spicy tofu in a flour tortilla with coleslaw in white bowl with a drizzle of sour cream.

So delicious your family will be asking for these healthy Asian Tofu Tacos with a tangy Asian coleslaw every week. The tofu is lightly fried in olive oil and cooked with a spicy peanut Gochujang Sauce 고추장 The combination is amazing.

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spicy tofu in a flour tortilla with coleslaw on white plate

The Major Flavors to Spicy Tofu Tacos

The combination of flavors that make this recipe so spectacular is that of peanut butter and Gochujang sauce 고추장 layered with the soft flavor of coleslaw and a sour cream drizzle.

What is Gochujang Sauce 고추장

Gochujang sauce is a sweet and spicy Korean barbecue sauce. It is made of a soybean base, with red pepper powder and onion. Not only can you use the sauce in this recipe but you can also use it for basting, grilling, marinades, and dipping. The sauce is spicy but only to medium heat but can be very spicy if you add too much.

Gochujang sauce is very much like a sriracha sauce. The one difference is that sriracha uses a lot of garlic and garlic is not in this Korean sauce.

Peanut Butter a Classic Flavor

There is just enough peanut butter flavor to compliment the Korean barbecue flavor. Just make sure to measure correctly as it is a delicate balance between the peanut butter and the Gochujang. If one of the seasonings overpowers the other by adding too much, you do not get the fantastic sauce.

coleslaw in white bowl with tongs in bowl and empty mason jar on counter with fresh ginger

Delicious Coleslaw (2 options)

There are two options for a crunchy coleslaw for the tofu tacos. A simple bag of prepared cabbage slaw works perfectly and takes out a lot of the work. Our mothers on both sides made coleslaw with Marzetti Slaw Dressing. Toss about 1/2 of a cup of the Marzetti dressing on a bag mix (or 4 cups from shredded cabbage) and you have the perfect coleslaw.

However, if you want to keep the Asian flavors this dressing works perfectly. Mix this recipe up. Combine with fresh chopped green and red cabbage and you also have a delicious dressing as a base for the sweet and spicy tofu.

1/8 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of white sugar
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger
add salt and pepper to taste.

whisk in mason jar with Asian dressing and fresh ginger on white counter

How to Make and Serve Healthy Spicy Asian Tofu Tacos

The first step before you even start dinner is to choose which tofu to use. There are so many kinds of tofu that can get confusing. Buy the extra firm block of tofu. Even with the extra firm, you will want to remove as much water as possible.

How to remove water from tofu.

The first method is to remove the tofu from its package, place it in a bowl, and set a plate on top of it with a very heavy can or object on the top of the plate. Place in the fridge and watch the water come out. Leave it for about 2 hours and keep removing the liquid.

The next method and the one I like the best is to extract the water with a tofu press. I have a Tofuture Tofu Press. It is so simple to use and does the job in about an hour. Keep draining the water and making the press tighter and you will have dryer tofu that fries up crispy.

Make the Coleslaw

There are three steps to making tofu tacos. After you have the tofu pressed make the coleslaw and put it in the fridge to keep cool.

ginger spicy sauce in white bowl with whisk and fresh ginger on counter

Mix together the Sauce

Before you start frying the tofu, have the sauce ready. Mix together with a whisk. You will need:

1 garlic clove crushed or chopped
1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon gochujang
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons of soy sauce

Start Frying the Tofu

Remove the tofu from the press and cut it into 1/2 inch long rectangles, or any shape you like. You want to tofu to be bite-size.

Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a hot frypan and add the tofu. Cook the tofu on all sides but this does not have to be exact. You just want the tofu to take on a crispy texture on the outside.

When the tofu is the crispness that you like add the sauce and stir to coat. Cook to warm up the sauce.

spicy tofu in a flour tortilla with coleslaw in white bowl.

Build Your Taco

Now it is just a matter of layering on the flavors. Start with a corn or flour tortilla. Layer on a scoop of coleslaw and then 4, 5, or 6 pieces of the delicious spicy tofu. Drizzle with your favorite sour cream and enjoy.