake 

  • Dash of salt 

  • Oil to spray 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Freeze your tofu overnight in a container. Next morning, remove the tofu from the freezer and allow it to defrost at room temperature. Relatively, you can freeze it at any time of the day but it must be frozen for at least 4 hours. As a result, you will have a spongier, chewier, and more porous tofu that soaks up flavor better.

  2. Allow the tofu to defrost. If you’re lazy like me, just let it sit in a colander over the sink until it’s softened (this may depend on the temperature of your environment obviously). The other faster option is to toss it into boiling water until softened (~5 minutes). Gently squeeze out the excess liquid and Cube the tofu evenly. 

  3. Most braising techniques will tell you to fry the tofu first then bake in the sauce but I found that the opposite works better. Into an oven-safe pan, heat up the liquid ingredients at medium heat to a gentle boil. Evenly place the tofu into the pan and reduce the heat between low and medium. You can either place the entire pan with a lid on into the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or you can cover it on the stovetop and allow the tofu to simmer for 30 minutes. 

  4. Once the tofu is braised, spoon the tofu out of the liquid onto a paper towel to remove any remaining sauce. Now we will crisp up the tofu which you can do one of two ways. For all three methods, evenly lay out the tofu, ensuring they’re not touching each other at all, and spray with oil:

    • Method 1: Air fry the tofu cubes at 350 degrees for 12 minutes, flipping halfway through. This technique is ideal if you’re impatient and want to eat ASAP! The only downside of this method is that, depending on your air fryer, this may dry out your tofu and make it taste rubbery.

    • Method 2: Bake the tofu cubes at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. This technique was personally my favorite. You can see a photo below from my Instagram stories using this method. It most closely mimicked a dried yet saucy texture.

    • Method 3: Pan fry the tofu cubes on medium heat. This technique will require a vigilant watch, flipping the cubes periodically to avoid burning. If done correctly, the interior is the most juicy with a crispy outside. *see the tiktok video below showing how I used this method.

My first Instagram story of a successful recipe testing. This attempt used the oven method.

Meal PrepBryn Yasuiveganjapanesefood, meal prepComment