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21 September 2023 Meal

Lemongrass Tofu (Đậu phụ xào sả ớt)

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Vietnamese Lemongrass Tofu (Đậu phụ xào sả ớt) is a vegan Southern Vietnamese dish that is full of flavors and fragrances. This recipe is easy, quick to make, and is perfect for weeknight dinner!

Lemongrass Tofu
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  • Vietnamese Lemongrass Tofu
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • How to serve
  • Variations and Substitutions
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Other Vietnamese Recipes
  • 💬 Reviews

Vietnamese Lemongrass Tofu

This recipe is inspired by a popular Vietnamese dish I ate growing up - lemongrass chicken, but with tofu as a plant-based alternative and tastes just as good. This dish is common served in Southern Vietnam at family-styled restaurants and street vendors. You can easily make this meal at home in less than 30 minutes. It makes a delicious, healthy and flavor-packed side dish.

Ingredients

Lemongrass Tofu ingredients

The key ingredients of this dish are:

  • Firm Tofu: you can use firm or extra firm tofu
  • Lemongrass
  • Chili peppers
  • Garlic
  • Soy sauce
  • Turmeric powder
  • A dash of black pepper
  • Sugar (optional)

See the recipe card for quantity.

Lemongrass

Lemongrass is a herb native to South and Southeast Asia. You can find this herb in Asian supermarkets and in some local supermarkets as well. The other common names are Xả (Vietnamese), Sereh (Indonesian).

To prepare the lemongrass:

  • Chop off the tough edge of the lemongrass and remove the outer leaves. These scraps are tougher and harder to work with, can be used to make tea.
  • Thinly dice the lemongrass horizontally then run your knife through it a couple of times to make sure the pieces are finely minced.
  • Alternatively, you can chop it into chunks and use a food processor to mince it.
Remove the tough outer leaves
Finely dice the lemongrass
Run your knife through the lemongrass chunks

Lemongrass stalks are very popular in cooking and can be used to brew tea. Check out my peach lemongrass tea recipe here!

Thai chili pepper

The chili pepper I use is Thai chili (bird's eye chili) as I like the spicy taste. One bird's eye chili goes a long way. This type of chili is popular in South East Asian cooking.

Feel free to switch this for other types of pepper that you have on hand but increase the quantity as Serrano and Jalapeno peppers tend to be less spicy. Omit the chili altogether if you cannot handle spicy.

Tofu

You can use extra firm or firm tofu for this recipe and pat dry before using.

Instructions

Cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces.

Chop the tofu

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.

Remove the outer leave

Remove the tough outer leaves of the lemongrass

Cut the heads of the lemongrass

Cut the heads off the lemongrass

Thinly chop

Thinly chop the lemongrass stalks

Mince the lemongrass

Run your knife through it a few times to make sure the pieces are finely minced

Cut the garlic

Thinly chop the garlic

Cut the chili

Mince the chili

In a pan on medium-high heat, add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu cubes and fry them until golden and crispy on both sides. Then transfer them to a plate and set aside.

Add the minced lemongrass, garlic and chili back to the pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. Stir fry for 2 minutes until fragrant.

Add the tofu back to the pan, the soy sauce, sugar and turmeric powder (for color). Stir fry for a couple of minutes until all flavors are incorporated then transfer to a plate.

Add seasonings to the pan

Add soy sauce, black pepper and turmeric

Mix well until combined

Mix together until well combined

Serve the lemongrass chili tofu with rice or vermicelli noodles, cucumber, and coriander to balance the savory and spicy flavor.

Serve the Lemongrass Tofu with Rice

How to serve

You can serve this recipe over rice or in a vermicelli noodle bowl with a Vietnamese dipping sauce. It keeps well in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Serve with rice noodles as Bun Chay

Serve with rice noodles with some fresh herbs and sauce

Serve with rice

Or with rice and veggie of choice

Variations and Substitutions

Thai chili pepper

The chili pepper I use for the recipe is Thai chili (bird's eye chili) as I like the spicy taste. One bird's eye chili goes a long way. This type of chili is popular in South East Asian cooking.

Feel free to switch this for other types of pepper that you have on hand like Serrano or Jalapeno peppers (these are less spicy). Omit the chili altogether if you cannot handle spicy.

Lemongrass

If lemongrass is not readily available, you can use lemongrass paste or frozen minced lemongrass as a substitute. 

If you have tried my recipe, please let me know what you think by leaving me a review on this page or tagging me on Instagram @veggieanh. I would love to see your creations!

Print

📖 Recipe

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Lemongrass Chili Tofu

Lemongrass Chili Tofu


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Veggie Anh
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 2 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

Lemongrass Tofu is a flavorful & fragrant Southern Vietnamese dish. Can be made in under 30 minutes and perfect for weeknight dinners!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 400 g firm or extra firm tofu
  • 2-3 stalks lemongrass
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 bird-eyed Thai chili
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder (optional, for color)
  • 1 tbsp sugar

Instructions

  1. Cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces.
  2. 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.
  3. In a pan on medium high heat, add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu cubes and fry them until golden and crispy on both sides. Then transfer them to a plate and set aside.
  4. Add the minced lemongrass, garlic and chili back to the pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. Stir fry for 2 minutes until fragrant.
  5. Add the tofu and mix with together.
  6. Add the soy sauce, sugar and turmeric powder (for color). Stir fry for a couple of minutes until all flavors are incorporated then transfer to a plate.
  7. 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.

  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Main Course
  • Method: Frying
  • Cuisine: vietnamese

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag me @veggieanh — I can't wait to see your creations!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

  1. Leslie h says

    February 02, 2022 at 3:56 am

    This recipe was so delicious! I decided to use some sesame oil I had on hand and I think it worked pretty well with that, but I KNOW that even if it didn’t have the sesame oil it would still be delicious!!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and I added the Thai chili and OOF that was some HEAT XD
    I also ended up saving half of the recipe for the two days in my fridge and I feel like they became even more flavorful the more they sat in there so 👌






    Reply
    • Veggie Anh says

      February 02, 2022 at 12:12 pm

      I'm glad you liked it 😀 Sesame oil is a great idea.
      That is true, the tofu absorbs even more overnight. When I make this dish, there is hardly any leftovers haha

      Reply
  2. Carrie says

    November 18, 2023 at 7:06 pm

    I made this for my husband and son, and it was a big hit! My husband's family is from south Vietnam, and we now live in a town with very few Vietnamese food options. We are always happy to find a recipe that tastes like home. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Veggie Anh says

      November 20, 2023 at 10:11 am

      I'm so glad you liked it, Carrie!

      Reply
  3. Heather says

    May 02, 2024 at 9:25 pm

    This is incredibly delicious and flavorful with very little work. You know something is good when you take a bit and say wow after every bite. I will add this to my favorite dishes.






    Reply

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