PAN-FRIED TOFU WITH MUSHROOMS - DUBU JEON

Tofu is one of these ingredients that many people either like it or hate it. Over the years, I have really enjoyed some dishes, but I have also tried really crappy ones. I now have a few recipes that I love and cook often. Tonight's recipe is a new one, and I must say that it is really yummy! It is a Korean recipe called 'Dubu Jeon', Pan-fried Tofu with Mushrooms from a cookbook called The Korean Table - from BBQ to Bibimbap. It is super simple to make, and even though the recipe has some beef fillet in it, you can make it into a vegan recipe if you omit the meat. Or, if you serve it for both vegans and meat eaters, you can always cook it and serve it on the side. The Soy Scallion Dipping sauce is a must, but it is also very simple to make from scratch. This recipe is certainly going to the list of my favourite tofu recipes. It is amazingly delicious!! 😍😋😋

Ingredients

 

500g firm tofu

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

75g rib eye or fillet steak, cut into thin strips (optional)

3 fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted if dried, and cut into matchstick strips

1 bunch enoki mushrooms

1 bunch shimeji mushrooms

a pinch of sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

3 Tbsp Soy Scallion Dipping Sauce (see recipe below)

Method

Start by making the Soy Scallion Dipping Sauce - see below.

Pre-heat oven to 100C.

Place the tofu in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for one minute. Drain the liquid. Cut the tofu in half so that the two pieces of tofu are half as thick as the initial block. Cut in half again. Pat dry with a paper towel. You will have four pieces.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium frypan over medium-high heat. Add the tofu pieces and fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Transfer the tofu to an ovenproof serving platter.

Heat the remaining oil and add the beef, if using. Stir fry for about one minute and transfer to the platter with the tofu.   

Add the mushrooms and stir fry for approximately 2 minutes until the mushrooms have softened. 

Put the tofu onto two plates, and spoon the beef and mushroom mixture over the tofu and drizzle the soy sesame dipping sauce over each piece.

Serves two.

Soy Scallion Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:
1/4 cup (65ml) soy sauce, preferably low sodium
2 Tbsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp dark sesame oil
2 tsp Korean coarse red pepper flakes (can substitute regular red pepper flakes)
2 Tbsp crushed, roasted sesame seeds (see note below)
1/4 cup chopped green onions (spring onions)

Directions:
In a medium bowl combine the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, water and sesame oil. Add the pepper flakes, crushed sesame seeds, and green onions and mix to combine. 

Transfer any leftover sauce to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.

Note: You can sometimes find roasted and crushed sesame seeds at an Asian store, but I just pan toasted some raw sesame seeds in small frying pan over medium-low heat for a couple minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until they turned golden (watch them carefully as they can easily burn). Let them cool, then put them in a food processor, coffee grinder until the seed are crushed but not made into a paste. Or use a mortar and pestle to crush the seeds by hand. Store leftover seeds in an airtight container in the fridge for about 2 months.