Spicy Cold Tofu Is Your Favorite Quick Summer Meal.

Spicy cold tofu may very well be the quickest recipe I know of. I’ve made myself petrified by the “prep time” and “cook time” I see at the start of most recipes – this is pretty subjective depending on the skill and experience of the cook, and is especially offensive when a recipe calls for 15 minutes and it actually takes an hour. Suffice it to say, I was completely suspicious to see the 10 minute claim. I’m happy to tell you that this dish is not only flavorful, it’s a pleasure to eat, and it really takes about 10 minutes or less , even if you don’t know how to cut it.

What is Spicy Cold Tofu?

Spicy cold tofu is a dish consisting of a whole piece of tofu topped with a strong sauce and chopped herbs. This is where the variations begin. Depending on what flavors you prefer or what country the chef is from, this dish is surprisingly flexible and goes by many names. Usually silken tofu is used straight out of the package, but there are some recipes that use firm tofu and fry the sides first. Some recipes use hot chili oil as a sauce component, while others use lean sweet or sour with added ingredients.

How to cook spicy cold tofu?

While you can use firm tofu, silk offers an unparalleled experience. Purchase a piece of silken tofu for this. It is widely available at most major grocery stores these days, usually alongside packages of hard tofu. This recipe cooks so quickly that it makes sense to cook the ingredients in the reverse order of how you cook them. Finely chop the onion into thin rings. Coarsely chop the cilantro sprig. The hard part is done. Ugh.

Add sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Stir the ingredients for one to two minutes until they are hot and simmering. Turn off heat. By this point, about five tense minutes had passed. Hang it up there.

Here are some of the main ingredients I have used:

• Nasoya Organic Silky Tofu
• Kikkoman Garlic Black Bean Sauce
• Double seahorse with ground chili and garlic in oil

Open the package of silky tofu and invert it onto a plate. Cut widthwise into boards. You don’t have to be perfect, they will be covered in sauce and break later. Top the tofu with the sweet, umami-rich, salty, and spicy sauce. Use it all, even if it seems like a lot. Sprinkle the sauce with chopped cilantro and green onions. Serve with rice or with any meal.

I used this liangban dofu recipe from The Wok of Life as a starting point and changed the sauce to match what I had in the grocery store and in my fridge. I had soy sauce and sesame oil but couldn’t find the spicy bean paste. All I could find was Kikkoman Garlic Black Bean Sauce, so I took that. However, this sauce was not spicy, so I added some ground chili and garlic sambal. It was an excellent choice.

The most interesting, as usual, is the food. In this case, as soon as you serve the dish, you can mix the tofu with the sauce and toppings. Silken tofu is so tender that as soon as you start tossing it, everything starts to fall apart into small pieces. The sauce seems too strong, but once you mix it with the tofu, it all makes sense. Every bite is perfectly balanced. Tofu is cold and slippery, like soft noodles. The green onion chunks are crunchy and the sauce adds the perfect amount of rich, earthy, savory flavors. After the sensation of cold dissipates, heat comes.

This is the recipe I ended up making and I wouldn’t change a thing. In fact, next time I would add roasted garlic on top just for the extra crunchy texture and even more garlic flavor. Feel free to adjust the spice level, or even serve it as a side dish if your family has different preferences (or kids). I used sambal, but chili crunch, macha salsa, or even just chili flakes would be great.

Spicy cold tofu

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon garlic black bean sauce (I used this one )
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon chili and garlic sambal
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 onions cut into small rings
• 1 sprig cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 16oz pack of silken tofu
• Roasted garlic (optional)

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add soy sauce, bean sauce, sesame oil, and sugar. Stir, cook until boiling. Add the garlic and chopped green onion protein, stir and turn off the heat immediately.

Place the silky tofu on a serving plate and cut it widthwise into short slices. Pour the sauce over the tofu and sprinkle with cilantro, chopped green onions and fried garlic.