11 Tofu Recipes To Cook Different Types of Tofu
Let’s explore every type of tofu 豆腐 you can find at the supermarket, and some great tofu recipes for each texture! Made of soy beans, tofu is high in proteins and calcium. It’s a great way to replace meat entirely in your meals. Tofu’s texture, from soft to firm, depends on how finely the soybeans are blended and how much water is pressed out during the process. How do you know what type to use with what recipe? Don’t worry, because we’re going through the what, why, and how of tofu in Asian recipes.
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Soft or Silken Tofu 嫩豆腐
The softest type of tofu is the delicate, custardy silken tofu 嫩豆腐 滑豆腐. Silken tofu has the least “soybean” flavor. It’s already cooked, so it’s often eaten cold with sauces, or added to soups. Its extra creamy, soy milk-like flavor and smooth texture makes it super great for blending into smoothies, soups, sauces, and desserts as a high protein dairy replacement.
To open a pack of silken tofu without destroying it, follow these steps:
- Cut the plastic along the edges of packaging and drain the water.
- Then, peel off the plastic.
- lay your cutting board or plate on top of the package.
- Flip it upside down so you can set your plate down.
- Lift the tofu packaging off. You may have to wiggle it a few times to loosen it, but you’ll have your perfect tofu in no time.
Soft Tofu with Silky Egg Sauce
This Soft Tofu with Silky Egg Sauce is the perfect healthy light meal. It’s packed with veggies, but still has a good amount of protein. This is a super affordable way to enjoy both eggs and silky tofu. The thick, silky egg sauce makes this rice feel like you’re eating Egg Drop Soup in a rice bowl. It’s truly just as comforting! If you want to cut down on meat but still get enough protein, this is definitely a recipe I’d recommend.
- 1 Pack of Soft/Silk Tofu (cubes)
- 1 cup of Vegetable Stock or Dashi Stock
- ½ cup of Mixed Veggie (corn, peas, and carrots)
- 1 pack of Shimeji Mushrooms
- 2 stalks of Green Onion (chopped – separated whites and greens)
- 3 Eggs
- 1 tbsp of Corn Starch or Tapioca Starch
- 3 tbsp of Cold Water
- 1 tsp of Sugar
- .5 tsp of White Pepper
- .5 tsp of Salt
- 2.5 tbsp of Soy Sauce
Korean Spicy Soft Tofu Stew – Sundubu Jjigae
This Korean Spicy Soft Tofu Stew has to be made with soft tofu! Sure, you can make this recipe with any tofu, but with soft tofu, you’ll truly bring out the best in this recipe. Soft tofu’s extra creaminess tones down the intense spicy Korean red chilis in the soup. But be careful about burning your tongue – this soft tofu also makes this soup particularly hot temperature-wise as well. It’s the ultimate warm-up soup for freezing days.
- 1 pack of Soft/Silken Tofu (12 oz)
- ¼ Onion (chopped)
- 1.5 – 2 tbsp of Korean Red Chili Flakes (adjust to your spice tolerance)
- 1.5 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 3 cloves of Garlic (minced)
- 3 stalks of Green Onion (chopped and separated with white and green)
- 2.5 oz of Pork Belly or Beef (sliced and optional)
- 2 cups of Anchovy or Dashi stock (vegetarian, chicken, or beef stock also works)
- 4 Fresh Shiitake Mushroom (sliced)
- One pack of Enoki Mushrooms
- 1 Egg
Century Egg with Silken Tofu
This Century Egg with Silken Tofu might be my favorite way to enjoy cold silken tofu. Don’t be intimidated by Century Eggs! Combined with silken tofu and sesame oil, the earthy egg yolk becomes a super fragrant, creamy bite you’ll have to pair with rice. It’s a quick chilled appetizer or snack for a super hot day.
