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Home » Cuisine » Asian » Sesame-Crusted Tofu

Sesame-Crusted Tofu

January 23, 2012 by Faith 27 Comments

Sesame-Crusted Tofu

Tofu is always a treat in my house since I don’t make it very often. (I love it, but the hubs…not so much, so it is a real rarity!)

One of my favorite things about tofu is that it’s kind-of like the vegan version of chicken breast in that it’s a completely blank canvas for whatever you want to season it with. There are so many possibilities.

Sesame-Crusted Tofu 2

Cooking tofu is a little bit of a process, but it isn’t difficult at all. It’s quite sponge-like, so first you have to drain the water out by letting it sit with a heavy object on top. Then you can add flavor back in by marinating it, seasoning it, or adding sauce for flavoring.

For this recipe, I used a pretty basic marinade that packs a lot of flavor with just a few ingredients by using things like soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Sesame seeds and sesame oil add a nice nutty flavor dimension, and fresh scallion as a garnish really brightens up the dish.

Sesame-Crusted Tofu 3

Print
Sesame-Crusted Tofu
Prep time:  10 mins
Cook time:  7 mins
Total time:  17 mins
Yield: 4 servings
 
Ingredients
  • 1 (14 oz) block of extra-firm tofu, drained
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 4 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 2 large cloves garlic, grated on a microplane
  • 1-inch piece ginger, grated on a microplane
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons chickpea flour/besan (or any flour you like)
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
  • 2 scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced on an angle
Instructions
  1. To drain the tofu, put it on a paper towel-lined plate; cover it with another paper towel, and then a tray. Weigh the tray down with a heavy object (such as a large can of tomatoes or beans) and let it drain for 30 minutes.
  2. To make the marinade, whisk together 1 tablespoon of oil (reserving the other 1 tablespoon of oil for cooking later), the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Cut the tofu in half so you have 2 blocks, then slice each block cross-wise into 6 equal slabs; put the sliced tofu in the marinade and let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Combine the flour and sesame seeds in a shallow dish; dredge both sides of each tofu piece in this mixture. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add the tofu and fry until golden on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.
  4. Serve garnished with scallion.
3.5.3251

Filed Under: Asian, Main Courses, Vegan Tagged: Easy Meals, Recipes, Sesame, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian

Comments

  1. mimi says

    January 14, 2020 at 8:49 pm

    I hate tofu, and when I cook it, i never finish my portion because it just does nothing for me. In desperation, I tried your recipe, and guess what, I ate all of it! It was delicious!
    thank you for this nice recipe!!!

    Reply
  2. Jeff says

    February 11, 2019 at 12:58 am

    I made this tonight, it was good but a couple notes.
    Ignore the prep time in the recipe, it skips the 30 minutes spent pressing the tofu and the marinating the in refrigerator step.
    Basically you will want to spend at least an hour extra (30 mins pressing and 30 mins marinating)

    I also found that I needed a lot more sesame oil in the pan frying step.
    Sesame oil is tough since it burns so easily but the ones I likde best are ones where the oil was very hot.

    I ate it with rice and steamed veggies which was a good combo.

    My 8 year old LOVED it, she added some soy sauce when she ate it.

    Reply
    • Faith says

      February 11, 2019 at 1:03 pm

      Jeff, I’m so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed this recipe! Sorry for the confusion, yes, I don’t include inactive prep time in the prep time calculation. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and share your tips!

      Reply
  3. Virginia Dindy says

    May 10, 2012 at 3:28 pm

    It looks good . I’ll try it tonight. Never really like tofu, but this one might do it for me.

    Reply
  4. Rose @ Our Lady of Second Helpings says

    February 13, 2012 at 12:30 pm

    I made this over the weekend for three adults and two toddlers. I should have doubled it! Everyone LOVED IT! I used AP flour and had to skip the vinegar but added a dash of fish sauce in its place. I will absolutely make this again it was fairly easy and super delicious. Thanks!

    Reply
  5. Ariane @ Bitchetarian says

    January 31, 2012 at 10:10 am

    Your pictures are gorgeous! I love how you stage your shots.

    I also don’t use tofu often enough – this looks really tasty!

    Reply
  6. Magic of Spice says

    January 30, 2012 at 10:36 pm

    Your tofu looks fantastic! I do not do allot with tofu either, only here and there…weird as a vegetarian I know. But I do like it and should do more with it :) Delightful recipe!

