Spicy Peanut Sauce Tofu Bowl

This is a dish inspired by an Indonesian classic, Tahu Goreng which literally translates to “fried tofu”. Actually, it’s more like if satay sauce and tahu goreng had a baby! My Spicy Peanut Sauce Tofu has a touch of sweetness to balance the heat and if you’re a fan of peanut butter, it will keep you coming back for more!

I have retained some of the traditional ingredients in my version of this Asian vegan classic, while keeping things super easy.

Key Ingredients for the Spicy Peanut Sauce

The secret ingredient in this peanut-butter based sauce is bottled tamarind paste. You can also use tamarind pulp but it’s really quite tedious!

The other must-have ingredients in my Spicy Peanut Sauce Tofu are:

• kicap manis (sweet black sauce – like soy sauce, but thicker, darker and more molasses-like )
• light soy sauce
• palm sugar (less sweet than brown sugar)
• actual red chillies (not chili flakes)
• lemongrass powder (easier to use than pounding lemongrass to get the flavour we need)

Sure – you can use substitutes, but I highly recommend you get these six ingredients from your friendly Asian supermarket for a more authentic flavour.

You can serve this nutty tofu over a salad, with noodles or over your favourite grain. I like to eat mine with brown rice and raw greens like pea shoots (also known as dou miao).

Freshly sliced ginger and cut red chillies (use chilli padi for an extra punch!) add a great zing so be sure to avoid using the powdered version for these two ingredients.

Go Nuts!

If you like it extra nutty like I do, use chunky peanut butter and take the time to roughly grind the salted peanuts with a mortar and pestle. Using a food processor might turn your nuts to dust, or you may end up making homemade peanut butter instead!

The bottled tamarind paste will give your sauce a bit of a reddish hue but its distinct sweet tang will round up the flavours nicely.

Other Vegan Recipes You May Like

My husband and I are hardcore carnivores, but do enjoy eating meatless at least once a week. It’s great for the environment and gives your digestive system a break too.

As a home cook who is primarily a meat eater, plant-based recipes are a lot of fun to create as it challenges me to find ways to make things as tasty as possible!

Here are some of my other meatless creations that you may like:

• New Year’s Day Black Eyed Pea Salad
• Vegan Eurasian Devil’s Curry

Spicy Peanut Sauce Tofu Bowl

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• Author: Cheryl Miles
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

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Description

This spicy peanut butter based-sauce and tofu will make you go nuts. Great for meatless meals and for vegan diets.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 400g firm tofu (also known as taukwa)
• 1 red onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced thinly
• 1 cup salted peanuts, roughly ground
• 2 big red chillies, sliced (optional)
• 2 chilli padis, sliced (optional)
• 1 cup water (or more if necessary)
• 1 cup Chunky Peanut Butter
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons kicap manis (sweet thick soy sauce)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons bottled tamarind paste
• 1 teaspoon lemongrass powder
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

SERVE WITH:

• 4 cups cooked brown rice
• 2–4 handfuls of raw pea shoots

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Instructions

1. Pat the tofu dry with paper towels. Heat up the coconut oil in a frying pan and fry the tofu for about 6 minutes per side or until crispy and golden brown.
2. Place the tofu in a plate lined with paper towels to blot off any extra oil. Cut into cubes and set aside. 
3. In the same pan, sauté the chopped red onions, garlic and ginger. About 3 minutes.
4. Add the roughly ground salted peanuts and toast until golden brown. About 3 minutes.
5. Add the chilli and fry for about 1 minute.
6. Dunk in 1 cup of water and then the peanut butter. Keep stirring to combine.
7. The sauce will thicken quite quickly, so without any hesitation, add the kicap manis, soy sauce, tamarind paste and lemongrass powder.
8. Stir to combine and add more water if you prefer a thinner consistency. I only used one cup. Lastly, add the sugar and cook for another 2 minutes.
9. Turn the fire off and toss in the cubes of tofu. Stir to coat each piece, then get ready to dig in.
10. Serve with hot rice and your favourite vegetables on the side.

Notes

If you want a meatier version, you can replace the tofu with slices of beef or chicken. The level of spiciness in this recipe is mild, well according to my Eurasian palate at least! My suggestion is to gradually add the chillies and taste-test to see how hot you want it.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Vegan
• Method: Stir Fry
• Cuisine: Asian