Golden Caramelized Tofu, perfect for stir-fries

Sweet and savory caramelized tofu! The outside gets lovely crisp in the pan while the inside stays nice and soft. This is an easy way to prepare flavorful tofu to add to stir-fries or other Asian dishes!

Tofu by itself very bland. It has a slightly beany flavor, but it’s great at soaking up the flavors of other ingredients. For this recipe, we have very basic Asian ingredients. As a result, this caramelized tofu works well in a wide variety of Asian dishes. I particularly like adding this caramelized tofu to my stir fries.

The main idea for this recipe is that you pan fry bite-size cubes of tofu to get the crispy outside. Then, you glaze them with sugary soy sauce for yummy flavor. You then cook the sauce down, and it caramelizes with the heat of the pan. And, voilà, it’s ready to add to your stir-fry. For a stir-fry, you still add the stir-fry sauce for your recipe—the caramelized soy sauce only coats the tofu.

Types of tofu

There are a few different types of tofu on the market. Here’s what they are:

• Fresh tofu: This tofu is sold in the refrigerated section, usually sitting in its “soy juice.” It has a nice silky-smooth texture and can be soft to extra firm.
• Shelf-stable & vacuum-packed: This is the most common type here in France. It has a somewhat granular, meaty texture due to (if I’m not mistaken) the high heat treatment after packing. That heat makes it possible to store at room temperature and last a lot longer.
• Shelf-stable & in a Tetra-Pak brick: This tofu keeps its silky texture because concentrated soy milk is heat treated before being aseptically filled into its packaging. The coagulant (calcium or magnesium chloride) is added during filling, too, so the soy milk turns to tofu in the package.

For this caramelized tofu, I recommend fresh, firm tofu, but feel free to use what you prefer or can find.

Storing your caramelized tofu

This golden caramelized tofu is best served fresh out of the pan to keep the crispy texture. If you have leftovers, the tofu keeps well in the fridge (but the outside won’t stay crispy) for up to three days. You can also freeze your tofu, but the texture of the tofu becomes more granular and less smooth. In my opinion, the granular texture isn’t bad, just different.

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This caramelized tofu would work well in my Chinese sesame-peanut noodles–just swap out the sausage for this tofu!

Print Recipe

Golden Caramelized Tofu

Crispy, sweet, & savory tofu that works with most any stir-fry

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Keyword: tofu

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 500 g (or 1 lb) firm tofu
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp brown sugar

Instructions

• Drain & blot the tofu. Cut into 2 cm (about ¾ inch) cubes.
• Heat oil in a medium pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the tofu & coat with oil. Let cooked undisturbed on one side until it takes on a golden color, then flip to fry another side. Again, let cook undisturbed until golden. It is also important not to cook the tofu so long that it dries out or burns!
• While the tofu is frying, mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, and 3 tbsp water in a small bowl.
• When the tofu is golden on two sides, add the soy sauce mix, and turn the tofu to coat all sides. Let the sauce reduce on the tofu until it reaches a caramelized consistency. Set the tofu aside until ready to use in a stir-fry or other dish.