Food Recipes Sesame-Crusted Tofu With Spicy Dipping Sauce 5.0 (1) Add your rating & review For the best tofu you've ever had, look no further than this recipe from The Woks of Life. By Jenna Helwig Jenna Helwig Instagram Jenna is the food director at Real Simple and the author of Bare Minimum Dinners, a cookbook featuring more than 100 low-lift, high-reward recipes. Previously, Jenna was the food director at Health and Parents. She is also the founder and operator of Rosaberry, a boutique personal chef services company, and the author of four other cookbooks, including the bestselling Baby-Led Feeding. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Published on September 23, 2022 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Heami Lee Hands On Time: 40 mins Total Time: 40 mins Servings: 4 The Leung family—parents Bill and Judy and their adult daughters Kaitlin and Sarah—built a huge following on their popular website The Woks of Life, cracking the code on both traditional Chinese dishes and Chinese-American restaurant classics. This recipe from their first cookbook is proof that ordinary tofu can be utterly irresistible. The secret is to dredge thin slices of it in a mixture of sesame seeds, cornstarch, and five-spice powder before a quick pan-fry. The coating forms a crispy, flavorful crust that even tofu skeptics will devour. A delicious garlic-chili dipping sauce brings the dish to the next level. Pro tip: make a double batch of the sauce for dipping dumplings, drizzling on rice, or even topping roasted veggies. Ingredients 1 14-to-16-oz. pkg. firm tofu, drained ⅓ cup sesame seeds ¼ cup cornstarch ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt ¼ teaspoon five-spice powder ¼ teaspoon white pepper powder or freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro 2 scallions, chopped 2 teaspoons minced garlic (from about 2 cloves) 2 teaspoons Sichuan chili flakes or crushed red pepper 4 tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola), divided 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon granulated sugar ½ teaspoon rice vinegar Directions Cut tofu in half lengthwise and then into 1/2-inch slices. Combine sesame seeds, cornstarch, salt, five-spice powder, and white pepper powder in a shallow bowl. Carefully coat tofu slices in mixture on both sides, pressing mixture into tofu evenly and thoroughly. Add cilantro, scallions, garlic, and chili flakes, in that order, to a small heatproof bowl. (You will pour hot oil over it, and you want the oil to mostly hit the garlic and chili flakes on top.) Heat a large nonstick pan or cast-iron skillet over medium. Add 3 tablespoons oil and spread it around pan. When oil is shimmering, add tofu slices. Fry, cooking in batches if needed, until golden brown and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer tofu to a serving platter. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to same pan and heat until shimmering. Pour hot oil over garlic-chili mixture, using a rubber spatula to scrape every last drop! Stir in soy sauce, 2 tablespoons water, sugar, and rice vinegar to make a dipping sauce. Serve with crispy tofu. Rate it Print