Whenever you’re cooking tofu, here’s one of our no-fail techniques: Draining the tofu, then squeezing out as much water as possible (without smashing it), is the key to the crispiest cubes.
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Recipe information
Yield
2–4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Drain tofu, then sandwich between several layers of kitchen towels to remove excess liquid. Cut into 9 cubes.
Step 2
Whisk soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, and ginger in a small bowl.
Step 3
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. When oil is rippling across the surface, carefully add tofu so it doesn’t splash. Cook, undisturbed, until very crisp and dark brown underneath, 3–4 minutes. Carefully turn and repeat on opposite side. Holding tofu back with a spatula or slotted spoon, pour out oil into a small bowl. Return skillet to medium-high heat and add soy sauce mixture. Cook, reducing heat to medium so it doesn’t over-reduce or burn and basting tofu occasionally, until glaze is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 4 minutes.
Step 4
Divide tofu among plates. Drizzle with glaze, then top with scallions. Serve with rice alongside.
How would you rate Crispy Tofu With Maple-Soy Glaze?
Leave a Review
Reviews (21)
Back to TopRecipe is nice as written, though if I make it again I would like to toss the tofu in a little cornstarch, and perhaps add a tiny bit to the sauce as well.
Jane
Hamden
3/18/2024
Overall good ingredients, but way too much oil. Why not just use a tablespoon of oil, and watch that nothing burns. Possible the less oil method might result in less crispy tofu, but less oil is far healthier.
converse9023
Kochi, India
2/29/2020
This is not very helpful, as recipes go. You have to loosely wrap the block of tofu in a kitchen towel and then press with a 5 pound weight (do it in the sink with a stack of plates), for 30 minutes, in order to really dry it out properly. You could do that earlier in the day to save time later.
serena_in_bk
Brooklyn NY
3/3/2020
Delicious and crispy Not too unhealthy if you drain out the oil. Be patient and let’s the tofu cook well before turning The sauce is really good My vegan daughter’s favorite
Isyva
Long Island NY
3/3/2020
didn’t enjoy it at all... i’m not an expert cook so take my opinion with a grain of salt (haha). the smell when cooked was very overwhelming and i had to air out the room for an hour after cooking. the taste was quite bland, i felt it didn’t pair well with the tofu. gonna try the recipe with salmon instead as the sauce seems like a better fit for fish.
ninatxo98229
Newfoundland, Canada
3/17/2020
Super yummy. Some notes with tofu draining, wrap it in a kitchen towel and let it sit for a while, keep coming back and changing the towel. Lightly press the top and the sides, flip the tofu after each towel. I started this ahead of time and let it sit out like this for about thirty minutes and when I cooked it was so crispy and perfectly sweet and salty and umami.
hollyhogan
Palo Alto, CA
3/19/2020
I have been looking for a good recipe for this dish after ordering at a fave restaurant. Have made it twice and it came out perfect both times. Can be served over noodles, rice or quinoa. Subbed fresh red thai peppers for red pepper the first time and, the second time, I subbed red chili sauce. I will make this dish regularly for the rest of my life, really love it! You can even use the glazed tofu for sandwich filling!
Valeriel
Blue Lake, CA
4/7/2020
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