Silken Tofu With Spicy Soy Dressing

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Updated July 24, 2023

  • Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
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Total Time
5 minutes
Rating
5(3,771)
Comments
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This recipe is inspired by the many cold silken tofu dishes from East Asia, like Japanese hiyayakko and Chinese liangban tofu. This no-cook dish is a handy one to have up your sleeve, especially for warm evenings when the desire to cook is nonexistent. Silky soft tofu is draped in a punchy soy dressing, creating a lively dish with little effort. The tofu is ideally served cold, but 10 minutes at room temperature can take the edge off. Make it your own with other fresh herbs such as Thai basil, mint or shiso leaves, or add crunch with fried shallots or roasted peanuts. A salty, fermented element like kimchi, pickled radish or ja choi, also known as zha cai, a Sichuan pickled mustard root, would work well, too. One block of silken tofu is usually enough to feed two people, but for a more substantial meal, serve it with hot rice or noodles to create a pleasing contrast of temperatures. To get vegetarian recipes like this one delivered to your inbox, sign up for The Veggie newsletter .

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

FOR THE SPICY SOY DRESSING

  • ¼ cup soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil

  • 1 tablespoon chile oil

  • 1 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds

  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

  • 1 scallion, green and white parts, finely sliced

FOR THE TOFU

  • 2 (14-ounce) blocks silken tofu, cold

  • 1 scallion, green and white parts, thinly sliced

  • Handful of cilantro leaves

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

10 grams carbs; 248 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 16 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 900 milligrams sodium; 20 grams protein; 4 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the dressing: Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chile oil, sesame seeds, sugar and scallion in a small bowl. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved.

  2. Step 2

    Carefully drain the liquid from the package of tofu, and gently tip the block onto a kitchen towel. (Try to keep the block in one piece, if possible, but don’t worry if it falls apart; it will still taste great.) Pat with another clean kitchen towel, removing as much liquid as possible. Transfer the blocks to one large plate or two smaller plates — leave whole or cut into 1-inch blocks — and spoon the soy dressing over the top until the tofu is completely covered. Top with scallions and cilantro leaves, and eat on its own or with rice or noodles on the side.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
3,771 user ratings
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Comments

Buck380

A favorite. Uncut, cut into blocks, cut into cubes, cut into strips, lightly crushed, cut into stars with a small cookie cutter, scooped into balls with a melon baller. If you want it spicier, add more chili oil, but if you want it less spicy, add less chili oil, or even no chili oil at all, and it still works! If you like cilantro, add cilantro, or if you don’t like cilantro, don’t add cilantro, and still, it works. It is… a block of tofu, with stuff on it!

Kathryn

We often have this dish, but I can’t imagine it without the liberal addition of fresh grated ginger!

Bit too Salty

A more Cantonese preparation would be to water down the soy sauce (same amount water as soy, or less). Makes the a lot more "drinkable", so that you don't accidentally get too much salt in one bite.

br_se

We eat this on repeat in the summer! I usually chop up whatever veggies/herbs we have around and throw on top (thinly sliced celery was a surprise fav). We usually have it with rice or soba noodles. A real gem, love ya Hetty!!!!!

Eva

A real standout. I make the dressing in a larger batch so I can keep it in my fridge (following another commenter, I add a bit of water to make it more “drinkable” and reduce the salt intensity). Then it takes about 90 seconds to make this dish, and it can be customized easily as other commenters have suggested. The dressing also makes a great dipping sauce for both dumplings and jeon (Korean pancakes of various kinds). Also great over steamed or blanched broccoli. Truly just a magnificent dressing.

Julia, London

I make this often in the summer for me and my vegetarian teenager. It goes very nicely on top of a bed of steamed tender-stem broccoli which has been thoroughly chilled in a bowl of ice water first, and then dried; a bed of chunky tomatoes pieces and Persian cucumbers are a nice alternative. I leave out the sugar, and add a good inch of grated ginger to the dressing. Rice on the side, if you are hungry. So delicious, and so good on a hot summer evening. One of the most versatile recipes on this site! We love it. The temperature in London right now is 32 degrees C: this is a life saver.

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