Kitchen Gear Clean dish towel or paper towels Cutting board Sharp knife (adult needed) Measuring spoons Measuring cup Small pot Skillet Spatula or tongs Ingredients 1 14-ounce block firm or extra-firm tofu 3 tablespoon slow-sodium soy sauce 1/3 cup water 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (if you like) 1/4 teaspoon chili pepper flakes or more (if you want to make it spicy) 1 tablespoon canola oil 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (To toast sesame seeds, shake them in a small, dry pan over medium heat until golden, 2 to 3 minutes ) 2 scallions, sliced

Serves: 4

Instructions
Wash your hands with soap and water, then gather all your kitchen gear and ingredients and put them on a clean counter.

To prepare the tofu for cooking: 

1. Pull the plastic off the tofu container (you may need to cut it with a knife) and tip the liquid out of it. Put the tofu on the cutting board and cut it into 4 equal pieces, then cut each of those pieces in half the other direction to end up with 8 pieces.
2. Now put a dish towel or 2 layers of paper towel on the cutting board and put the tofu on top. Let drain at least 20 minutes (and up to 2 hours), then put the dish towel in the wash or the paper towels in the trash.

To make the sauce (while the tofu is draining):

1. Put the soy sauce, water, ginger, garlic, sesame oil (if you like it), and chili pepper flakes (if you want to make it spicy) in a small pot.
2. Put the pot on the stove and turn it to high. When it comes to a boil, lower the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. The sauce should have halved and be thicker than it was. Set the sauce aside.

To cook the tofu:

1. Put the skillet on the stove, turn the heat to medium, and carefully add the oil.
2. Add the tofu and cook until it is golden brown underneath, about 3 minutes. Use the spatula to turn the tofu over and cook until golden, 3 more minutes.
3. Add the sauce to the pan and cook 1 minute.
4. Serve right away, sprinkled with sesame seeds and scallions.

Notes
Add any of the following extras to each serving:

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro or basil leaves.
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon chili sauce (Sriracha).