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This Vietnamese-inspired Lemongrass Tofu Recipe tosses fried tofu in a vibrant, citrusy, and savory lemongrass sauce. The infusion of South Asian flavors makes this dish a successful simple lunch or dinner! Vegan, Gluten-Free Possibility.
This Vegan Lemongrass Tofu Recipe combines shiny and lemony lemongrass with meaty fried tofu items, shiny and daring Thai chiles, and a savory 3-ingredient stir fry sauce. It’s a simple 30-minute meal jam-packed with amazingly advanced flavors that’ll have you ever consuming proper out of the skillet!
Desk of Contents
Easy Recipe; BIG Flavors!
Likelihood is you’ve seen Vietnamese lemongrass tofu (Đậu Hũ Sả) on the menu at your native Vietnamese restaurant. This dish tosses crispy tofu items with stir-fried lemongrass, chiles, shallots, generally pink bell peppers, and a soy sauce-based sauce. I really like its distinctive, advanced, and vibrant flavors a lot that I made a decision to recreate my very own model at residence!
My Vegan Lemongrass Tofu is much like the restaurant model however I used the next sauce-to-tofu ratio as a result of I can’t get sufficient of saucy tofu recipes. I mixed pan-seared tofu triangles with sautéed lemongrass, shallots, and Thai chile peppers earlier than dousing all of them in a easy candy and savory sauce. The outcome? Meaty tofu items infused with mouthwatering South Asian flavors with loads of sauce to go round.
You’ll be able to serve lemongrass tofu as a show-stopping protein for dinner, however the saucy tofu items are additionally unbelievable rolled in spring rolls, topped on a grain bowl, or stuffed in a banh mi. Or, preserve issues easy and prime the tofu on a bowl of cooked rice with an additional slathering of sauce to take pleasure in these unbelievable lemongrass flavors.
Components for Lemongrass Tofu
This recipe cooks tofu, Vietnamese aromatics, Thai chiles, and a handful of easy seasonings and pantry staples collectively in a single pan to provide you an excellent dish in mere minutes! These are the important thing elements you want:
- Lemongrass: lemongrass is a troublesome and fibrous herb with a novel citrus taste. On this recipe, it’s chopped finely and sautéed in a wholesome dose of oil with shallots and garlic to carry out its splendidly shiny and piney flavors. You should buy lemongrass at many well-stocked grocery shops or at Asian grocery shops, or you possibly can persist with frozen lemongrass (thawed earlier than cooking) if that’s all that’s accessible the place you reside.
- Additional-Agency Tofu: the tofu is minimize into triangles, seared in a sizzling oiled pan, and simmered within the lemongrass sauce till they’re golden and crispy on the skin and filled with Vietnamese-inspired flavors on the within. Bear in mind to press the tofu earlier than you begin cooking!
- Thai Purple Chiles: these small and shiny pink chiles are a vital a part of South Asian cooking, lending some sweetness and warmth to every chunk. Decide up just a few contemporary chiles once you’re purchasing for the lemongrass and use any extras on this Vegan Kung Pao Tofu or this Thai Purple Curry Vegetable Soup. Can’t discover chilis? See the recipe notes for substitutions!
- Soy Sauce: it’s mixed with heat water and cane sugar to make a easy stir fry sauce.
- Cornstarch: a pair teaspoons of cornstarch thickens the sauce and helps it coat every bit of tofu. Arrowroot or tapioca starch ought to work as substitutes.
Easy methods to Make Vegan Lemongrass Tofu
- Whisk the nice and cozy water, cane sugar, soy sauce, MSG, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Set apart.
- Heat the oil in a big pan or wok, then add the tofu triangles. Sear on each side till browned. Switch to a plate and sprinkle with salt.
- Add extra oil to the pan earlier than including the shallots. Sauté till translucent, then add the lemongrass, Thai chile, and garlic. Sauté till the garlic is aromatic.
- Return the tofu to the pan and pour the stir fry sauce over prime. Simmer till the sauce thickens and reduces.
- Switch the tofu and lemongrass sauce to a serving dish and garnish with a drizzle of lime juice. Serve sizzling as desired and revel in.
Caitlin’s Cooking Ideas
- Easy methods to put together lemongrass for cooking: Peel the outer leaves and punctiliously use a pointy chef’s knife to trim the darkish inexperienced fronds and the woody tip of the white bulb/root. Discard the trimmed items, then finely chop the lemongrass to extract as a lot taste as attainable. If slicing the lemongrass by hand feels intimidating, roughly chop it earlier than pulsing the items in a meals processor till finely chopped.
- Press the tofu for the very best outcomes: Earlier than you begin cooking, press the tofu in a tofu press or wrap the brick in a clear kitchen towel or with paper towels and place a heavy guide or flat object on prime. Enable it to empty for 15 to half-hour. This step is essential as a result of pressed tofu absorbs the flavors of the aromatics and sauce extra simply and turns into extra tender and meaty.
Serving Solutions
The explosion of Vietnamese-inspired flavors on this simple tofu recipe makes it a no brainer for particular or on a regular basis dinners. The lemongrass sauce-slathered tofu items are scrumptious as a predominant dish however get even higher once they’re served over cooked white rice or rice noodles, stuffed into these Vegan Summer season Rolls, or layered in a vegan banh mi.
