8 Korean Diet Recipes That Are Easy But Don’t Taste Like Plain Tofu & Sadness

Korean diet recipes with tofu

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These days, Koreans are moving away from crash dieting, in favour of pairing healthier diets with regular exercise to attain their dream figure. Their meals no longer revolve around chicken breasts, eggs, and sweet potatoes, instead expanding to incorporate diet-friendly versions of their favourite Korean dishes. We’ve picked out 8 Korean diet recipes that recreate staple Korean dishes and snacks with cheap but nutritious tofu.

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1. Yubuchobap – stuffed fried tofu pockets

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Image credit: @dday__11

Yubuchobap shot to popularity after Hwasa, a member of the girl group Mamamoo, was filmed having it for dinner in episode 336 of the reality TV show, I Live Alone.

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of pressed tofu
• 1 packet of fried tofu pockets or beancurd skin
• 2 tbsp of any seasoning flakes of your choice
• Low-sodium soy sauce

Steps:

1. Drain the tofu and dab it with a kitchen towel to absorb any moisture. This prevents the tofu from making your yubuchobap watery.
2. Mash the tofu with a spoon or clean hands.
3. Add 2 tbsp of seasoning flakes and a dash of low-sodium soy sauce, to taste, to the mashed tofu. Mix well.
4. Gather a handful of tofu and roll it into a ball.
5. Stuff the ball of tofu into the tofu pocket.

View the original recipe here:

Bonus: You can top the yubuchobap with tuna mayo if you like.

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2. Beancurd skin chips

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Image credit: @a_ryong.s

Swop out unhealthy snacks for these beancurd chips instead. This alternative is high in protein as compared to regular potato chips, which are carb-heavy. Feel free to pair it with salsa for a moreish snack when you’re watching your favourite K-dramas.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of dried beancurd skin strips
• 1 tbsp of minced garlic
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 tbsp of stevia or brown sugar
• Salt

Steps:

1. Wash and drain the beancurd skin. Place it inside a small ziplock bag.
2. Add 1 tbsp of minced garlic, 2 tbsp of olive oil, 2 tbsp of stevia or brown sugar, and a dash of salt to the bag. Mix it well so that the beancurd skin is evenly seasoned.
3. Once mixed, put the beancurd skin in an air fryer and fry at 180℃ for 5 minutes. Then, flip over to the other side and fry at 160℃ for another 5 minutes.

Watch the original recipe video here:

 

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3. Tofu kimchi pizza

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Image credit: @agalieto_ok

Satisfy your pizza cravings with this healthier alternative. As shown in a 2017 episode of MBC’s Smart Living, this dish is high in protein, significantly lower in calories, and tastes just as good as a real pizza.

Ingredients:

• ½ a pack of pressed tofu
• ½ cup of kimchi
• ½ cup of cheese
• ¼ cup of onions
• ¼ cup of red bell peppers
• ¼ cup of tuna (optional)
• 1 tbsp of soy sauce
• 1 tbsp of oligosaccharide
• A handful of shredded cheese of your choice
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Image adapted from: Cooking diet

Steps:

1. Cut the tofu horizontally into half and season with salt.
2. Transfer the tofu onto a frying pan and fry it so that both sides are golden brown. Once done, remove the tofu and set it aside.
3. Oil the same pan with a dash of olive oil. Add kimchi, onions, tuna (optional), and bell peppers to the pan. Season with 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of oligosaccharide, and a dash of pepper. Stir-fry on high heat until the onions have softened.
4. Sprinkle some cheese onto the tofu as the base, followed by a layer of the stir–fried vegetables. Top it off with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake at 180℃ for 5 minutes in an air fryer and serve.

Check out the original recipe here:

 

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4. Tofu kimbap

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Image adapted from: @whoyouare_________

This diet recipe was featured in episode 315 of Channel A’s infotainment show, Doctor JI.BA.GO, where Korean dieters share their diet tips and secrets. This recipe substitutes the rice in kimbap with tofu to increase the protein content of your diet. 

