Teriyaki Tofu
with cucumber salad / rice
This saucy tofu, last featured in 2023, has become a Cook Smarts community favorite! It's easy to pull together with rice and a cold cucumber salad on the side, but it still tastes fresh and satisfying.
Ingredients
- Water - 1 3/4 cups
- Rice, uncooked basmati - 1 cup
- Tofu, extra-firm - 16 oz , 1/2” / 1.3 cm cubes (vacuum-packed preferable)
- Limes - 1 , wedges
- Oil, olive - 2 Tbsp
- Teriyaki sauce (ingredients listed separately) - 2/3 cup
- Cucumbers - 1 lb , sliced
- Green onions - 2 stalks , chopped, green and white parts combined
- Soy sauce, low-sodium - 1 Tbsp
- Vinegar, rice - 1 Tbsp
- Oil, toasted sesame - 2 tsp
- Sesame seeds, any color - 2 Tbsp
- Red pepper flakes (opt) - 1/4 tsp
- Salt - 1/4 tsp
- Garlic - 2 cloves , chopped
- Soy sauce, low-sodium - 1/4 cup
- Water - 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp
- Brown sugar - 2 Tbsp
- Vinegar, rice - 2 tsp
- Cornstarch - 1 tsp
Prep
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Tofu - If tofu is packaged in water, press out liquid first, like in this video. Then slice into 1/2” / 1.3 cm thick cubes. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
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Rice - (Double if making Wednesday's meal.) Fill a saucepan with water (portion for rice) and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then add rice. Bring to a simmer, cover, turn heat down to low, and cook until rice has absorbed all the liquid, 15 to 18 minutes. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Make sauce - Chop garlic. Combine garlic, soy sauce (portion for sauce), first portion of water (for sauce), brown sugar, and vinegar (portion for sauce). Leave out the cornstarch for now. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Cucumbers / Green onions - Prep as directed.
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Make salad - Whisk together soy sauce and vinegar (portions for salad), sesame oil, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, and salt. Add in cucumbers and green onions and stir gently to combine.
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Limes - Slice into wedges.
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Make
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Season the tofu lightly with some salt and pepper.
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Heat a skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Add the tofu and sear on all sides until light brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the teriyaki sauce and bring it to a simmer. Simmer the tofu until the teriyaki sauce reduces and begins to coat the tofu, 3 to 4 minutes.
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Whisk cornstarch with the second portion of water (for the sauce). Slowly pour in the cornstarch slurry over the tofu while stirring. Stir until the mixture thickens, ~2 minutes.
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If the rice was made ahead, reheat in the microwave. (Reserve half if doubled.)
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Serve the tofu and sauce over rice with cucumber salad and lime wedges on the side. Enjoy!
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