Japanese Cold Silken Tofu Recipe (Ready in 10 Minutes)
Japanese-inspired cold silken tofu recipe! Simple, flavorful silken tofu with a sesame soy sauce and garnished with chili peppers, scallions and sesame seeds.
Ready for a quick snack that’s ready in less than 10 minutes? Then you’ve gotta make this cold silken tofu recipe.
Inspired by Japanese cold silken tofu, this one is as simple as it gets. Slice a block of silken tofu, top with a soy and garlic sauce, then garnish with scallions, chili peppers and sesame seeds.
When I lived in California, one of my favorite sushi restaurants (Cocoro ❤️) had a silken tofu recipe on the menu that was so incredibly good, it was my gateway into enjoying cold silken tofu. So, when my chef friend Melanie brought this recipe to me, I was happy and skeptical. Sure, I’ve had cold silken tofu several times out, but hadn’t made it at home.
Wow. I’m blown away by this one. Can I admit that I ate the entire serving while testing it. Then another entire serving when photographing it the next day?
Enjoy on it’s own, or with rice. I love that this cold silken tofu recipe is ready in just minutes and packed with protein– 13 g per serving if you’re splitting the dish, or 23 g if you eat the whole thing like I do.
See below for more details, or scroll to the recipe card below.
What To Know Before Making
This is a fuss-free recipe, but there are a few things to note.
Firm and extra-firm tofu won’t work in this recipe. It must be silken.
Silken tofu is creamier than the other kinds of tofu and nutritionally, it’s different too. Because of it’s higher water content, silken tofu contains only about half of the calories and fat of firm tofu, while firm tofu contains almost twice as much protein.
The garnishes really help add flavor and texture to this cold silken tofu recipe. I highly recommend the scallion– I use one but you can use more if you’d like. The chili pepper also adds a nice spice.
Tips for Success
As silken tofu is very soft, you want to take care in slicing it. I like cubing it for ease in eating.
You can also thinly slice it and fan it on a plate, then top with the sauce and garnishes.
I like this served as an appetizer or a snack, but it’s also great over rice.
You’ll want to enjoy this right away, but it can also be enjoyed shortly after making.
Health Benefits of Tofu
As a dietitian, I always recommend tofu for my clients and think it’s such a great protein source.
Nutritionally, it’s a superstar. A package of silken tofu contains 22 g of protein, 340 mg of calcium, 4 mg of iron and only 214 calories.
In addition to being a great source of nutrition, certain plant compounds in soy have been found to offer numerous other health benefits. Studies have found that a moderate lifetime intake of soy foods, especially beginning in childhood, appears to be protective against breast cancer in adulthood.
Soy is also protective against cardiovascular disease, a study published inthe journal Circulation examined data from 200,000 people and found eating at least one serving of tofu a week was linked to an 18% lower risk of heart disease compared to those who rarely ate tofu. Those who benefited the most were young women before menopause or postmenopausal women who were not taking hormones.
More Tofu Recipes
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Japanese Cold Silken Tofu (Ready in 10 Minutes)
Ingredients
- 1 block silken tofu
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
- 1 chili pepper, like serrano, Thai chili, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Remove tofu from package and gently pat dry with a paper towel, taking care not to break the tofu. Carefully slice into cubes, or slice into 1/2-inch pieces. Place on a large lipped plate or wide, shallow bowl.
- Whisk together the soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil and garlic. Pour over the tofu.
- Top with the sliced scallions, cilantro, sliced pepper and sesame seeds.