Description
A flavorful & fragrant Southern Vietnamese dish I ate growing up: Lemongrass Chili Tofu. Can be made in under 30 minutes and perfect for weeknight dinners!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 400 g firm tofu
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 1 bird-eyed Thai chili
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1 pint salt
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
Instructions
- Press the tofu for 10 minutes to squeeze out all the excess water. Cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces.
- Add salt and corn starch to the tofu, mix to combine.
- Remove the tough outer part of the lemongrass. Finely minced the lemongrass and chili pepper. Alternatively, you can chop them into chunks and put them in a food processor.
- In a pan on medium high heat, add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu cubes and let them sits for 10 minutes until one side is golden.
- Flip the tofu and repeat the process until all sides are golden. Once all the tofu cubes are golden and crispy to your liking, move them to a plate.
- Add the minced lemongrass and chili back to the pan with the remaining oil. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the tofu and stir fry the lemongrass chili and tofu for 1 minute.
- Add the soy sauce and turmeric powder (for color). Stir fry for a couple minutes until all flavors are incorporated then transfer to a plate.
- Serve the lemongrass chili tofu with rice or vermicelli noodles, cucumber and coriander to balance the savory and spicy flavor.
Notes
The tofu can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: vietnamese
Keywords: 30-minute meal, easy to make, healthy
