Easy Braised Tofu (No Pan Frying Tofu, Just Braising!)

Make Taiwanese-style soft Braised Tofu in under an hour with mostly hands-off cooking and simple Trader Joe’s ingredients! As a born-and-raised Taiwanese, soy sauce-braised dishes are quintessentially Taiwanese, and this recipe is inspired by the taste of home. 😌

Rather than pan frying, tofu slabs are simmered in a savory yet slightly sweet braising liquid, soaking up all the flavors. This simple braised tofu is satisfying on its own and amazing over steamed rice or freshly cooked noodles. Ideal for any weeknight and perfect for meal prep!

Recipe Testing Notes

• Nutritional yeast? Nutritional yeast is known for its umami flavor, and it works quite well in place of dried shiitake mushrooms if you don't have any handy; see the Key Ingredients section below for more authentic-tasting substitutions.
  
• Don't skimp on the ginger! The ginger-infused oil is not spicy at all and gives the dish a warm undertone. I tested a version with half the amount of ginger slices (and everything else the same), and the version with more just tasted better.
  
• That's a lot of soy sauce! And it is (i.e., 10 Tablespoons; it's almost one-third of the bottle, lol), but otherwise, the tofu won't be salty enough. I tried boiling the tofu in salt water and using fewer tablespoons, but the tofu didn't come out salty enough (and there's an extra step 🙂‍↔️). I'm using reduced-sodium soy sauce because that's the only soy sauce Trader Joe's carries at the time of writing; see the Key Ingredients section below for substitutions.

Key Ingredients

Find the complete list of ingredients with measurements on the recipe card below.

• Cooking Oil
• The Aromatics - Ginger, green onions, and nutritional yeast.
  • For a more traditional flavor, use soaked dried shiitake mushrooms in place of nutritional yeast, and add star anise.
• The Braising Liquid - Reduced sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, water, and dry sherry. For a more traditional flavor:
  • Use Chinese soy sauce, such as light soy sauce and/or dark soy sauce, or a Japanese soy sauce such as Kikkoman, in place of the reduced-sodium soy sauce. Start with 3-4 tablespoons and work your way up to 5-6; see the Notes section in the Recipe Card for calculation.
  • Use Taiwanese rice wine or Shaoxing wine in place of dry sherry.
• Tofu - Either firm or extra-firm tofu works well in this braised tofu recipe.
  ↳Tip: Use extra-firm tofu to make it higher protein!

How To Make This Braised Tofu

Here is a quick visual rundown! Find the full instructions with ingredients below.

Preparation

Step 1: Cut each tofu block in half along all three axes, yielding eight pieces of equal size.

Step 2: Each piece is about 2" by 2" by 1" (5 cm by 5 cm by 2.5 cm).

Step 3: Separate the white and green parts of the green onions.

Step 4: Cut the white parts in half, lengthwise. For the green parts, reserve some for garnish and tie the rest into knots.

Cooking

Step 1: In a wok, heat cooking oil on medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the ginger slices.

Step 2: Fry the ginger slices until they are slightly curled at the edges and fragrant, about 1 minute.

Step 3: Add the white parts of green onions and fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Step 4: Add nutritional yeast.

Step 5: Add the reduced sodium soy sauce.

Step 6: Add water, the green onion knots, and turn the heat to high.

Step 7: Add brown sugar, black pepper, give everything a good stir, and wait for the water to boil.

Step 8: When the water boils, add the tofu slabs. Make sure all the slabs are submerged in the braising liquid, and bring it back to a boil.

Step 9: When the water boils again, turn the heat to low and let it simmer for 30 minutes (covered). Make sure the liquid is simmering, not boiling.

Step 10: When 30 minutes have passed, add dry sherry, give everything a good stir, and allow the alcohol to cook for 10-15 seconds before turning off the heat.

Storing the Braised Tofu

Store the braised tofu in the braising liquid in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Soy products are fairly perishable, so it's best to eat them sooner rather than later.

Don't throw away the extra braising liquid! I like to use any extra braising liquid to marinate cooked eggs. But since soy products are highly perishable (i.e., the liquid has been cooked with tofu), I wouldn't reuse it after that.