A light, savory silken tofu recipe with a spicy soy dressing you can make in 5 minutes. This no-cook, healthy Asian-inspired dish is oil-free and lower in sodium, fat and calories.
Ever wonder, "what can I do with this block of silken tofu sitting in my pantry?" Silken tofu is a vegan cook's dream! It's so adaptable, you can use in sauces and condiments like my oil free mayo, and even in desserts like my key lime pie mini tarts.
This raw silken tofu recipe uses light soy sauce, spicy oil-free chili sauce, and fresh garlic and grated ginger to give if loads of healthy zing. It's vegan and vegetarian, and easy to make gluten free by selecting a gluten free soy sauce or tamari.
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What I love about this tofu with spicy dressing
By far my favorite thing about this recipe is how darn simple it is to make. I mean, how many dinner recipes can you make in 5 or 10 minutes? Even my husband, who is not a huge tofu lover, devours this dish if I make the sauce nice and spicy.
It's just so pretty. I already have plans to introduce this silken tofu recipe my friends, the next time we get together for a pot luck. And if you're vegan or vegetarian but sometimes miss fish, this recipe has a sushi/sashimi quality to it I think you'll appreciate. All that lovely delicate texture, without harming our oceans or our health.
Creating this dish, I couldn't help but feel sad that soy tends to get such a bad rap. I say unfortunately because, unless you're one of the approximately 1 in 2,000 people who shouldn't eat soy because they have an allergy, soy foods have been shown to have significant health benefits, especially for women. So it seems a lot of people avoid soy foods unnecessarily. 🙁
I personally drink soy milk and/or eat tofu, tempeh and edamame pretty much every day because I enjoy it and because I'm convinced of its health benefits.
Ingredients
- Silken Tofu - firm or extra firm
- Soy sauce - low sodium, or homemade low sodium soy sauce substitute
- Asian-style chili sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Lemon
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Maple syrup or date paste
- Green onion and sesame seeds, for garnish
- Optional: miso paste to thicken the sauce
Step-by-step instructions
Follow these photos and instructions to help make it great, every time. Please also see the full recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Step 1. Place the tofu block in a shallow bowl with a flat bottom.
Step 2. Whisk the sauce ingredients together.
Step 3. Pour the sauce evenly over the tofu.
The tofu will be covered, with some extra sauce around the edges for dipping.
Step 4. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
Pro tips
- Only use firm or extra firm silken tofu in this recipe. Soft silken tofu is too delicate to slice and eat easily, and regular block tofu doesn't taste great raw, in my opinion. (Note: silken tofu is often referred soft tofu to differentiate it from block tofu, which can get a bit confusing!)
- Room temperature tofu. This dish can be enjoyed as a cold silken tofu recipe, at room temperature, or as a warm silken tofu recipe. I prefer it at room temp, so I buy silken tofu that can be stored in the pantry (like Mori-nu). You can also allow time for your tofu block to come to room temperature before preparing the recipe if you buy a refrigerated silken tofu. (For the warm/cooked version, please see the recipe notes.)
- Use white miso paste to thicken. Mellow white miso paste adds a nice flavor and texture, and healthy 'green-light' salt to the dish. A thicker sauce clings to the tofu better, which I prefer, though it's not absolutely necessary. But if you can't find white miso paste (I know some of you can't, so I left this as an option), it's fine as is. Or, you could try a teaspoon or two of cornstarch or other thickener of your choice.
Substitutions and variations
Substitutions
- For the tofu, as mentioned above, I'd definitely stick with firm or extra firm silken tofu here. Cooked regular tofu would certainly work, but that would be a different dish. But if you're comfortable with cooking methods for regular tofu, and just want to use the sauce, I'd say go for it.
- For the ginger and garlic, about 1 teaspoon of powdered spice could be used in place of fresh.
- For the Asian chili sauce, I couldn't find oil-free at the store, so I bought chili-garlic sauce instead. It works just as well. You could also use a sweet-sour Asian chili sauce, but eliminate the maple syrup in that case. I don't recommend Mexican-style chili hot sauces for this dish, as the flavor profiles are too different.
- For the lemon and rice vinegar, you could use all lemon or all vinegar, and still get a good result. If you want to substitute the rice vinegar, a lighter, sweeter option like apple cider vinegar might work well, though I have not tried it.
Variations
- This recipe works great as an Asian-inspired tofu appetizer, or a main dish.
- To make it a main dish, I like to sauté napa cabbage or baby bok choy for about 8-10 minutes until just tender and place it right in the same bowl around the tofu. It will soak up some of the sauce and add a nice crunch to the dish.
- In addition to adding veggies, you could serve it over brown jasmine rice, brown rice noodles, or even sticky sushi rice, if you prefer.
