Teriyaki Tofu Steak

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This teriyaki tofu steak is a simple recipe made with everyday ingredients. It is low on effort but ranks high on taste and aesthetics! I cut my tofu ‘steak’ smaller than what you may expect – the size of my cut tofu resembles more of ‘steak slices’ rather than a piece of ‘uncut steak’. I deliberately cut them this way to make them the perfect size for making teriyaki tofu fresh spring rolls. You can eat this teriyaki tofu steak with rice, with a salad or enjoy the tofu as an izakaya drink. My teriyaki tofu is topped with crispy garlic for a more luxurious touch. The garlic provides an umami depth of pleasant bitterness which complimented the savoury sauce well. You can use the leftover teriyaki sauce to drizzle over rice, or use it as a dipping sauce.

Related Recipe:

• Teriyaki Tofu Spring Rolls (pictured above)
• Teriyaki Salmon & Scallions

See Also:

• Japanese Mapo Tofu
• Japanese Multigrain Rice
• Simple Japanese Cooking
• Meatless Recipes

NOTES FOR MAKING TERIYAKI TOFU STEAK:

• Slice the tofu to the size you like – from big and thick slabs of ‘uncut steak’, or smaller ‘steak slices’ like mine. You can also put some griddle marks on the tofu if you fancy that.
• Use a fitting frying pan to cook this dish (depending on the number of cut tofu pieces).
• I am only using half a tofu block in my step-by-step photos, as I am saving the remaining tofu for my hot pot dinner.
• The cooked teriyaki tofu can easily keep for 3 days in the fridge, so you can make more at one go for meal-prep.
• Even when cooking with half a block of tofu (only 8 slices), the plating helped the tofu look ample on the plate.
• Use firm tofu (see next photo) for the richer taste & denser texture which is ideal for this recipe.
• If you prefer a sweet tasting teriyaki sauce, you can add bit of brown sugar, to taste. 

RECIPE INSPIRATION

Inspiration struck suddenly for this recipe. When I saw this tofu block at Don Don Donki, I was instantly attracted to the pretty illustration of the plate of tofu on the bottom right. I wanted to make a tofu dish that looked as good as the illustration :p And coincidentally after buying the tofu, I saw my favourite vlogger making teriyaki tofu steak, and I adapted this recipe from her.

Use any type of firm tofu for this recipe. If you are buying Japanese tofu, look for the labels “momen tofu” which means firm tofu, or “atsuage tofu” (pictured above) which means deep-fried tofu. The firmness of the tofu helps to hold its shape when being pan-fried and simmered.

PREPARE THE INGREDIENTS

(A) to (C): Prepare the tofu. Cut the tofu block to 16 pieces (halve the tofu block lengthwise, cut to 4 rectangles, then halve the thickness of each rectangle). Next, coat both sides of the sliced tofu with flour.
(D): Sliced garlic is used to make the crispy garlic toppings and also to make the oil more aromatic when the tofu is cooked in the pan. The scallion ends (optional) are my leftover kitchen scraps that added aroma to the oil. The butter gives the teriyaki sauce a velvety finish despite not adding sugar in my teriyaki sauce. The sliced dried chilli (deseeded) is optional and added colour and mild heat to the dish.
(E): Make a simple teriyaki sauce with soy sauce, mirin and sake.
Others: spring onions (as a garnish)

MAKE THE DISH

• Cook garlic until golden, along with the scallion ends (if using). Set aside the garlic and scallion pieces on a plate.
• In a small pan, use the garlic & scallion oil in the pan to pan fry the tofu until lightly golden on both sides.
• Pour teriyaki sauce over tofu and add butter. Simmer down the sauce until it is slightly thickened and bubbly.
• Plate the tofu like sliced steak and garnish with crispy garlic and spring onions. Save the leftover teriyaki sauce for drizzling over rice or for dipping.