There was a time in my life when the majority of my meals were plant-based. The boyfriend then was vegan and the wonderful girlfriend that I was was open-minded about his preferences.
I’m actually grateful for that experience. If it wasn’t for him, I would not know of the world of soy proteins. If it wasn’t for him, I’d likely wouldn’t have experienced Asian vegetarian cuisine until later in life.
Case in point, Loving Hut. It was a food court kiosk at San Francisco Centre that served many typical Chinese fast food items but vegetarian style. A vibrantly colorful entree captured my attention. I knew I had to order it. It was that day that I had lemongrass tofu for the first time.
As we sat down and dug into our beautiful bounty, the wimpy protein named tofu was elevated to new heights thanks to all of the other elements in the dish. The mild heat from the curry stood out but wasn’t overbearing. The lemongrass released a fresh fragrance amidst the curry. The carrots and peppers offered sweetness, crunch and color. Oh yeah. It was memorable.
Fast forward, years later. My vegan boyfriend and I are no longer together but the nostalgia of that lemongrass tofu dish remains. The recipe below could very well be something far from what I had many moons ago, but every time I make it, it brings back the good memories of the bold flavors that I had of yesteryear.
This is not a vegetarian dish because of the fish sauce. But our dear friend, the Internet, has many resources where one can easily make vegetarian fish sauce to replace the real thing.
If you like this Lemongrass Tofu recipe, give these a try:
Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐)
Singapore Stir-Fried Noodles (星洲炒米粉)
Lemongrass Tofu
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Mains
- Method: Stir Fry
- Cuisine: Chinese
Description
This Asian tofu dish is elevated by all of the elements in it. The mild heat from the curry, the fresh fragrance from the lemongrass, the sweetness from the carrots and peppers give it multiple dimensions in flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 box of firm tofu
- 3 stalks of lemongrass, tender bottom parts only, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno, top removed, seeds and ribs remain, roughly chopped
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 large carrot, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- A few sprigs of cilantro, chopped (optional)
- Neutral-flavored cooking oil
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon of Madras curry powder
SAUCE
- 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon of black pepper
Instructions
- Dry the tofu. Stack and place a few sheets of paper towels above and below the block of tofu and rest it on a large plate. Add something weighty like a small sauce pan or a large plate on top of the paper towels so it’ll apply a little bit of pressure on the tofu but not so heavy that it would crush it. Allow the paper towels to absorb the liquid from the tofu as you prepare the remainder of the ingredients.
- Prepare the aromatics. Place the lemongrass, garlic and jalapeno in a food processor and pulse until it becomes a finely chopped mixture but not liquidy and pulverized. It should look like a dry, chunky guacamole. Set aside.
- Create the sauce in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
- Pan fry the tofu. Preheat a pan to medium high. Remove the tofu from the paper towels and cut the tofu into bite-size cubes. Add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil into the pan. Gently place the tofu cubes into the pan. Allow the pieces to cook undisturbed for 2 minutes until golden.* Flip the tofu and allow them to cook for 2 minutes more. Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside.
- Unleash the aromatics. Turn the heat down to medium. Add another tablespoon of cooking oil into the pan. Carefully add the lemongrass mixture into the pan. Continuously stir until the mixture smells fragrant.
- Cook the veggies. Turn the heat back up to medium high. Add one more tablespoon of cooking oil into the pan. Add the carrots and saute for 1 minute. Add the red bell pepper and onion and saute for 2 minutes until the onions are partly translucent. Season the veggies with a little bit of salt.
- Put it all together. Add the tofu, the sauce and Madras curry powder into the pan. Mix until everything’s combined. Turn the heat off and add the cilantro. Mix again until the cilantro’s wilted. Serve immediately.
Notes
*Don’t overcrowd the pan with tofu. Cook a second batch if necessary.