    Reply
  7. kat says

    January 28, 2012 at 6:04 pm

    I love tofu! This looks so good!!

    Reply
  8. [email protected]'s Recipes says

    January 25, 2012 at 8:29 am

    A really healthy and tasty tofu dish. I love it.

    Reply
  9. [email protected] says

    January 24, 2012 at 2:26 pm

    I am a long time fan of tofu (if that’s the right word) and extol it ad nauseum on my blog for just the reasons you espouse:you can make it taste like what you want it to. My favourite trick is to press out the liquid and cube it before brushing over a little oil and baking it, then adding it to other ingredients. Great texture this way with minimal added fat. This looks a lovely recipe, especially for those put off by the texture. You should be able to win over quite a few tofu-phobes with this.

    Reply
  10. Charissa says

    January 24, 2012 at 12:08 pm

    This looks really great…I\’m more a fan of fish than tofu…I could totally do this by replacing the tofu with fish! The sauce looks so yummy!

    Reply
  11. Charissa says

    January 24, 2012 at 12:06 pm

    This looks really great…I’m more a fan of fish than tofu…I could totally do this by replacing the tofu with fish! The sauce looks so yummy!

    Reply
  12. Nicole, RD says

    January 24, 2012 at 11:10 am

    I love the blank slate tofu provides, too..and obviously it’s healthy to boot! Great photos, as always :)

    Reply
  13. Barbara says

    January 24, 2012 at 8:11 am

    I’m not the greatest tofu fan, but did love it when I had it in the islands once and they prepared it in a similar manner. So pleased to find this recipe!

    Reply
  14. [email protected] says

    January 24, 2012 at 5:54 am

    It looks crunchy and delicious with the sesame seeds so much so that I would be tempted to eat it

    Reply
  15. [email protected] says

    January 24, 2012 at 3:36 am

    Yum! Healthy and tasty :) I love how tofu is so versatile and you can make so many dishes with it ~

    Reply
  16. Veronica says

    January 24, 2012 at 2:41 am

    Mmm, this sounds so delicious and looks it too!

    Reply
  17. kim says

    January 23, 2012 at 8:56 pm

    I love tofu. It’s my major source of protein. THis dish would be a wonderful addition to the Lunar New Year dinner display. :)

    Reply
  18. Krista says

    January 23, 2012 at 7:34 pm

    Oh, this looks SO good and healthy, Faith. :-) It reminds me of sesame-crusted halloumi I made a while ago – I still dream of that warm, nutty crust, so I know I’d love this. :-)

    Reply
  19. Alyssa @ Everyday Maven says

    January 23, 2012 at 4:37 pm

    I love how versatile Tofu is!

    Reply
  20. Koko @ Koko Likes says

    January 23, 2012 at 4:24 pm

    This looks so easy and delicious!

    Reply
  21. Priya says

    January 23, 2012 at 4:05 pm

    Super healthy and definitely irresistible tofu..

    Reply
  22. Lisa says

    January 23, 2012 at 12:45 pm

    This sounds great :-)

    Reply
  23. Heidi @ Food Doodles says

    January 23, 2012 at 12:19 pm

    Yummy! I actually didn’t like tofu up until I learned how to cook it properly(and press and marinate it too!). Now I love it! I love the sesame flavor yours must have from the seeds and the oil and it looks great :)

    Reply
  24. Kelsey @aslolife says

    January 23, 2012 at 11:29 am

    I grew up with lots of tofu in my house but could never get over the texture as a kid. But, it’s finally making a resurgence in my household now so I’ll definitely have to try this!

    Reply
  25. Rosa says

    January 23, 2012 at 7:31 am

    A wonderful way of preparing tofu!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  26. Katerina says

    January 23, 2012 at 6:27 am

    I recently tried tofu, in fact in my last post I have the full story about it, and I agree with you. Because of its neutral taste you can create anything you want making many combinations of flavors. Sesame has a very unique and intense flavor and aroma thus goes perfectly with tofu!

    Reply

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Hello and welcome to An Edible Mosaic! This is my recipe collection of international favorites and updated American classics with an emphasis on seasonal dishes. Here you’ll find a focus on real foods that sustain body and mind, bring people together, and make a house a home.

 

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I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to email me with questions or comments.

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affiliate disclosure

An Edible Mosaic is monetized in part though affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an affiliate link and/or purchase an item after clicking on an affiliate link, I may receive a percentage of the sales price. I only recommend products that I love and use. To learn more, please read my Privacy Policy.

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