View source for Spicy & Crunchy Garlic Tofu

Veganized version of the dish Kkanpunggi (깐풍기) <ref>https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kkanpunggi</ref> from the blog ''The Korean Vegan''. <ref>https://thekoreanvegan.com/spicy-crunchy-garlic-tofu-kkampoong-tofu/</ref>

==Ingredients==

* 1 16 ounce block extra firm tofu pressed and chopped into 1/2 inch bite sized chunks
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 Tablespoons potato starch plus 1 extra teaspoon
* 7 cloves garlic minced
* 1/4 red onion diced
* 2 Korean green chilis, sliced, can sub seeded jalapenos
* 2 whole scallions white parts chopped, green parts sliced on a bias
* 1 Tablespoon gochugaru
* 1-1 1/2 Tablespoon soy sauce
* 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
* 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
* 1/2 Tablespoon mirin, optional
* 4+1 Tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1/8 cup dried red chilis, optional
* 1/2 Tablespoon sesame oil
* 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

==Instructions==

# To a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of potato starch to tofu chunks. Gently toss the tofu to make sure they are all evenly coated. Set aside.
# Prep your vegetables by mincing the garlic, dicing the onion, slicing the Korean chilis, and chopping up the scallions.
# Prepare the sauce by mixing together gochugaru, soy sauce, white wine vinegar, maple syrup, mirin, and 1 teaspoon of potato starch. Set aside.
# To a very large non-stick pan, add 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat. When oil is very hot, add coated tofu chunks in one layer,making sure they are not # touching each other. If they touch, they will stick to one another.
# Cook the tofu and flip them one by one, until they are brown on all sides (approximately 7 minutes). Remove the tofu chunks from the pan and set them aside on a cooling rack to drain the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining tofu.
# When all of the tofu has been fried, in the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Then add the garlic, onions, chilis, and scallions and saute the vegetables until the garlic starts to brown.
# Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the sauce, stirring it with a wooden spoon until it reduces down into a thick sauce (approximately 30 seconds). Turn off the heat.
# Gently add back the fried tofu and stir everything together, so that the tofu chunks are evenly coated in your sauce.
# Garnish the tofu with ½ tablespoon of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

==Notes==

* Calls for high heat in a non-stick pan, so a cast iron pan is needed to fry as specified.
* Evaluate frying “air fryer” style in the oven. Frying in a pan requires flipping each tofu cube individually to prevent sticking to each other, so should be far easier. Though should evaluate if the sticking is that big of a deal, as my first attempt was screwed over by not using a non-stick pan.

==References==
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[[Category:Vegan_recipes]]
[[Category:Korean_recipes]]