From Bland to Bold: Elevate your tofu game with Spicy Dubu Jorim, an addictively Korean-style braised tofu stir fry!

I love my Korean banchans (side dish), but my most favourite has got to be Spicy Dubu Jorim! These are spongy, fried tofu coated with an addictively savoury, spicy sauce. This is not a common banchan in Korean restaurants here, but they are SO easy to make at home! It does require a bit of patience for a stir fry, but it’s worth it and simple with minimal ingredients.

Even though this is a Korean recipe, I have this ALL the time with my daily Malay dishes, or with other stir fries to complete my meal! There is no gochujang in this, which would otherwise be out of place in any other cuisine. This Spicy Dubu Jorim Tofu Stir Fry is perfectly spicy, savoury and garlicky!

Why you will LOVE this recipe?

Addictive Fiery Flavour: The spicy sauce coating crisp and spongy fried tofu will have you reaching out more seconds and thirds! The fiery and bold taste of the spiciness provides an exciting kick and a lingering heat that spicy food lovers adore.
Bold and Complex Taste: Spicy Dubu Jorim combines the rich and savory flavors of soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil with the intense heat from the gochugaru. The result is a complex and multi-layered taste profile that captivates the palate and leaves a memorable impression.
EASY WITH MINIMAL INGREDIENTS: Despite the burst of flavour, this dish comes together with minimal ingredients! If you have an Asian pantry, you’re going to have all of these already.
Great Make-Ahead Dish: A a banchan, this is the one dish that keeps well in the fridge! In fact, keeping it overnight is going to help develop the flavours even more. This is also a dish that is great served hot and cold!

Key Ingredients for Spicy Dubu Jorim

Firm Tofu: Tofu serves as the main ingredient in Dubu Jorim. Look for firm tofu, or extra firm tofu for this; you’ll need a tofu that can hold it’s shape when pan frying.
Gochugaru: Korean red pepper flakes form the bulk of the spice for this. I love using gochugaru for the heat and colour, BUT you can use any other chilli flakes. Adjust according to your spice tolerance.
Light Soy Sauce: The foundation of the sauce, soy sauce provides a savoury and salty flavour to the dish.
Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves add a pungent and aromatic taste to the sauce, enhancing the overall flavour profile.
Sesame Oil: Sesame oil contribute a nutty and fragrant essence to the dish.
Sugar or Sweetener: A small amount of sugar or sweetener, such as honey or stevia, balances the flavours and adds a touch of sweetness. Feel free to cut if you’re trying to lower your sugar intake.

How to make Dubu Jorim Stir Fry?

Step 1: Prep Tofu

Take tofu out of its packet, and give a rinse under water. Tofu tends to come packed in a liquid, I like to rinse of that residual slime off the surface.

Pat tofu dry with paper towels. The more liquid you can pat/press off, the easier it will fry later on. It will also cause less of an oil spatter.

Slice tofu. I like to slice it to 1/2 cm in width.

Step 2: Pan fry Tofu

To a pan, add enough oil to pan fry tofu. Turn heat on to a medium-high. Once hot, carefully lay on the sliced tofu pieces. Leave it alone to fry on one side, about 7 to 8 minutes, depending on how big your pieces are. It should turn golden brown.

Flip to the other side, and continue to allow the other side to fry another 7 to 8 minutes.

Once tofu is evenly fried, remove any excess oil in the pan. You can do this the lazy way by tilting the pan slightly, and absorbing the excess oil with a paper towel.

Optional but this is my preferred method when I’m a bit more hardworking: I like to remove my tofu from the pan, and drain them further on some paper towels to remove the excess oil. This will also let me easily remove any excess oil from the pan.

Step 3: Premix the Tofu Stir Fry Sauce

While tofu is pan frying, combine together the ingredients for the stir fry sauce and keep to one side.

Step 4: Saute Aromatics & Sauce

Toss in onions and garlic and give it a quick stir fry until fragrant. Add sauce and stir to combine with the aromatics.

Step 5: Stir Fry with Tofu

Then simply stir fry to combine the sauce with the fried tofu! Allow the tofu to braise in the sauce until the sauce reduces and thickens. This will allow the tofu to absorb all those delicious flavours.

Step 6: Final Touches

Once tofu is coated, turn off the heat. Add sesame oil, sesame seeds and spring onions. Toss to combine, and Dubu Jorim is done!

How to Enjoy Spicy Dubu Jorim?

This is a type of banchan, or Korean side dish, so you would serve this like how you typically would kimchi! This spicy, savoury tofu stir fry is great when served with rice, or as a protein-packed side dish. I also love having this with some noodles.

How to Store Dubu Jorim?

Dubu Jorim is great served hot and fresh… or straight out of the fridge! To keep Dubu Jorim, allow to cool in an air tight container, before storing it in the fridge. This can keep for a week in the fridge, but of course, always discard if it starts to smell off.

You can eat it as a cold dish, but if you prefer to have it warm, simply pop in the microwave to heat it up!

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