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This recipe is by Wendy Luong, a content creator sharing plant-based recipes made delicious with science-backed cooking techniques. Read more about Wendy the food scientist here.
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RECIPE: 5-Minute Soy Chili Tofu
- Yield: Serves 2–3 1x
Description
This recipe from food scientist and content creator Wendy Luong features a technique that went viral when she posted it on Instagram: boiling tofu. As she writes in her cookbook Tofu Mastery, in which this recipe originally appears, boiling tofu first, before adding seasonings or doing further cooking like frying or baking, helps it absorb big flavors lightning-quick (no marinating here!) and gives it a firmer, less-fragile texture. She recommends eating tofu boiled in salted water plain and straight from the pot, or with a quick drizzle of light soy sauce and chili crisp and a scattering of scallions and cilantro.
Ingredients
- ~8 cups salted water for boiling (enough to fully submerge tofu; add 1 Tbsp salt per 4 cups water)
- 14 oz medium-firm to extra-firm tofu, sliced about 1/2-inch thick
- 2–3 Tbsps light soy sauce
- 2–3 Tbsps chili crisp
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Using a slotted spoon, gently lower tofu slices into the boiling water. Maintain a steady boil, then cook the tofu for 5 minutes, uncovered. The water should bubble vigorously throughout. After 5 minutes, lift the tofu out and drain briefly.
- Arrange warm tofu slices on a serving plate. Drizzle soy sauce — watch how it soaks in instantly rather than pooling on the surface. This is your transformed protein network in action. Add spoonfuls of chili crisp with all the crunchy bits. Scatter scallions, cilantro, and sesame seeds on top.
- Serve immediately while warm alongside steamed rice and vegetables. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days — the flavors will continue intensifying as the tofu sits.
Always Pre-Boil Tofu
Use step 1 of this recipe before using tofu in any recipe for the best flavor. You can cut it up (or not!) beforehand. Boiled tofu (plain, without toppings) keeps refrigerated for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container. The firmer texture holds up well in storage, and you’ll have tofu at the ready.
