Spicy Korean Tofu Tacos are the perfect taco for when you want something light, spicy and packed with flavor. Charred tortillas, marinated roasted tofu, spicy fresh slaw and creamy avocado. I am not normally a fan of the word “fusion”, but it’s Korean meets Mexican with these tacos. The result? Delish!
Being a vegetarian one might think I eat tofu on a regular basis, but I actually don’t. Not because I don’t love it, I do. I just typically get my plant protein from beans, legumes, nuts and seeds, etc.
But tofu is great in these tacos, so let’s get going on the recipe deets!
What You’ll Need for Spicy Korean Tofu Tacos…
- tortillas
- tofu
- tofu marinade
- kimchi slaw
- avocado
For the tortillas I went with Siete almond flour tortillas. You can use traditional flour tortillas if you prefer.
More on the tofu and kimchi slaw below, so keep reading!
After pressing tofu cut into about 1” size pieces
Let’s talk tofu…
With the tofu, you want to buy firm or extra-firm tofu. This refers to the texture, firm or extra-firm tofu has a firmer texture than silken tofu, hence the name firm!
The bulk of the recipe is actually pressing and prepping the tofu. What do I mean by pressing the tofu?
First, drain the tofu from the package. It comes submerged in water so you’ll want to do this over the sink.
Next, slice the tofu in half lengthwise. Then wrap each tofu half in paper towels and place a heavy item on top to press out the liquid. Why press the tofu? This draws out the liquid so you can add a tasty marinade for the tofu to soak up.
Next step, while the tofu is being pressed, is to make the quick marinade. You’ll need to marinate your tofu, since it is pretty bland on its own.
The marinade for the tofu is garlic minced to a paste (use a little salt for this), coconut aminos or tamari or soy sauce, avocado oil or another high-heat oil, and a pinch or two of gochugaru.
If you’ve never had gochugaru, these Korean chile flakes might become your new favorite way to spice up your food! You can find gochugaru in Whole Foods and similar stores, usually located near the Asian ingredients.
High heat gets a nice char and crisp on the tofu
Once your tofu is pressed, cut each half of tofu into 1” cubes, then marinate for 15 – 30 minutes.
After marinating, roast tofu on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 425º for 25 – 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
TIP: be sure to make sure the garlic is not burning while roasting, if so turn oven down to 400º.
The creamy avocado complements the spicy factor
The slaw…
Kimchi (fermented cabbage) is THE staple in Korean cuisine. The kimchi slaw adds more Korean flavors to this dish, so don’t skip this part!
We are making a quick kimchi slaw here using cabbage (napa, savoy or green) and a vinaigrette with Mama O’s kimchi paste, which you can find in Whole Foods or online. If you cannot find it, you can sub store-bought kimchi or just make the vinaigrette and add a little gochugaru chile flake. But seek out the kimchi paste if you can, it’s delish!
I even use kimchi chile paste in other recipes like these Spicy Asian Noodles and Maple Chili Roasted Brussels Sprouts.
Serve these right away for max crunch!
To serve…
First, toast your tortillas. If you have an open range with a gas flame you can toast the tortillas for about a minute there. Just toast over a medium flame, flipping as you go to get tortillas evenly charred. Use tongs!
Next, spoon some cabbage on tortillas, then add tofu and avocado. I love the creaminess of the avocado here because it complements the spicy tofu and slaw.
You can also sprinkle with extra sesame seeds and fresh cilantro if desired. Even though cilantro is not used in Korean cuisine, I love it here!
TIP: after chopping your avocado squeeze with a little fresh lime and season with a pinch of salt
Be sure to assemble tortillas just before enjoying. A soggy taco is no bueno!
If you make these Spicy Korean Tofu Tacos I’d love to know how they turn out. You can comment below or tag me on Instagram with a pic.
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Like the recipe? You will love these…
Spicy Asian Noodles (vegan, GF)
Charred Chile Fajitas (vegan, GF)
| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 1 block firm tofu firm or extra-firm, not silken
- 1 tbsp minced garlic minced to a paste with salt
- 3 tbsp tamari, soy or coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp avocado oil *divided (you’ll 1 tbsp for tofu, 1 tbsp for slaw)
- 1 generous pinch gochugaru chile flakes or crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 cups shredded cabbage such as napa, savoy or green
- 2 tsp kimchi paste see blog post for brand rec
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp honey sub agave or omit for vegan
- 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- to taste fine pink salt
- 4 - 6 each tortillas, toasted see blog post for notes
- 1 large avocado chopped *TIP: season with lime + salt
- 1 handful cilantro leaves optional, cilantro is not used in Korean cuisine but is great here!
Ingredients
Tofu ingredients
Slaw ingredients
To serve
|
|
- Press tofu: drain from package, slice in half lengthwise, layer in paper towels and put something heavy on top to draw out water (such as a heavy pan); press about 15 minutes
- Make tofu marinade: in a small bowl whisk garlic paste, tamari/soy or aminos, one tablespoon of the avocado oil, and a generous pinch or two of Korean gochugaru flakes if you like it spicy
- Dice pressed tofu into about 1” cubes, then marinate for 15 minutes
- Heat oven to 425° and line a large sheet pan with parchment baking paper, spread tofu onto pan and roast 25 minutes, stirring halfway through (watch to make sure garlic does not burn)
- Make slaw: in a large bowl whisk kimchi paste, lime, honey and one tablespoon of the avocado oil; right before you are ready to serve toss with cabbage and sesame seeds, season to taste with salt
- To assemble: top each toasted/warmed tortilla with some slaw and desired amount of tofu (you may not use entire amount), then top with avocado, cilantro and extra toasted sesame seeds if desired
Recipe serves 4, with 1 or 2 tacos per person
Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com