- 1 pack silken tofu around 750g
- 3 Century Egg sliced
- 4 cloves Garlic chopped
- 2 stalks green onion chopped
- 2-3 red chili chopped (optional)
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce
- 1.5 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- ½ tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 3 tablespoons Oil
- Cilantro to garnish
Medium Firm Tofu 家常豆腐
The most common type of tofu is probably Medium Firm Tofu 家常豆腐. This is the most versatile tofu, because you can use this in ANY tofu recipe and it would work well. It’s slightly firmer than silken tofu, and holds its shape a lot better. Medium Firm tofu can withstand more rigorous cooking methods, and absorb flavor better than silken tofu because of the tiny holes inside. I especially love to fry this tofu in particular, because it’s just the right balance of delicate inside, and crispy outside.
20 Minute Sizzling Black Pepper Tofu
This 20 Minute Sizzling Black Pepper Tofu is an easy dish to add to any dinner. The peppery, savory sauce coats the tofu so well thanks to that extra crispy layer of starch. If you have any leftover sauce, drizzle it on top of steamed vegetables and dumplings, or toss it with noodles. You’ll thank me later. This is the easiest way to throw a tofu dish together last minute!
- 1 medium-firm tofu
- ½ cup Corn Starch
- ½ cup tapioca starch
- Salt and pepper to season
- 4 tbsp Sizzling Black Pepper Sauce
- 2 tbsp Four Season Scallion Sauce
- 1½ tbsp Everyday Garlic Oil
- ½ onion sliced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced (optional)
Spicy Popcorn Tofu
This Spicy Popcorn Tofu is the most addicting vegetarian beer snack! Crispy fried popcorn tofu tossed with a spicy honey-garlic soy glaze, topped with chopped scallion and sesame seeds. They’re so easy to pop into your mouth one after another! This spicy, savory sauce washes down so well with ice-cold beer!
- 1 pack medium-firm tofu, 450g
- ⅔ cup tapioca starch
- 2 tablespoon garlic, chopped
- 1-2 Thai Red Chili, chopped
- 2.5 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1.5 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce
- Green onion and sesame seeds to garnish
Taiwanese Crispy Fried Not Stinky Tofu
If you love Taiwan’s Stinky Tofu, but not the funky smell, here’s my Taiwanese Crispy Fried Not Stinky Tofu. This fried tofu recipes comes with that iconic Taiwanese garlic sauce I love pairing with the mouthwatering Taiwanese Pickled Cabbage. This recipe is the perfect reminder of all the different street foods from Taiwan’s busy Raohe night market.
- 1 pack of Medium Firm Tofu (cut into 2-inch cubes)
- 1 tbsp of Salt
- 2 cups of Water
- 1.5 cups of Rice Flour or corn starch
Garlic Sauce
- 2 tbsp of Sugar
- 6 cloves of Garlic (grated)
- 2.5 tbsp of Vegetarian Oyster Sauce (the best vegetarian oyster sauce!)
- 1.5 tbsp of Soy Sauce
Firm Or Traditional Tofu 老豆腐
The most traditional style of making tofu makes firm tofu, a dense tofu with plenty of holes inside. This type of firm, dense tofu is so delicious braised for hours, soaking in flavor slowly just like a thick piece of meat. This is the best tofu for marinating, braising, and any other recipes that requires some time to slowly soak in flavor. You can also crumble up firm tofu as a replacement for ground meat.
Vegetarian Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐
There’s no other saucy tofu dish like Vegetarian Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐. This spicy, savory household dish is well loved by every Taiwanese family. While you can definitely use ANY tofu for this Mapo Tofu, I highly encourage you to try using firm or traditional tofu at least once. The meatier texture gives much more of a bite, and makes it so much more filling. The little cubes of tofu are the perfect size to scoop with a spoon with a big bite of rice.
- 20-30 Shiitake Mushroom
- 1 lb of Soft Tofu (cut into cubes)
- 1.5 tbsp of Doubanjiang
- 2 stalks of Green Onion
- 1.5 tbsp of Garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 2.5 tbsp of Garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp of Sugar
- 0.5 tbsp of Ground Sichuan Peppercorn
- 1-2 cups of Water or Vegetable Stock
Marinated Dried Tofu 滷豆干
Marinated Dried Tofu 滷豆干 is another unique tofu product. It’s firmer tofu that is first marinated, then air-dried or dehydrated to created a much meatier texture, like how we make jerky. These tofu are already seasoned, so they’re often used like bacon or ground meat replacement to add flavor to stir fried dishes and sauces, but they don’t add any fat.