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of pressed tofu
• 2 pieces of seaweed
• 50g of hijiki seaweed or ½ a cucumber
• ½ a carrot
• 2 sausages
• 1 tbsp of mirin
• 1 tsp of sesame oil
• 1 tsp of sesame seeds
• 2 green chillies (optional)
• Salt
• Water (to wrap the kimbap)
• Cooking oil

Image credit: @whoyouare_________

Steps:

1. Drain the tofu. Place the tofu on a clean, dry piece of cloth. Loosely wrap the cloth around the tofu, then squeeze the moisture out of the tofu.
2. Put the tofu into a bowl and season it with a pinch of salt and sesame seeds.
3. Thinly slice the carrot and cucumber. Stir-fry on a lightly-oiled pan and season the vegetables with a pinch of salt, 1 tbsp of mirin, and 1 tbsp of sesame oil. Heat up the sausages in the same pan after setting the cooked vegetables aside on a plate.
4. Lay out 2 pieces of seaweed on a bamboo mat, overlapping one end of a piece of seaweed on top of the other to form a long sheet. Adhere the seaweed sheets to each other with dabs of water.
5. Thinly spread the tofu onto the seaweed, leaving an inch’s worth of space at the end. Add the ingredients in this sequence: cucumbers/hijiki, carrots, sausages, and green chillies (optional). Roll the kimbap with the bamboo mat, then seal the roll with dabs of water along the edge of the seaweed sheet.
6. Slice the kimbap and serve.

View the original recipe here.

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5. Tofu jjajangbap – black bean tofu rice

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Image credit: @78.9__diet

A bowl of regular jjajangbap contains around 570 calories, which is rather heavy for dieters. But there’s no need to avoid this comforting dish – if you’re craving some good-ol’ jjajangbap, you can follow this recipe and enjoy it guilt-free.

Ingredients: 

• 1 packet of pressed tofu
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp of jjajang powder or a packet of pre-made jjajang sauce
• 250g of meat of choice
• ¼ onion, chopped
• ¼ zucchini, chopped
• ¼ carrot, chopped
• 2 tbsp of water (if you are using jjajang powder)
• 1 tbsp of soy sauce
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cooking oil

Steps:

1. Drain the tofu and squeeze the moisture out of it with a clean cloth. Mash the tofu and set it aside.
2. Marinate the meat with 1 tbsp of soy sauce and a dash of salt and pepper.
3. Add the chopped vegetables into an oiled pan and stir-fry for 3 minutes.
4. Add in the meat and stir-fry the ingredients together. If using jjajang powder, mix the powder with 2 tbsp of water. Add jjajang sauce to the ingredients once the meat is cooked. Mix well.
5. On a smaller pan, fry an egg sunny-side-up.
6. Put the mashed tofu into a bowl and add in the cooked jjajang mixture. Top with the sunny-side-up egg and serve.

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6. Tofu bibimbap – tofu mixed rice

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Image adapted from: 찌그랑부엌

What better way to make use of leftover banchan (side dishes) than to make bibimbap? Replace the rice in bibimbap with tofu to keep carbohydrate levels low and protein levels high. 

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of pressed tofu
• 3 king oyster mushrooms
• 9 shiitake mushrooms
• ¼ pickled cucumber, sliced
• ¼ carrot, sliced
• ¼ cup of bean sprouts
• 2 tbsp of minced garlic
• 250g of minced meat of choice
• 1 tbsp of gochujang (red pepper paste)
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tbsp of soy sauce
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sesame oil
• Water

Steps:

1. Soak the shiitake mushrooms in a bowl of water with 1 tbsp of sugar.
2. Boil ¼ cup of washed bean sprouts in a pan with a pinch of salt and cover with a lid. Cook for 2 minutes, then drain the sprouts and set it aside.
3. Slice the king oyster mushrooms into strips. Boil the mushroom strips for 3-5 minutes. Then, remove it from the pot with a strainer and squeeze the moisture out of the mushrooms with a clean cloth. Set aside in a bowl.
4. Remove the shiitake mushrooms from the bowl of sugar water and cut off the stems. Slice into strips and set them aside in a bowl.
5. Slice the king oyster mushrooms and blanch in boiling water for about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain the moisture from the mushrooms with a clean cloth and set them aside in a bowl.
6. Squeeze moisture out of the pickled cucumber with a clean cloth and set it aside.
7. In a bowl, season the sliced carrots with salt and add ½ cup of water. Mix well, drain the bowl, and squeeze excess moisture out of the carrots.
8. Add ½ tbsp of minced garlic, a pinch of salt, and a dash of sesame oil to the bowl of shiitake mushrooms. Mix well and do the same with king oyster mushrooms and the cucumber.
9. Mix 1 tbsp of sesame oil, 1 tbsp of soy sauce, ½ tbsp of minced garlic, and a dash of pepper with your minced meat of choice. Set it aside.
10. Drain the tofu and squeeze excess moisture out using a clean cloth. Put it in a bowl, mash it with a spoon, and set it aside.
11. Stir-fry the mushrooms for 2 minutes, then remove and set them aside in a bowl. Do the same with the carrots and season with salt. Set it aside.
12. Cook the minced meat for 8-10 minutes until the moisture has evaporated.
13. Add the mashed tofu into a serving bowl and place the bean sprouts, cucumber, mushrooms, and minced meat on top of the tofu. Top with 1 tbsp of gochujang and serve.

Watch how it’s made here:

 

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7. Tofu jorim – braised tofu

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Image credit: @hellossom

It’s easy to make this braised tofu dish as it only requires 4 steps. You can pair it with some vegetables on the side for a protein-filled meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of pressed tofu, sliced
• 2 inches of green onion, chopped
• Cooking oil
• Salt
• Sesame seeds

Ingredients (for the sauce):

• ½ cup of anchovy and kelp broth
• ⅙ of an onion, sliced
• 3 tbsp of soy sauce
• 1 tbsp of gochugaru (red pepper powder)
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tbsp of cooking wine

Steps:

1. Season the tofu with salt and leave it to rest for 5 minutes. Pat it dry with a paper towel to remove moisture.
2. Put the ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl and mix well.
3. Fry the tofu on an oiled pan till all sides are golden brown.
4. Add the sauce into the pan and mix it with the tofu until it thickens. Top with sesame seeds and green onions and serve.

Image adapted from: 10000recipes

Watch how it’s made here:

 

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8. Tofu gangjeong – sweet and crispy tofu

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Image adapted from: 구름이네일상

This recipe is dakgangjeong (sweet and spicy chicken) with a twist. Tofu is used as a vegetarian alternative to chicken. The tofu is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, similar to real sweet and spicy chicken.

Ingredients:

• ½ a packet of pressed tofu
• 1 tbsp of cornstarch
• ½ of a leek or green onion, chopped
• ¼ cup of bell peppers

Ingredients (for sweet and spicy sauce):

• 1 tbsp of sugar
• ¾ tbsp of gochugaru
• 1 tbsp of soy sauce
• ½ a tbsp of vinegar
• ¼ cup of water
• A dash of garlic powder

Image credit: @lowkeydelish

Steps:

1. Squeeze out excess water from the tofu with your hands and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Cut the tofu into cubes and sprinkle it with 1 tbsp of cornstarch. Mix well and make sure that the tofu is evenly coated with cornstarch.
3. Oil the pan on medium-high heat and pan-fry the tofu on all sides.
4. While the tofu is cooking, mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set it aside. If there is excess cornstarch from the tofu, add it to the sauce mix.
5. Once the tofu is golden brown, remove it from the heat and set it aside.
6. Season the chopped onions/leeks with salt and stir-fry for about 3-5 minutes.
7. Add the tofu and sauce into the pan on medium-high heat. Mix everything thoroughly until the sauce thickens with the tofu.

Recipe adapted from @lowkeydelish.

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Korean diet recipes to help you attain your goal figure

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Tofu isn’t boring and tasteless when you spice it up with these Korean diet recipes. You can now enjoy a wider variety of low-calorie dishes with these Korean diet recipes that are cheap, nutritious, and easy to make.

Check out these articles for more Korean recipes:

• 9 Korean bread recipes
• 10 Korean sweet potato recipes
• 9 Simple Korean recipes
• 8 Easy Korean recipes
• 8 Korean convenience store food recipes

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Cover image adapted from: @dday__11 and @whoyouare_________