- Cold silken tofu salad. Serve this recipe cold over chopped veggies (lettuce, pepper, snow peas, carrots, cucumber etc.) or over cold noodles.
- For sharing, it's nice to cut tofu into slices. (I like to do this before pouring the sauce over it and garnishing, so the slices are fully coated in sauce.) That way, everyone can easily take individual pieces, like sushi.
- Marinade. This sauce works great as a block tofu or silken tofu marinade for Asian-inspired recipes.
FAQs
I love this dish at room temperature--or even cold. But if you'd like it warm or hot, you can place the whole block of tofu on a plate and heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Or to steam your tofu, place it on an oven-safe plate, place it inside a steamer basket in a pot with an inch or two of water, and simmer, covered, for 3-5 minutes.
Here's a comparison of some soy sauce products and substitutes, with the approximate sodium per tablespoon (please check labels for specific brands):
Regular soy sauce: 1,000 mg
Low sodium soy sauce: 575 mg
Tamari: 980 mg
Low sodium tamari: 700 mg
Coconut aminos: 270 mg
Silken tofu is relatively low in calories and fat, and high in protein--making it a good source of protein for vegans and vegetarians. (The brand of extra firm silken tofu I used in this recipe, Mori-nu, has about 96 calories, 3.3g of fat, and 13.3 grams of protein per serving, or half a 12.3 ounce package.) Like other tofus, it offers beneficial phytoestrogens, shown to promote bone health, reduce the risk of breast cancer and help reduce hot flashes.
This recipe--which is lower in sodium and oil free--is a healthy version of this Asian inspired dish.
You can find silken tofu on the shelf in the ethnic/Asian food aisle in most grocery stores. Unlike regular block tofu, many brands are shelf stable and don't require refrigeration until opened.
All tofu has a slightly bean-curd like flavor. I find silken tofu to be quite tasty right out of the package with a sauce or dressing on it as in this recipe, or just dropped into broth.
In this recipe, to me, the taste and texture are almost like a light and healthy (and vegan) alternative to sashimi--or Japanese raw fish.
This dish will keep well in the refrigerator for several days. I do not recommend freezing the final dish, but you could make a big batch of the sauce and freeze it for several months.
Happy, whole food plant-based cooking, y'all!
-Elizabeth xo
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More whole food, plant-based recipes
📖 Recipe
Silken Tofu with Spicy Soy Sauce Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 12.3 ounce block extra firm or firm silken tofu liquid drained. Allow to come to room temperature-see notes. I used Mori-Nu brand.
For the sauce
- 2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce See notes for substitutes and sodium comparisons.
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon Asian chili sauce (or chili garlic sauce, oil free. I used Huy Fong brand)
- 2 teaspoon maple syrup or date syrup
- 1 teaspoon garlic finely minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger finely minced
- ½ teaspoon black sesame seeds
- ½ teaspoon white sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoon green onions sliced
Optional
- 1 teaspoon mellow white miso paste to thicken (see notes)
To make it a meal (not included in nutrition information)
- napa cabbage or baby bok choy steamed or sautéed in water for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked but still slightly crunchy
Instructions
- Place the tofu block in a shallow bowl with a flat bottom or plate with a high rim. About an 8" bowl or plate is a good size for this dish.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (except the green onions and sesame seeds) to a small mixing bowl, and whisk well to combine. Note: If you're using the optional miso paste, you'll need to whisk very thoroughly and mash up any large pieces to get it to combine.
- Pour the sauce over the tofu block.
- Garnish with black and white sesame seeds and green onions.
Notes
- Only use firm or extra firm silken tofu in this recipe. Soft silken tofu is too delicate to slice and eat easily, and regular block tofu doesn't taste great raw, in my opinion. (Note: silken tofu is often referred soft tofu to differentiate it from block tofu, which can get a bit confusing!)
- Room temperature tofu. This dish can be enjoyed as a cold silken tofu recipe, at room temperature, or as a warm silken tofu recipe. I prefer it at room temp, so I buy silken tofu that can be stored in the pantry (like Mori-nu). You can also allow time for your tofu block to come to room temperature before preparing the recipe if you buy a refrigerated silken tofu.
- If you prefer your tofu warm or hot, you can place the whole block of tofu on a plate and heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Or to steam your tofu, place it on an oven-safe plate, place it inside a steamer basket in a pot with an inch or two of water, and simmer, covered, for 3-5 minutes.
- Regular soy sauce: 1,000 mg
- Low sodium soy sauce: 575 mg
- Tamari: 980 mg
- Low sodium tamari: 700 mg
- Coconut aminos: 270 mg
Ralph P
Love the simplicity of this meal when I don't have the energy to press, season, and cook extra firm tofu!
Elizabeth Shah
Thanks for the comment, Ralph--same here! This is my go-to, quick, no-cook dinner.