Silken Comfort Tofu Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Fry

by: Abra Bennett

January1,2010

4

5 Ratings

  • Prep time 5 minutes
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • Serves 2, as a main course

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

This is a spicy and comforting dish I created in the spirit of eating more meatless meals. It's a perfect dish for a cold winter's day, and a great antidote to holiday overindulgence. Do try to find Chinese peanut oil, which adds a great toasty flavor to the dish. —Abra Bennett

Test Kitchen Notes

As Jenny notes in therelated article, don't be discouraged if you don’t have all the ingredients exactly as written, the dish will be delicious regardless. In the photo above we added some shelled edamame for a little color. —Food52

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoonpeanut oil, Chinese if possible
  • 2 shallots, sliced thin
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 teaspoonChinese chili-garlic sauce
  • 1/4 cupfish sauce
  • 1 tablespoonnatural peanut butter
  • 1/4 cuphot water
  • 1 teaspoonsugar (optional)
  • 1 poundsilken tofu, cubed
  • 4 green onions, sliced
  • 1/2 cupchopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cupbasil chiffonade, use Thai basil if possible
  • chili oil for drizzling
Directions
  1. Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet and saute shallots until golden. Add sliced garlic and sizzle briefly. Add chili-garlic sauce and fry until fragrant. Add fish sauce and sizzle until nearly evaporated. Stir in peanut butter, so mixture forms a rough paste. Whisk in hot water (and sugar, if using)—the consistency of the mixture should be between a thick sauce and a loose paste.
  2. Gently stir in the tofu, trying to keep cubes intact as much as possible, Stir in green onions, cilantro, and basil and heat through. Drizzle with chili oil and serve with brown or basmati rice.

Tags:

  • Asian
  • Cilantro
  • Green Onion/Scallion
  • Peanut Butter
  • Shallot
  • Vegetable
  • Tofu
  • Fry
  • Vegetarian
  • Entree
  • Side
Contest Entries
  • Your Best New Year's Resolution Dish

Recipe by: Abra Bennett

I love to cook and create recipes!

Popular on Food52

19 Reviews

emcsull January 16, 2024

wonderful, we can't get enough of this when I make it. Have to confess we are a saucy family so I use much more peanut butter and of course water. Real comfort food !

Alexandraslp8 October 23, 2022

I have to admit I was skeptical about this combination of ingredients but OMG this was so delicious! I also used much less fish sauce but I thought it had the perfect balance of salty, creamy, spicy even with a reduced amount.

Will May 12, 2020

Delicious dish, reduced fish sauce by 1/2 and flavor was great

Deb September 10, 2018

Our family didn't like the silken tofu in this dish. It didn't hold together and was too gelatinous. I think we would have liked it much better with a firm tofu, but I would be afraid to try it again.

eveross May 21, 2018

This was great, but, i didn't read the comments first....too much fish sauce so way too salty. Will use less next time, but my husband (a non tofu lover) said he'd be happy to eat it once a week....served with roasted Kamoboka squash. the sweet squash was great with the salty yummy tofu...

Jessica A. January 9, 2018

So sad I failed to scroll down to read all the comments! Used a 1/4 cup of Golden Boy fish sauce, and the resulting dish was almost inedibly salty, notwithstanding its obvious 'good bones'. Heed my cautionary tale, and use only a few dashes.

AntoniaJames January 8, 2018

Bought silken tofu yesterday to make this again, and I can hardly wait. Will serve over farro, with edamame as shown in the photo, plus broccoli, for a fine one-bowl dinner. ;o)

Louise February 6, 2016

Not really meatless if it has fish sauce in it

Maggie April 13, 2017

You can buy vegan fish sauce

Tamara H. January 1, 2015

This was truly amazing! Everyone in my family loved it and went back for seconds.

Val F. July 12, 2014

I made this last night and it was spectacular. I substituted light coconut milk for the fish sauce and water because I wanted it to be vegan. I served it with basmati rice and this dish had my whole family astounded that they were absolutely loving lowly tofu. This recipe elevates tofu to true delicious and soul warming comfort food. This is the best tofu dish I have ever had and will be a staple in my journey to veganism. It obliterated the need for takeout Asian. It is restaurant quality. This dish is gonna change my life!

Sophie S. May 26, 2014

This sounds really good! Haha I think I'll make this tomorrow for lunch.
Have you tried plain tofu with fresh minced ginger, chives and a bit of sesame oil? It's wonderful too!

AntoniaJames January 30, 2013

Well, you sure got it right using "comfort" in the title. Here's some comfort food at its best. I made a batch last night; it tasted great when I made it, but even better this morning. I subbed three large scallions for the shallots, left out the chili paste, but added a splash of brown rice vinegar right at the end to brighten it up. Outstanding! Will definitely be making this again, and on a regular basis. ;o)

bonnie59 July 19, 2012

Finally tried this recipe and it was delicious! Will continue to make this for one of our meatless meals.

Rivka December 7, 2011

Made this after reading the above comments, and cut back on the fish sauce. Still found the dish too salty, but flavors were great and silken tofu may be my new favorite food. I'm looking forward to experimenting with similar flavors for my next batch.

rickygee July 27, 2010

Ok, 1/4 cup fish sauce has got to be a miss print. I only used 4-5 shakes from the bottle, tablespoon at the most. Fish sauce is way to salty to use a 1/4 cup for this amount of ingredients. If you're using a good hot garlic-chile sauce the heat from that will make up for the salt. Add the water or chicken stock and use as much as is needed to make a sauce that will cover the type of starch you use...use rice or rice vermicelli. I used a squirt of lime at the end.

