Honey Garlic Tofu for One
Honey garlic tofu is an easy 20 minute weeknight dinner for one. The sweet honey garlic sauce thickens slightly to coat crispy edged tofu bites and it makes for a great sauce over rice and vegetables. Make Sticky Tofu with leftover tofu.
Servings 1 person
Equipment
- cutting board
- knife
- clean towel or paper towel
- container, with lid (preferred)
- non-stick skillet
- small mixing bowl
- whisk
- tongs
Ingredients
Tofu
- ¼ package extra firm (or firm) tofu 3-4 ounces
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch black pepper
- 1-2 Tablespoons neutral oil canola, vegetable, grapeseed, etc
Honey Garlic Sauce
- 1 ½ Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ Tablespoons rice vinegar
- ½-1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger or 1/16 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic about 3 cloves
Serve With
- rice, noodles, and/or vegetables
Topping options
- sliced green onions, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, sriracha, chili garlic sauce, chili crisp
Instructions
- Prepare rice or noodles if desired.
Tofu
- Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 1-2 Tablespoons neutral oil.
- Slice tofu into bite sized pieces, about 1 inch cubes. Or desired thickness.
- Place in clean towel, gently press water our of tofu pieces.
- Transfer tofu to container, with lid. Add 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Cover with lid, gently shake until tofu is coated in cornstarch.
- Once oil is shimmering, place tofu pieces in pan. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crispy. Cook at least 2-3 sides of tofu. You can cook vegetables with tofu, if you'd like. Cook in a large enough pan for both.
Prepare Sauce
- While tofu is cooking, prepare sauce. Add 1 ½ Tablespoons soy sauce, 1 ½ Tablespoon rice vinegar, ½-1 Tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1 Tablespoon sesame oil, and 2 teaspoons minced garlic to a small mixing bowl. Whisk together.
Assemble
- Once tofu is cooked, pour sauce into pan. Coat tofu pieces in sauce, cook until thickened to desired thickness. I like it reduced by about ⅓-1/2. Add more water, if needed.
- Serve over rice or noodles, vegetables if desired. Top with sliced green onion, sesame seeds, and/or something spicy (red chili flakes, chili sauce/crisp, sriracha)
Video
Notes
- You can press your tofu block for 30-60 minutes prior to preparing by wrapping tofu in a clean towel/paper towel, then placing a heavy object like a cast iron skillet on top of it.
- Toss tofu with cornstarch in a bowl if you don't have/want to use a container with a lid.
- Bake tofu, cook in air fryer or toaster oven, or on the stove. I like the stove because I'll want to reduce the sauce and I can do it all in one pan.
- It can get smoky when cooking this tofu, open windows, turn on a fan if necessary.
- Double the sauce recipe if you'd like to coat vegetables in it, or have lots of sauce over your rice, etc.