I first discovered cold tofu dishes when I studied in Nanjing, China 15 years ago. Often, restaurants would drizzle a tangy soy sauce mixture over sliced chilled tofu. It was the perfect dish to eat on hot and humid days in Nanjing. This cold tofu dish is inspired by all those meals I had as a graduate student in China. I love eating this chilled tofu so much that I easily eat everything by myself in one sitting!
INGREDIENTS FOR COLD TOFU DISH
WHAT KIND OF TOFU TO USE
Cold tofu dishes are best served with a variety of tofu that has a silky mouthfeel. That’s why I recommend using soft or silken tofu, preferably ones that are refrigerated inside a plastic tray. I don’t recommend using firmer styles of tofu (anywhere from firm to super firm) because the tofu curds have too much texture. You will not need to cook the tofu any further before preparing this dish. Tofu is usually fully cooked before the packaging process. Simply drain the block of tofu and set it aside while you prepare the sauce.
SAUCE INGREDIENTS
To make the sauce, grate 2 cloves of garlic with a microplane zester (affiliate link). Mix the garlic with rice vinegar and let that sit for 5 to 10 minutes to take out some of the raw bite of the garlic. You can also use apple cider vinegar in place of rice vinegar. Next, add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce (see recipe here), and a small drizzle of sesame oil. I like using my teriyaki sauce in this recipe because it adds savory, sweet, and umami flavor all at once. If you prefer not to make teriyaki sauce for this recipe, you can increase the amount of soy sauce to 2 tablespoons and add 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of sugar, honey, maple syrup, or any sweetener of choice. Taste the sauce and adjust it to suit your taste. Don’t forget, you will be spreading the sauce over a block of flavorless tofu, so don’t worry if the sauce seems a bit salty at this point. If the sauce is too tangy for your taste, add a little more sweetener.
TOPPINGS
I recommend topping the cold tofu with toasted sesame seeds, scallions, and crushed fried onions for some crunch and extra flavor. Gochugaru, furikake, and chili crisp are great additions as well!
SERVING OPTIONS
You can either serve the dish with the tofu block uncut (see photo above, left), or slice the tofu into smaller planks before drizzling sauce and toppings over it (see photo above, right).
CAN YOU MAKE THIS DISH AHEAD?
Although you can make the sauce ahead of time, I don’t recommend assembling the dish until you are ready to serve.
MORE TOFU RECIPES
Pan-Fried Teriyaki Tofu Vegan Mapo Tofu Salt & Pepper Tofu Strawberry & Teriyaki Tofu Spring Rolls Spicy Tofu with Creamy Coconut Sauce