This recipe can be an ideal match for meal prep! Use the pre-cooked lemongrass tofu as a tasty protein on your regular weekday grain bowl or salad, or go all out and layer the items over these Vietnamese-Impressed Rice Bowls or these Vermicelli Noodle Bowls.
Should you’re in search of extra flavor-packed tofu recipes, you’ll additionally love this Candy and Bitter Tofu, this Sticky Chinese language Eggplant and Tofu, this Crispy Orange Tofu, and this 30-Minute Teriyaki Tofu! These 30+ Wonderful Vegan Tofu Recipes will make your mouth water, too.
Easy methods to Retailer Leftover Lemongrass Tofu
Look forward to the leftover tofu and lemongrass sauce to chill earlier than transferring them to an hermetic container. They’ll preserve for as much as 4 days within the fridge.
The leftovers are finest reheated in a skillet or wok over medium warmth to retain the tofu’s crispiness and to make the consistency saucy as soon as once more. Should you’re in a rush, zap the leftovers within the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes as an alternative.
Freezing shouldn’t be really helpful.
Substitutions and Variations
- Thai Chiles Substitute: You may make this recipe additional spicy by substituting the pink chile peppers with 1 inexperienced Thai chile or 1/2 teaspoon of pink chili flakes.
- Gluten-Free Possibility: Make the stir fry sauce with tamari or gluten-free soy sauce as an alternative of standard soy sauce.
- Tofu Substitute: You’ll be able to substitute the seared tofu triangles with baked tempeh triangles as an alternative.
Recipe FAQs
It’s best to solely use the sunshine inexperienced inventory (often the underside 4 to five inches). The darkish inexperienced lemongrass leaves and the white roots on the backside are too fibrous and difficult to be eaten (though you should use them to taste vegetable inventory or a soup).
Lemongrass is often eaten uncooked and added to Thai salads, and it’s an integral part of Thai inexperienced curry paste. It’s also possible to add lemongrass to soups and curries once you need to add a contact of citrus.
Sure. Toss the tofu triangles in a drizzle of olive oil and three tablespoons of cornstarch, lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake in a 425ºF oven for about half-hour or till golden and crispy, flipping midway.
Get pleasure from! Should you make this recipe and resolve to share it on Fb or Instagram, don’t overlook to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I might additionally like it should you may go away a remark beneath with a recipe score! Thanks for the help 😊
- 3 stalks lemongrass
- 1 giant or 2 small shallots high quality cube (or sub 1 bunch of inexperienced onions)
- 1 14 ounce block additional agency tofu, pressed*
- Avocado oil for frying
- 3-5 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 thai pink chiles high quality cube; see notes for substitutions
- 1/2 cup heat water
- 1 teaspoon cane sugar
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- Pinch of MSG non-compulsory
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Kosher salt to style
- Lime wedges for serving (non-compulsory)
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Prep: Line a big plate or small baking sheet with a paper towel and put aside. Trim the darkish inexperienced portion and the tip of the bulb off of every lemongrass stalk. Use a pointy knife to finely chop the lemongrass (alternatively, you possibly can roughly chop it, then pulse in a meals processor till finely chopped)
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Stir Fry Sauce: Add the nice and cozy water, cane sugar, soy sauce, MSG (if utilizing), and cornstarch to a small jar or glass. Whisk nicely, then put aside
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Pan-Fry the Tofu: Minimize the tofu into cubes or triangles. Warmth a big pan (I used a wok) over medium-high warmth and add sufficient oil to coat the underside of the pan. As soon as the oil is heat, add the tofu to the pan. Sear the tofu for 3 to five minutes on either side, till browned. Take away the tofu from the pan and place on the lined plate or baking sheet. Sprinkle it with salt and put aside.
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Aromatics: Add extra oil to the wok or pan if mandatory. Add the shallots to the oil and sauté for 3 to five minutes, till translucent. Add the lemongrass, chili, and garlic to the pan and sauté for a further 2 to three minutes, till the garlic is aromatic.
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Simmer: Return the tofu to the pan and pour the stir fry sauce on prime. Convey to a simmer and prepare dinner down for five to 10 minutes, stirring often, till the sauce has thickened to your liking.
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Serve: Switch the tofu and lemongrass sauce to a serving dish. Serve with a contemporary drizzle of lime juice. if desired. Serve over rice, rice noodles, in wraps, in a vegan banh mi, or as desired
- Pressed Tofu: Take away the tofu from its package deal and press for 15 to half-hour to take away any additional moisture. I like to make use of a tofu press, however you can even wrap the tofu in a clear kitchen towel or with paper towels and place a heavy guide or flat object on prime of it.
- Thai Chiles: Purple Thai chiles are slightly sweeter and extra gentle than inexperienced Thai chiles. That being mentioned, you possibly can change the pink chiles on this recipe with 1 inexperienced thai chile, or use 1/2 teaspoon of pink chili flakes so as to add slightly warmth.
- Gluten-Free: Use tamari or a gluten-free soy sauce to make this recipe gluten-free
- Vitamin details are solely an estimate and don’t embody cooking oil.
Energy: 86kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 10gFats: 2gSaturated Fats: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fats: 1gMonounsaturated Fats: 0.4gSodium: 824mgPotassium: 250mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 8IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 2mg
