Buttery Gochujang Tofu and Broccoli 

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Updated January 28, 2026

  • Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Brett Regot.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
45 min
Rating
5(769)
Comments
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Awaken the palate with this boldly seasoned, gochujang-spiked tofu and broccoli dish. With its signature smoky sweetness, tangy heat and deep fermented flavors, the gochujang glaze becomes viscous and silky thanks to butter and sticky maple syrup. Dusting the tofu in cornstarch gives it more body, with a crisp, crusted exterior that readily absorbs the full bodied sauce, while the interior remains tender and moist. The broccoli florets also carry this sauce confidently, though you could substitute with another hardy, crisp vegetable like cauliflower, green beans or green cabbage. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • ½ cup cornstarch

  • Salt and pepper

  • 2 (14- to 16-ounce) blocks extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into ½-inch slices

  • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 pound broccoli, cut into small 1-inch florets

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 3 tablespoons gochujang paste

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce 

  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup 

  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

  • 1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped 

  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced

  • Toasted white sesame seeds, for topping

  • Rice, to serve

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

42 grams carbs; 23 milligrams cholesterol; 586 calories; 18 grams monosaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 38 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 989 milligrams sodium; 26 grams protein; 10 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

      Place the cornstarch on a large plate or small rimmed sheet pan. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper and toss to combine. Coat both sides of the tofu in the cornstarch mixture, shake off any excess and set aside on a large plate or platter.

    2. Step 2

      Heat a large (12-inch) skillet on medium-high for 2 minutes. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil, add the broccoli, season with salt and pepper and toss until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes, or longer if preferred. Transfer to a bowl.

    3. Step 3

      With the heat still on medium-high, drizzle the skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil. Working in two batches, add half the tofu in a single layer, and cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to the large plate. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and cook the remaining tofu. Transfer the final batch of tofu to the plate. 

    4. Step 4

      Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter, gochujang, soy sauce, maple syrup, garlic and ginger, and cook until the butter has melted. Add 3 tablespoons of water and cook until the sauce has thickened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tofu and broccoli and gently toss until lightly coated. 

    5. Step 5

      Top with scallions and sesame seeds, and serve with rice.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
769 user ratings
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Comments

François Dionne

Excellent. I used my usual method to cook the tofu: I tear it into bite-size pieces, toss them with some potato or corn starch, then with a tablespoon of oil, and bake at 385 on a cookie sheet for about 30 min. Not sure the butter brings anything discernible, but the result is tasty. Heat will vary depending on your gochujang.

K8

I grew up in rural Missouri where “chickpeas” were considered an exotic imported food and the nearest Walmart was about an hour away. A “country store” version of gochujang can be whipped up with a combination of ketchup, hot sauce, soy sauce, and chili flakes. It ain’t the same thing, but it’ll work. In a way, it’s in the same spirit of Korea’s postwar cuisine.

Kate

This is a delicious and easy weeknight meal. I would skip the cornstarch step - you get just as good a crust on tofu when you pan fry without it and once you add the sauce the cornstarch makes the crust soggy. Added 1 T rice vinegar and 1.5 tsp toasted sesame oil to the sauce, which added some nice depth.

Todd Johnson

Made this for the first time tonight as written. Cooked it in my giant cast iron skillet. It was a hit with the entire family, including the picky ones. I think I'll skip the cornstarch next time. Its messy and adds time. I might also just air fry the Tofu with some sesame oil and mirin, like I usually do.

JJO

Excellent recipe! I made the following adjustments: 1. As it's just two of us, I used 1 block of tofu and about 2/3 of a pound of broccoli. 2. But I made the full sauce recipe, and that worked out well. The sauce is so good you'll want a lot. 3. I have trouble getting broccoli as cooked as I like it just by sauteing, so I put in some water and covered the pan. After a couple of minutes of steaming, you're just left with oil and the broccoli got brown and tasty pretty quickly.

Matt B

Made this as written, with the following tweaks: Roasted the broccoli with EVOO, salt, and pepper for 12ish minutes @ 425 convect, instead of trying to crisp it in the skillet. Maillard FTW. Applied a much thicker layer of the corn starch mixture, so I ended up needing to make another batch of the dredge. And, ended up cooking the tofu for far longer than 2-3 minutes per side in the skillet. My reward was quite crispy-crunchy tofu which was pretty tasty even before I added the sauce.

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