A halal-friendly and easy Crispy Tofu & Kimchi Stir-Fry recipe – featuring a spicy & tangy flavour, perfect to pair with a steaming bowl of Jasmine rice.

Kimchi, whilst typically served on its own as a side dish, is also a very versatile ingredient to play with. It’s a key base ingredient for many traditional Korean stews and soups, and I enjoy playing on its distinct spicy & tangy flavours to tweak up some stir-fry dishes. I particularly enjoy the combination of kimchi with tofu, as per many traditional Korean dishes. But instead of the classic stews and soups, I came up with this Crispy Tofu & Kimchi Stir-Fry dish, which has proven to be a winner!

Arguably, I would say this is like an adaptation of Chinese stir-fry with Korean flavours. The spicy and tangy nature of this dish makes this an ideal dish on the dinner table, whether it be to warm up over winter nights or to open up the palate during hot summer months. It’s most perfect to serve with a bowl of steaming bowl of Jasmine rice.

How to Make Crispy Tofu & Kimchi Stir Fry

Making Crispy Tofu

Generally speaking, tofu is categorised into silken (soft), regular, and firm tofu. For this recipe, I suggest using firm tofu (or even extra firm). The obvious reason is that its firmer texture makes it easier to cook without breaking apart. Additionally, both soft and regular tofu release more water when cooking, which won’t be ideal if you’re trying to make crispy tofu!

To make them golden and crispy, I coated them with a seasoned cornflour mixture before pan-frying them. The seasonings used to mix with the cornflour include garlic powder, paprika, cumin powder, salt, and black pepper. I have cut them into cubes here as per my personal preference, but you can slice them into rectangles too if you fancy.

Kimchi

If you don’t already know, kimchi is a staple of Korean cuisine, consisting of fermented cabbage. It’s got a distinct spicy and tangy flavour which you either love or dislike. Typically, kimchi itself can be served as a side dish, or simply eaten together with rice. It is also often used in many Korean dishes in stews, soups, fried rice, etc.

You can get kimchi at most oriental supermarkets and sometimes at the oriental section at major supermarkets too due to its growing popularity. For instance, I got mine a Sainsbury’s which actually prompted me to create this dish.

Lee Kum Kee Chilli Garlic Sauce

Gochujang, a Korean red chilli paste, is often used together with kimchi when creating traditional Korean dishes. In theory, it is suitable for this recipe, and possibly make this dish has a more “Korean” flair. However, I didn’t realise it’s rather difficult (or impossible) to find halal Gochujang in the UK.

Whilst there isn’t any exact substitute for Gochujang, I’ve enjoyed using Lee Kum Kee’s Chilli Garlic Sauce to provide that umami spicy touch to the dish in this instance.

*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.