Kimchi Tofu Sandwiches
Ingredients
1 block of tofu makes 5 sandwiches
Produce
½ onion
1 green onion
Refrigerated
1 firm tofu block
Plant-based meat of your choice
1 small cup chopped Kimchi
Condiments
3 tbsp naturally fermented soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp Gochujang (red pepper paste)
1 tbsp rice syrup
Oils & Vinegars
2 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Nuts & Seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
Directions
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Slice tofu in 0.5 cm thickness. Try to make sure that each slice is evenly sliced so the marinade and the heat can be distributed evenly as well. Be patient with your knife.
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Put soy sauce on a dessert plate. Then carefully place the tofu into the soy sauce and flip it gently.
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Heat up the pan with 3 tbsp vegetable oil on medium high heat. When it’s ready, add chopped Kimchi and plant-based meat. Give it a gentle stir while sauteing them.
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When Kimchi and plant-based meat are well-mixed in together, add Gochujang and rice syrup.
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When everything is mixed in, turn off the stove. Then add sesame oil and green onion slices into the Kimchi mix.
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Back to tofu, heat up the wide flat pan on medium heat with 2 tbsp vegetable oil.
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Make sure that the tofu is on some amount of oil when placed on the pan. Be careful when flipping the tofu to avoid breaking it.
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Be patient with tofu on the heat. Each side takes about 3 min to brown. Don’t overcook it. It can be chewy.
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When all the ingredients are ready. Place the tofu on a plate, add Kimchi mix and top it with another tofu. Give it a gentle press in the middle to help even out the Kimchi mix.
Tips
Korean sesame oil is made of sesame seeds that had been double roasted and pressed. The aroma is beautifully intense because of the double roast methodology and they don’t dilute the oil by adding other vegetable oil. Hence why my aunt said we shouldn’t add the sesame oil into direct heat as it has gone through so much heat already. Also the excessive heat can vaporize the aroma too fast. So it’s best to add them when the heat is off and while other ingredients are cooling down.
