Cold Smoke Chili Tofu: Quick, Easy & No Cooking Required
This dish is a little twist on the classic Chinese chili tofu that somewhat took the Internet by storm. This is a super easy, super quick, and super flavorful chili dish that doesn’t necessarily require heat or any cooking. Blow torch is optional, I just used it just for fun and because I like burning things. I almost burned down my house doing so. Would I recommend you doing it? Yes, cause it was so much fun for me, not for my mom’s bank account though. Anyway, the torch will bring out more of the smokiness from the bonito flakes, which already have a really smokey flavor. The ingredient measurements are to my own personal taste, but feel free to change things up based on your own desires. This dish is high in sodium and oils, which is why it is a side dish. It’s even better when the tofu marinates in the sauce for about 30 minutes and begins to absorb the color. It will eventually create a really pretty gradient after soaking up the sauce.
Let’s Get Cooking:
In-Depth Recipe At The Bottom
Cold Smoke Chili Tofu
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 Block Silken Tofu (Sliced)
Sauce:
- 1.5 Tsp Sugar
- 1 Tsp Garlic (Grated)
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tsp Rice Vinegar
- ½ Tsp Chili Oil
- 1 Tsp Sesame Oil
- ½ Tsp Black Pepper
- ½ Tsp Sichuan Pepper
- ½ Tsp Chili Flakes
Garnish:
- Pinch Fried Sliced Garlic
- ½ Scallion Stock (Chopped)
- Pinch Bonito Flakes
- Pinch Toasted Sesame Seeds
Instructions
Procedure:
- Mix all of the sauce ingredients together.
- Press the tofu slices together into a desired silhouette, and pour in the sauce.
- Garnish and optionally torch the bonito flakes to exude more of a smokey flavor. The Bonito flakes are already pretty smoky flavor-wise, so you don’t have to torch it.
Notes
In-Depth Instructions:
Let’s Make: Cold Smoke Chili Tofu
- Mix Sugar, Garlic, Soy Sauce, Rice Vinegar, Chili Oil, Sesame Oil, Black Pepper, Sichuan Pepper, and Chili Flakes together. This is based on my own personal desires, but you can adjust it to taste, or add water to dilute the sauce.
2. Slice the tofu and press it to flatten it out. You can also somewhat tilt the bottom and top slices to make the tofu in a diagonal form, this method is really pretty and I stole it from another person. Pour on the Sauce.
3. Garnish with Fried Sliced Garlic, Sliced Scallions, Bonito Flakes, and Sesame Seeds. Optionally torch the bonito flakes to exude more of a smokey flavor. The Bonito flakes are already pretty smoky flavor-wise, so you don’t have to torch it.
