Whilst I’ve eaten tofu knots in Japan, they are an ingredient I hadn’t thought to cook at home until I read Bonnie Chung’s cookbook Tofu Tasty: Imaginative Tofu Recipes for Everyday. As she explains, they are traditionally added to soups and stews, but in this recipe, she has fried them instead to create a wonderful crisp and chewy texture. The punchy flavours of a sweet, sticky and spicy sauce complete this crowd-pleaser of a dish.
Yuki Sugiura
Find out more about the book in our full review of Bonnie Chung’s Tofu Tasty.
Sweet & Sticky Tofu Knots
Ingredients
For the tofu
- 100 g (3½ oz) dried golden tofu knots, soaked in hot water for 1 hour, then drained
- 100 g (3½ oz / ¾ cup) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 150 ml (5fl oz / 2⁄3 cup) vegetable oil
- toasted sesame seeds, to serve
- spring onions (scallions), finely sliced, to serve
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tbsp gochujang
- 3 tbsp clear honey
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar, malt vinegar or Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, coat the softened tofu knots with the cornflour, until all the knobbly angles and curves are covered. Leave for 10 minutes to let the cornflour soak up the moisture around the tofu.
- In a frying pan, heat the oil until bubbling-hot and add some of the tofu knots. Be sure not to crowd the pan; you may have to cook them in batches. After 2–3 minutes, flip them over. Some angles will be golden brown and crisping up. Keep turning them until each knot is crispy and golden. Drain on kitchen paper (paper towels). If you are not finishing the dish straight away, pop them into a medium oven to keep them warm and crispy.
- Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl, then put in a clean saucepan. Place over a medium heat until the sauce bubbles and starts to reduce.
- Throw the crispy tofu knots into the sweet, sticky sauce and mix to coat, then serve immediately, scattered with toasted sesame seeds and spring onions.
The recipe as given is vegetarian, but can be adapted into a vegan dish by substituting the honey with a natural alternative such as maple syrup, agave nectar or fruit-based molasses.
As a quick and easy recipe that can be pulled together from store cupboard ingredients, this is a great addition to your repertoire.
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Kavey Eats received a review copy of Tofu Tasty: Imaginative Tofu Recipes for Everyday by Bonnie Chung from publisher Pavilion. Photography by Yuki Sugiura.
Please leave a comment - I love hearing from you!16 Comments to "Sweet & Sticky Tofu Knots"
oh fab! Thanks! I particularly like that they aren’t fried in loads and loads of oil – I don’t mind deepfrying but sometimes it feels a bit wasteful to heat up all that oil just for one dinner.
Yeah I know just what you mean!
Amazing! Thank you. So quick and delicious, texture and bite. L..served with sova noodles Added to weekly must have. 🙂
So pleased you enjoyed it as much as we did!
Amazing! I used agave, and I didn’t have gochujung o I used miso paate. So pleased I doubled the sauce recipe, just so delicious. Served it with rice, and even the meat-eaters did a double take that it wasn’t chicken!
I just made these and oh my goodness this is so delicious! I love all the crispy/chewy texture. It’s my first time cooking tofu knots and I’m hooked!
We had never cooked them before this either, such a revelation!😁
I’ve just managed to get some gf knots online so this is getting made next week!
Fantastic, hope you love it a much as we did!
I found tofu knots at my Asian Grocer and was intrigued. There was an interesting recipe on the package similar to this, but broiled instead of fried. However, there were no quantities given for ingredients, so I was happy to find this recipe online. I used the ingredients from this recipe, but I broiled the knots (I left out the cornflour) instead of frying, turning them halfway through. They came out crispy enough, but I am sure frying them would be crispier. They were just fine for us–we are trying to reduce fat in our diet. Loved the crunchy/chewy combo! DH says this is a winner.
Thanks for your comment, Pat! We really enjoy the texture contrasts too. If you enjoy tofu in different forms, do check out the cookbook from which this is shared!
This recipe got full marks from me and my hubby! The sauce is absolutely delicious and the textures amazing! Hubby said that he would be delighted to be served this in a restaurant.
(We served it with sticky rice, pickled radish, smashed cucumber salad, broccoli and kimchi. Perfect!). Thank you! 🙂
Oh, also, I cooked the knots in the air fryer with sprays of oil.
Yay, I’m so happy you liked it as much as we did! Air fryer is a great call!
Just found the knots at the 99 market. Intrigued. Thanks for the fabulous recipe! My family loved it! I did cut the gochujang amount in half as I can’t do too much chili flavor. I may try the air fryer next time.
Just made this and it was fantastic. Got the knots online. It was tasty. I added a little white pepper for a little more zing. And next time I’m gonna double the sauce recipe so you have some to pour over for serving.
Amazing! I used agave, and I didn’t have gochujung o I used miso paate. So pleased I doubled the sauce recipe, just so delicious. Served it with rice, and even the meat-eaters did a double take that it wasn’t chicken!