Home Style Tofu (家常豆腐)

Tofu is one of those ingredients I love because it has such a fun texture and you can use it so many different ways. And one of my favorite ways to use it is in this home style tofu recipe. This sauce will turn you into a believer in tofu once you taste it, I promise!

In China, home style tofu is a hugely popular dish. Every family and restaurant has their own special formula for making the sauce. Here, I found my favorite one in Chinatown. They used doubanjiang in the sauce to further boost the taste of the brown sauce. That’s when I decided I needed to recreate it in my own kitchen so I could have it any time the craving struck. 

Create the best tofu texture

In this home style tofu recipe, the tofu is fried until it’s nice, golden, and crispy on the outside yet soft inside. It then is braised in a savory, lightly spicy sauce loaded up with fresh aromatics and vegetables that contrast with the texture of the tofu.

When you fry the tofu for home style tofu, the tofu releases water during this process which creates small holes inside the tofu. That’s how you get that tender texture and it also absorbs more flavor. Meanwhile, the outside gets nice and crisp and holds the rest of it together. 

I highly recommend using medium or soft tofu for this recipe for the best mouthfeel. While the frying method is more complicated than pan-frying, it also delivers a more rewarding result. 

Extra rich sauce

The secret ingredient is doubanjiang, or fermented spicy bean paste. It’s a condiment made mostly from fermented fava beans. The savory flavor is further enhanced with chili, salt, and sesame oil. It’s at the root of all Sichuan cuisine, delivering a signature brown hue and spiciness to enhance the flavor. If you’ve never had it, I think it is as umami as soy sauce is, though with more of a fermented potency to it.

Ingredients

I prefer to use plenty of vegetables to add color and texture to the dish. I used carrots, peppers, and bamboo shoots in the dish. You can use other vegetables, as you prefer. Baby bok choy, soaked wood ear mushrooms, onions, and broccoli are some of the most popular options.

How to cut the tofu

To cut the tofu into triangular shaped pieces, here is a quick way to do it.

Your table should have the ingredients below before you start cooking.

Cooking process

1. Deep fry the tofu until it’s golden on the outside
2. Stir fry the aromatics with doubanjiang
3. Add the fried tofu
4. Add the vegetables and slightly cook them
5. Pour in the sauce
6. Add the green onion and cook until the sauce thickens

NOTE: The tofu frying might be the most challenging step in this recipe. If you prefer to pan fry the tofu, that’s totally fine. But if you have some extra time or if you’re hosting a dinner party, I highly recommend you fry the tofu. It creates the best texture, just like the one you’d get from a Chinese restaurant – soft and somehow toothy, and it absorbs way more sauce than the pan-fried version.

In China, home style tofu often includes ground meat in the sauce to add another layer of depth to the dish. However, this recipe doesn’t include any meat. The sauce is already flavorful enough and a perfect way to serve it is atop steamed rice or boiled noodles for a healthy and delicious meal that tastes authentic. 

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Home Style Tofu (家常豆腐)

By Maggie Zhu

5 from 13 votes

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 to 4 servings

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If you aren’t a tofu lover already, you will be after you try this home style tofu. It has a tender texture and crispy crust along with a savory, lightly spicy sauce and crunchy veggies. {Vegan}

Ingredients 

• 1 block (14 oz/396 g) soft or medium firm tofu , cut into 1 cm thick triangles (Footnote 1)
• 1 cup vegetable oil , for deep frying
• 4 cloves garlic , sliced
• 1 " (2.5 cm) ginger , thinly sliced into strips
• 3 green onions , cut into 1" pieces, white and green parts separated
• 1 tablespoon doubanjiang
• 1/2 carrot , sliced (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 bell pepper , cut into 1” diamonds
• 1 (8-oz / 226 g) can sliced bamboo shoots , or 1 bamboo shoot, sliced (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Sauce

• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vegetarian oyster sauce (or sweet bean paste) (Footnote 2)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons water (or vegetable stock)

Slurry

• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water

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Instructions

• Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl.
• Add the slurry ingredients into a small bowl and stir to mix well.
• In a high-walled skillet or pot, heat the oil to 375°F (190°C). Carefully add the tofu. Fry until both sides turn golden, about 3 minutes. Flip once or twice to ensure even cooking. Remove the tofu from the oil and transfer it to a big plate.
• Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan (alternatively, you can heat 1 tablespoon of oil in another large skillet).
• Add the garlic, ginger, green onion (white part), and doubanjiang to the pan. Turn the heat to medium. Stir fry to release the fragrance until the oil turns red, about 2 minutes.
• Add the fried tofu, carrots, bell peppers, and bamboo. Stir fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Pour in the sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, gently flipping occasionally. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the green onion (green part). Mix the slurry again so the cornstarch is fully dissolved. Pour in the slurry and mix with a spatula until the sauce thickens.
• Drizzle in a teaspoon of sesame oil to finish up.
• Serve hot over steamed rice as a main dish.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

1. Be careful that you are not buying silken tofu. Some brands carry soft tofu (e.g. House Foods), that are too smooth and will not develop the desired texture.
2. If you do not wish to make the dish vegan, you can use regular oyster sauce instead.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 218kcal, Carbohydrates: 16.3g, Protein: 11.5g, Fat: 12.4g, Saturated Fat: 1.6g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 786mg, Potassium: 469mg, Fiber: 3.6g, Sugar: 8.1g, Calcium: 152mg, Iron: 3mg

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Other delicious tofu recipes

• Tofu and Broccoli Stir Fry
• Crispy Marinated Tofu
• Sweet and Sour Tofu
• Vegetarian Mapo Tofu
• Real-Deal Kung Pao Tofu

Lilja Walter is a part of the Omnivore’s Cookbook team and worked closely with Maggie to develop and test this recipe.