Đậu Hủ Chiên Sả Ớt - Vietnamese Lemongrass Chili Tofu
Vietnam lemongrass chili tofu is a well-loved Vegan Southern Vietnamese dish. Tofu is marinated in lots of chopped lemongrass and bird's-eye chili prior to being cooked until crispy, golden and aromatic.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. tofu (medium medium or firm)
- 7 tablespoons finely chopped lemongrass (3-4 stalks with white tender parts only)
- 1 tablespoon minced shallots 1 1/2 tablespoons minced
- 2 bird's-eye chili, seeds removed, minced
- 2 . teaspoons of minced garlic
- cooking oil for cooking
- salt
Instructions
- Dry and cut tofu in 1/2 inch slices. If your tofu contains an excessive amount of water, you might want to weigh the entire block of tofu by using weighty objects for a couple of minutes prior to cutting into thin slices.
- Tofu slices and diced garlic, chopped shallots minced bird's-eye chili , and around 1/2 teaspoon of salt into the bowl of a mixer. Use a gentle mix to coat the tofu in minced aromatics evenly. Set aside for 15 minutes or longer for tastier results.
- Set a pan on medium-high temperature. When the pan is hot and the cooking oil is added, you can add it to the pan. Utilize your fingers to clean the minced aromatics (reserve them within the bowl of mixing) from the slices of tofu, and then add the tofu slices into the pan in one layer. It's fine if a few aromas stick to the slices of tofu. Cook until crispy and golden Flip the pan at least twice.
- Transfer the slices of tofu to an unclean plate (you might decide to line the plate with a towel to absorb the excess oil). Remove all oil and all the black bits that remain in the pan.
- Return the pan to medium-low temperature. Add the minced aromatics that were used in marinating the tofu to the pan. Toast until light golden. Then include minced garlic as well as an additional pinch of salt (to taste). Continue to cook until the minced aromatics are crispy and golden. Make adjustments to the heat to ensure they don't burn. It can take several minutes.
- Place tofu slices onto the serving platter and sprinkle the fragrant toasted minced aromas over the the top. Serve immediately.
Notes
Another approach you could employ is to toast the aromatics before cleaning them off the tofu slices. Then, fry the tofu.
Then, you can fry the tofu on one pan, and roast the aromas on a separate pan in order to accelerate the the cooking process. It is important to remove the dry outer layer of the lemongrass stalks , and eliminate the fibrous green portion.
To ensure that the aromatics you toast become crunchy, make sure to use only white (and extremely light green) soft parts and chop as small that you are able to. Make sure to be patient while toasting.
This dish can be served with a little soy sauce to serve as an appetizer, or as an easy main dish for rice. You can reduce the recipe to make two portions.