This simple and refreshing Cold Tofu is what we crave on hot summer days! Chilled silken tofu (or soft tofu) is topped with a savory sauce of garlic, green onions, soy sauce, and chicken broth. It's easy to make and super delicious.
If you haven't had cold tofu, you should make this dish now. It's easy and so soooo tasty. We saute garlic and green onions (just the white part) until they turn golden. The mix in chicken broth and soy sauce. Pour that over a block of cold tofu. Then eat! That's it.
You know how much we love tofu on this blog, right? There are endless ways to prepare tofu and we've barely scratched the surface of tofu recipes (which means we can have a lifetime of eating wonderful tofu dishes haha).
This cold tofu dish is a reliable go-to and we make it all the time. The only other tofu dish we make just as often is hot sesame oil over cold tofu...also a must try! The sizzling sesame oil makes that dish special.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need:
- Silken tofu
- Avocado oil (or another neutral oil like vegetable oil)
- Garlic, minced
- Chicken broth (or mushroom broth or dashi)
- Soy sauce
- Green onion
- Fried shallots (optional but delicious)
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Let's get cooking:
Prepare silken tofu.
Carefully remove the silken tofu from the container. Drain out any excess water and then place the tofu in a shallow bowl.
Saute garlic and green onions (the white part).
Add the oil to a small pan over medium heat. Then add the minced garlic and white part of the green onions. Saute till golden, about 2-3 minutes.
Add chicken broth and soy sauce.
Turn off the heat. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully (so that it doesn't splatter) add the chicken broth and soy sauce.
Assemble.
Pour the dressing/sauce over the cold tofu. Top with fried shallots and green part of the green onions.
Eat and enjoy ^_^
Served chilled. Place a serving spoon in the bowl and let everyone scoop out a portion of tofu with the sauce. Enjoy!
Hint: If you're serving this at a dinner gathering, you can cut the tofu into slices or cubes to make it easier/prettier for serving guests.
But for the most part, we eat this at home for weeknight dinners. We leave the tofu block whole so that everyone can spoon off as much as they want. It's a lot easier to prepare this way and just as delicious.
Substitutions
There are a few substitutions to consider:
- Soft Tofu - we use silken tofu for this recipe, but you can replace it with soft tofu. Just make sure not to use medium-firm or firm tofu.
- Tamari - use tamari in place of soy sauce.
- Mushroom stock or dashi - the recipe calls for chicken stock but you can replace it with mushroom stock or dashi (we keep dashi powder in the pantry and it often comes in handy for last minute recipes like this).
Try all the variations and enjoy!
Variations
Because tofu is such a wonderful "blank canvas" for flavors, there are so many option when it comes to variations.
- Herbs - Top with chopped cilantro.
- Spicy - Add a spoonful of chili oil or chili crisp to the sauce.
- Nutty - Sprinkle a tablespoon chopped peanuts on top.
The world is your oyster ^_^
Equipment
This is such an easy dish. No special equipment needed. Just a shallow bowl for the tofu and the sauce.
Storage
This dish is best enjoyed fresh (within an hour of making it).
Leftovers can keep in the fridge for a day but it won't be as tasty. Leftovers might also taste a little salty if the tofu sits in the soy sauce dressing overnight.
Top tip
Don't stress the exact ingredient measurements for this dish. It is very flexible. You can use more or less garlic (sometimes we even triple the garlic). Add more greens onions if you like (never a bad idea :)).
Tofu blocks also come in different sizes so you might have more or less sauce depending on the size of your tofu. Either way, this dish will still be delicious.
FAQ
Silken tofu is basically an extra soft version of soft tofu. For this dish we prefer silken tofu for it's silky and oh-so smooth texture. There's nothing quite like it.
But if you can't find silken tofu, then just use soft today. It's still delicious!
We serve this as a side dish. And we usually have a main/meat dish and a bowl of rice. For the main/meat dish, I like to serve Meat Jun, Octopus Hot Dogs, or Pork Wontons with Sesame Sauce.
It's very similar! Liangban tofu is a popular Chinese dish that translates to "spicy cold tofu."
There are different versions liangban tofu. Many liangban tofu recipes include the following ingredients that don't appear in our cold tofu recipe: spicy bean paste, sesame oil, and black vinegar.
Ours is a more simple version that is not spicy. It uses all pantry ingredients found in many of our Hawaii recipes (and in the pantries of local homes :).
Cold Tofu Recipe
Cold Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 block silken tofu
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or another neutral oil like vegetable oil
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chicken broth or mushroom broth or dashi
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 stalk green onion, chopped whites and greens separated
- 1 tablespoons fried shallots optional
Instructions
- Carefully remove the silken tofu from the container and drain out any excess water. Place the tofu in a shallow bowl.
- Add the oil to a small pan over medium heat. Then add the minced garlic and white part of the green onions. Saute till golden, about 2-3 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the chicken broth and soy sauce.
- Pour the dressing/sauce over the cold tofu. Top with fried shallots (optional) and green part of the green onions.
- Served chilled. Place a serving spoon in the bowl and let everyone scoop out a portion of tofu with the sauce. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Related
Looking for other recipes and posts? Try these:
This looks amazing, tofu is my favorite! I’ve been vegetarian lately so this is right up my alley!