Easy 15 Minute Pad Thai
For a quick, easy meal, I love making 15 minutes Tofu Pad Thai. Compared to the bouncy rice noodles, the marinated dried tofu provides a different kind of chewiness. For a fully vegetarian version, you can switch out the proteins for tofu, and replace with vegetarian fish sauce. I used marinated dried tofu for this recipe in particular because I like the flavors it adds to the Pad Thai, but you can use medium or firm tofu or fried tofu instead.
- 1 pack of Rice Noodle (200g)
- 2 stalks of Green Onion
- 1 Shallot chopped
- 2 tbsp of Tamarind Concentrate
- 2 tbsp of Brown Sugar or Palm Sugar
- ½ tbsp of Dark Soy Sauce
- 2 ½ tbsp of Fish Sauce
- 2 blocks of Marinated Tofu cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 Egg
- 1 cup of Bean Sprouts
- 1 tbsp of Crushed Roasted Peanuts
“Fried Sauce” Noodle 炸醬麵
This “Fried Sauce” Noodle 炸醬麵 is a great way of how adding tofu makes a dish more satisfying. Traditionally, this recipe uses chopped marinated tofu and shiitake mushrooms to add extra flavor and body while using less pork, since meat was more expensive. Today, it’s become an inseparable part of this sauce. In fact, you can replace the ground pork entirely to make a vegetarian version of this noodle!
- 500 g Ground Pork
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 cup Dried Shiitake Mushroom
- 1/2 cup Shiitake Mushroom Water
- 4 piece Marinated Firm Tofu Cut into cubes
- 1.5 tbsp Spicy Fermented Bean Sauce aka La Doubanjiang
- 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- ½ cup Chicken Stock
- ½ Cucumber sliced
Fried Tofu 油豆腐
Fried Tofu 油豆腐 is simply any style of tofu that’s been deep fried. In fact, it’s a style you can make on your own at home. The frying gives the crispy surface that, when added to sauces, soaks up EVERYTHING and becomes slightly chewy. The holes in both the fried skin and the tofu inside absorbs sauces in its own ways, adding 2 different textures. It’s the best of both worlds! Fried tofu is also amazing as a hot pot ingredient – especially with Spicy Hot Pot!
Air Fryer Spicy Garlic Tofu
This Air Fryer Spicy Garlic Tofu actually gives you the base recipe for making Air Fryer Fried Tofu at home! Using this recipe and an Air Fryer, you’ll never have to pay extra for fried tofu again. It’s a tasty recipe that also saves you time and money. Mixed with the spicy-sour sauce, this recipe might be your next favorite way to eat tofu.
- 1 Pack of Medium-firm Tofu
- 1.5 tbsp of Homemade Chilli Oil
- 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 3 tbsp of Black Vinegar
- 1 tbsp of Crushed Red Chilli Flakes
- 0.5 tbsp of Sesame Seeds
- 1 green onion, separate white and green
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 tbsp of HOT oil
- Cilantro to garnish
Taiwanese Braised Cabbage 白菜滷
The classic Taiwanese Braised Cabbage 白菜滷 is not the same without some fried tofu to soak up all that braised flavor. Every piece of tofu is infused with that umami-packed braised cabbage gravy. You wouldn’t think you’ll want to pair a piece of braised fried tofu with rice, but it tastes just like meat! This cabbage recipe can be made fully vegetarian, and is so tasty with either noodles or rice.
- 1 large Napa Cabbage, chopped separate with stem and green
- 2 tablespoon Four Season Scallion Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Golden Shallot Oil
- 10-15 Shiitake Mushroom, sliced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- 5 pieces of fried tofu, sliced
- 1.5 cup dashi stock or mushroom stock.
- Salt to taste
