I am a huge fan of Penang, a Malaysian restaurant in Chinatown. I especially love their Satay Bean Curd appetizer, which features crispy fried tofu triangles stuffed with cucumber, bean sprouts and a peanut sauce. I like the idea of stuffing a sauce into tofu as opposed to dipping it into something—it’s kind of genius and looks really fancypants. So I decided to make a similar dish using this idea, but changed it up a bit, incorporating some fresh lemongrass and garlic with a touch of curry and a generous amount of peanut butter to create the rich and spicy filling, which complemented the crispiness of the deep-fried tofu perfectly.
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LEMONGRASS AND GARLIC STUFFED TOFU
- Yield: 2-4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 TB toasted sesame oil
- 4–6 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 scallions, cut on the bias
- 1 lemongrass heart, minced
- 1/4 tsp curry powder
- 1/8–1/4 tsp red chili flakes
- 3 TB chunky peanut butter
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 3 TB crushed peanuts
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- plenty of vegetable oil for frying
- 1 block tofu
- 1 1/2 tsps Ener-G egg replacer, whisked with 5 TB warm water
- 1/2–3/4 cup cornstarch
Instructions
- Heat the sesame oil in a small pot over medium-low heat. Add in the garlic cloves and saute and stir for about a minute. Add in the scallions and saute for another minute. Add in the lemongrass, curry powder and red chili flakes and stir until blended and remove from the heat.
- While the mixture is still warm, add in the chunky peanut butter and gently stir until well-blended. Add in the soy sauce, crushed peanuts and cilantro and stir again. Set aside.
- Cut the tofu block in half and then cut each of those haves into right angle triangles. Cut a small 1/8-inch wide slit in the longest side of the triangle. Dab the moisture off of the tofu with some paper towels and set aside.
- In a medium-sized pot, heat the oil (enough to submerge the triangles in) over medium-high heat.
- After about 7 minutes, test the oil’s readiness by inserting a wooden spoon into the pot—if bubbles immediately form around the spoon, the oil is ready.
- Dip the tofu triangles into the Ener-G mixture, and then coat it in some of the cornstarch, making sure all sides are covered and tapping off any excess. Place the triangles, two at a time, into the oil and fry until golden, about 4 minutes. Carefully remove from the pot and place on paper towels to drain.
- Once the triangles have cooled enough to handle, carefully break open the recess and spoon an overflowing amount of the lemongrass-garlic mixture into it. Serve immediately.
Annette says
Looks So good – a=has anyone tried this in an air fryer?
T and Tea Cake says
This LOOKS and SOUNDS AH-MAY-ZINGA!
Tobias
Tammy @ The Sweet Tomato says
These flavors look fantastic and I am always looking for new ways to elevate tofu. I love the coating on the tofu as well – what a great idea!
Epicurean Vegan says
Wow! That really is fancypants! Those are ideal ingredients to combine–I'm adding this to my list of recipes to try. Thanks!
Juanita says
Very cool…never seen stuffed tofu before. And with such unusual ingredients too!
foodblogandthedog says
Stuffed tofu is genius! Why have I never thought of it?
jeffie says
I love Penang's satay beancurd! My sister and I get it every time we go there. Your adaption looks so so so good. Thank-you so much for sharing this.
erinwyso says
Thanks jeffie! Nice to see another Penang fan 🙂 !
Alisa says
Oh I'm trying that tonight!!!Thanks for sharing :o)
Kelly @ Eat Yourself Skinny says
This looks so delicious, love your blog! New follower! xoxo
Amy says
This looks so delicious! I never thought of stuffing tofu what an excellent idea!
erinwyso says
Thanks all! : )
VeggieAmanda says
Oops! I liked the screen when I saw this photo. Umm…YUM! There is a Vietnamese restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC that has stuffed tofu squares. They are out of this world! I can't wait to make this recipe!
Miss Makes-a-Lot says
wow! great idea. this is my "DUHHH" moment – i am totally going to STUFF tofu – i seriously never even thought of it !! ahh the possibilities are endless……….. thanks! 😀