As a child, I had to battle over these tiny tofu bits with my younger uncle, who also resided in our house. It's a highly addictive side dish, so it was worth battling for.
The Korean name for this tofu dish is "Dubu Kecheob Jorim (두부 케첩 조림)", which literally means braised tofu in ketchup.
However, in this recipe, tofu is only briefly blended into the sauce. Also, the sauce contains more than just ketchup.
Now that we've covered the fundamentals, let's speak about the best approach to prepare this meal.
To keep things simple, I like to pan fried the tofu in a skillet until golden brown on all sides.
While it is not necessary to cook it until all sides are golden brown, I believe it tastes better when you do.
The secret is to add the tofu to a well-heated skillet with a substantial amount of oil so that it does not stick.
I usually add more oil halfway through cooking to achieve a tiny "deep frying effect".
Some folks go even further and coat the tofu with maize or potato starch. (All before pan-frying, of course). If this is your cooking style, then go for it.