Home-Style Braised Tofu

Place 1 pack (340g) of tofu on a paper towel to remove moisture.

Cut the dried tofu in half and slice it into 1.2cm thick pieces.

Sprinkle 3 pinches of salt over the sliced tofu, pat it gently, and let it season for about 15 minutes.

Cut 15cm of the white part of a green onion in half lengthwise and chop finely.

Finely chop 1/4 of an onion.

Finely mince 1 Cheongyang chili pepper and 1 red chili pepper for the sauce.

Turn on the stove, add 3 swirls of cooking oil to a pan, and place the seasoned tofu in it.

Pan-fry the tofu over medium heat until both sides are golden brown.

Remove the golden-brown tofu and set it aside on a plate.

In the same pan used for the tofu, add half of the chopped green onion and onion, add a little more cooking oil, and stir-fry to create a scallion and onion oil.

Once the green onion aroma is strong, turn off the heat and spread the mixture out in the pan to cool slightly.

In a bowl, combine the minced Cheongyang chili, minced red chili, 2 tbsp red chili powder, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1/2 tbsp raw sugar, 2 tbsp Jin soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp grain syrup, and 140ml kelp stock to make the sauce.

Heat the pan again and place the pan-fried tofu back in one by one.

Pour the prepared sauce evenly over the tofu.

Increase the heat slightly, and once the sauce starts to boil, add the remaining green onion and onion.

Cover with a lid and braise over medium-low heat for 1 minute.

Remove the lid, drizzle with 1 tbsp sesame oil, and sprinkle with 1 tbsp sesame seeds to finish.