Dubu Jorim (Korean Braised Tofu)

March 22, 2010
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Braised tofu on a plate

 
Dubu jorim is a popular side dish. Growing up as a child in Korea, this dish was one of the regulars in my home-packed school lunches (dosirak/bento) which usually consisted of rice and a few side dishes.

Tofu (dubu) is a staple in Korea as it is in several other Asian countries. Many Korean dishes are made with tofu as a main ingredient like dubu jjigae (stew), sundubu jjigae, dubu with stir-fried kimchi, and dubu jorim to name a few. It’s also commonly used to complement other dishes like kimchi jjigae, bukeo guk (dried pollack soup) and mandu (dumplings).

The tofu is pan fried and then braised in a soy sauce-based sauce, transforming the tofu into a flavorful side dish.

The gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes) adds a little spicy kick. Add more if you like more heat. It’s delicious, warm or cold. You’ll find that the tofu tastes even better the next day.

You may also like my spicy braised tofu.

5 from 1 vote
Braised tofu on a plate
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Dubu Jorim (Spicy Braised Tofu)
Ingredients
  • 1 18- oz pack firm tofu
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable/canola oil
For the sauce:
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Korean red pepper flakes gochugaru
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seed
  • 1 clove garlic minced (about 1 teaspoon)
  • 2 scallions finely chopped
Instructions
  1. Cut the tofu block into 1/2-inch thick rectangular pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel.
    Tofu Jorim
  2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick skillet, carefully add the tofu pieces (tofu breaks easily) and sear over medium to medium high heat until lightly golden brown (about 3 - 4 minutes each side).
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by mixing all ingredients together. Spoon the sauce over the tofu pieces. Slightly lift a side of the tofu pieces to get the sauce under them. Simmer for 3 - 4 minutes over medium low heat. Flip them over and simmer for another minute or two. Serve warm or cold with a bowl of rice.
    dubujorim (Korean braised tofu)
 
Filed Under: Recipes, Side Dish, Vegetarian dish 26 Comments

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  1. PFx says:
    March 23, 2010 at 12:23 am
    (Bookmark*)
    For dinner tonight with fish n salad.
    Reply
  2. Hyosun Ro says:
    March 23, 2010 at 2:00 am
    Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy!
    Reply
  3. yjmima says:
    March 23, 2010 at 5:05 am
    thank you for your comment on my blog!
    this dish looks great. I will try it :)
    Reply
  4. Hyosun Ro says:
    March 23, 2010 at 11:55 pm
    It is really good. Braising makes all the flavors get soaked into the tofu pieces. It's even better the next day. Hope you like it!
    Reply
  5. [email protected] says:
    March 24, 2010 at 4:57 am
    We love tofu cause it's so healthy... We just make a ponzu tofu salad we haven't posted it yet but stay tuned... :)
    Reply
  6. Anonymous says:
    May 10, 2010 at 4:53 pm
    I love this to sit overnight and eat it cold. And I also like to save some of the sauce to spoon over the cooked tofu rather than using it all in the pan. Keeps things a little more moist.

    -Mike
    Reply
  7. mskutin says:
    January 6, 2011 at 12:46 am
    I love this dish, I just had it along with some spicy cucumber and radish salad side dish along with rice. Will definitely make this again. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.
    Reply
  8. Hyosun Ro says:
    January 6, 2011 at 1:04 am
    I am glad to hear you liked it. Thanks and Happy New Year!
    Reply
  9. eshkimo says:
    July 9, 2012 at 8:15 pm
    I just made this and it is delicious!! I only wish that it were about 4-5 levels spicier. Maybe I will add hot chili peppers next time.
    Reply
  10. Em says:
    January 9, 2013 at 8:32 pm
    Hi,

    I'd like to as if there is any different betwwen Korean soy sauce and normal soy sauce, say, Maggi or Kikoman soy sauce?Which type of soy sauce you use in this recipe and in general?
    Reply
    • Hyosun Ro says:
      January 10, 2013 at 12:37 am
      I usually use Korean soy sauce is very similar to Kikoman. I usually use Sempio - Korean brand, but sometimes use Kikoman if on sale. I haven't used Maggi. Thank you so much for using my recipe!
      Reply
  11. Tam says:
    April 22, 2013 at 7:20 pm
    Our family had a special guest coming to town and his ultimate favorite is tofu. I was searching for a recipe to use and found your site. It was an absolute hit! Thanks for the great recipe post.
    Reply
  12. Mee says:
    December 7, 2013 at 4:29 am
    THANK YOU for another delicious recipe!!! I made it twice and tho I prefer it a little less sweet (won't add the sugar next time), I'm adding this to my growing list of delicious 'go to' recipes! I made this tonight w/ your kimchi jjigae recipe. A perfect meal on a cold, rainy night :)
    Reply
  13. Itziar Zuazola says:
    March 25, 2014 at 9:10 pm
    really tasty! I added a bit more chilli and sugar, by mistake I must say and still was amazing. thank you
    Reply
  14. Molly says:
    May 25, 2015 at 1:07 pm
    This was easy to make and it came out great. I didn't have red pepper flakes so I whisked in some gochujang instead.
    Reply
  15. Sandra says:
    May 27, 2015 at 6:18 pm
    I didn't have gochugaru so I used gochujang instead in the sauce. I hope it tastes the same. So far, it smells amazing! Thank you for the recipe!
    Reply
  16. Diana says:
    June 28, 2016 at 11:27 pm
    Hi, I usually only have time on the weekends to make food for the week. Do you know how long these will stay good for in the fridge? Thank you!
    Reply
  17. Nzinga says:
    November 25, 2018 at 9:21 pm
    I just made this tonight and it was delicious! I'm looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Thank you!

    Reply
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