Angie July 5, 2010

I made this and thought it was very tasty. I added a squirt of lime juice at the end.

Savorykitchen February 23, 2010

I made this last night and really enjoyed it, except ... maybe my fish sauce was saltier than yours, but woof, was my dish salty. I'm going to make it again with less fish sauce and I'm sure it'll be fantastic (because, it was pretty great - despite the salt).

student E. February 3, 2010

Thank you for sharing this! Oh so comforting! I added some Sichuan pickled vegetable too.

Silken Comfort Tofu Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What can you use silken tofu for? ›

Once you've got your silken tofu, here are five ways to put it to use.
  • Make it into a creamy sauce. ...
  • Fry it. ...
  • Slip into soup. ...
  • Top it with something punchy. ...
  • Make it into dessert.
Feb 10, 2021

What is the difference between soft tofu and silken tofu? ›

Silken tofu also called soft, silk, or Japanese-style tofu has a softer consistency than regular tofu and will fall apart if not handled carefully. You may notice that silken tofu (soft tofu), unlike regular tofu, is sometimes packaged in aseptic boxes that do not require refrigeration.

Can I use silken tofu instead of firm tofu? ›

Firm silken tofu should never be confused with or substituted for a firm block tofu. It also shouldn't be confused with soft silken tofu—firm silken is made from a denser soy milk, meaning less water is added during the production of the milk. Firm silken tofu has a richer body that holds up better to handling.

Should you cook silken tofu? ›

The silken tofu dish can be enjoyed cold or hot. To enjoy cold, simply pour the sauce over the tofu, top with the reserved green parts of the scallions, and serve! If you prefer to enjoy the dish hot, you can easily heat the tofu by microwaving it for 1-2 minutes. Alternatively, you can steam the tofu for 5 minutes.

Can you eat silken tofu straight from the package? ›

While tofu comes in a variety of textures — silken, firm, and extra firm — technically any of them can be eaten raw. Before enjoying raw tofu, drain off any excess liquid from the packaging. It's also important to store tofu properly to prevent germs from growing on any unused portions.

Can you eat silken tofu straight from the box? ›

Aftering draining off the excess liquid, tofu can be eaten straight out of its packaging. To prevent contamination, prepare it using clean utensils and surfaces at home, and store it at proper temperatures.

Is Silken tofu healthier than regular tofu? ›

Tofu Nutrition

For relatively similar serving sizes, the nutrition differences between silken and firm tofu are pretty big. Silken tofu contains only about half the calories and fat, while firm tofu contains over twice the protein. The reason for this is water content.

Can you eat silken tofu raw? ›

Raw tofu is safe to eat but here's what to keep in mind before you do. Since tofu is technically already cooked, eating it "raw" isn't the same as eating raw meat. Still, tofu is as prone to contamination as any other food – whether that's due to improper handling or exposure to other raw foods.

How long does silken tofu last in the fridge? ›

How long does tofu last in the fridge? If it's unopened, you should just go by the use by date on the pack, which will give you the best idea of the shelf life. If it's opened, refrigerated tofu is generally good for 3 to 5 days, as long as you've stored it properly.

Can you pan fry silken tofu? ›

Just be sure to get the oil nice and hot before adding the tofu; this will prevent the tofu from excessively sticking to the pan and help develop a nicely crisp sear! A simple Chinese-style dish featuring pan-seared silken tofu served with a garlic scallion soy sauce.

Which tofu is best for weight loss? ›

Tofu is low in calories.

3.5 oz of firm tofu has 78 calories, and silken tofu has 55 calories. Soft soy tofu with lecithin is ranked second with 61 Calories, but all of those are less than many animal protein options, which usually clock in at 140-200 calories for 3.5-oz servings.

What happens when you fry silken tofu? ›

I have always loved the creamy, silky texture of silken tofu in soups & stews but was amazed at how delicious the fried silken tofu is. This dish has a balance in texture: crispy on the outside, creamy and smooth on the inside. It pairs well with this a bowl of white or brown rice.

How do you cook silken tofu without it falling apart? ›

  1. Heat a nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
  2. Add a small amount of oil (such as vegetable oil or sesame oil) to the pan and swirl it to coat the surface.
  3. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu to the pan in a single layer.
  4. Cook the tofu for about 4-6 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crispy.
Sep 13, 2023

Can you put silken tofu in ramen? ›

A flavourful miso broth packed full of noodles, colourful vegetables and silken tofu. The go-to comfort meal for the cold winters night.

How do you eat silken tofu? ›

14 Best Ways To Use Silken Tofu
  1. Use it as an egg replacer in pancakes and waffles. ...
  2. Make a dense, creamy pie. ...
  3. Whip up a scramble or omelet. ...
  4. Bake a spongy egg-free frittata or quiche. ...
  5. Blend together a creamy pasta sauce. ...
  6. Make a silky vegan dressing. ...
  7. Add a protein boost to your smoothies and shakes. ...
  8. Deep fry it.
Dec 28, 2022

Is silken tofu safe to eat raw? ›

Silken and soft block tofu are the best options to eat raw, as they have a custard-like texture and a mild flavor that works well in raw dishes. Remove any excess water and potential contaminants, drain the water from the package of tofu, and rinse the tofu thoroughly with fresh water before consuming it.

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