This Vietnamese-inspired lemongrass tofu stir-fry uses fresh lemongrass stalks, peanuts, and ginger for a delicious, herby flavor. The wonderfully savory and aromatic sauce infuses perfectly with spongy fried tofu in this meatless dish.
This is one of my favorite tofu recipes for when I am craving a quick, easy meal that tastes just as good as my favorite take-out restaurant. It comes together in about thirty minutes and only dirties up one pan. If you have a wok, it makes high-heat cooking a breeze, but any lightweight fry pan will work well.
To add some veggies, I like to include broccoli because it soaks up the sauce well and provides a good crunch to contrast the tofu. Feel free to add any stir-fry vegetables such as peppers, onions, green beans, or peas, or omit entirely.
Serve with some homemade chili-garlic sauce or cucumber relish to really evoke the East Asian flavors. Don't forget to make some jasmine rice too!
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Key Ingredients
- Lemongrass: Fresh lemongrass has a delightful and aromatic citrus flavor, commonly used in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, among other cultures. It creates fantastic soup broths, tea, marinades, and, of course, stir-fry sauces!
- Ginger: Commonly paired with lemongrass, ginger root is the slightly spicy and citrusy cousin to lemongrass. I love adding grated ginger to many Asian dishes.
- Peanuts: In this recipe, peanuts help thicken the sauce and add flavor and body.
- Fish Sauce: I find that fish sauce is essential in almost all Southeast Asian dishes. There really is no alternative to its salty, umami flavor. Leave it out for a vegan version.
- Firm Tofu: For stir-fries, I always go for the firmest tofu I can find. It takes less time to drain the water out and fries better in hot oil.
Find the complete ingredient list below.
Instructions
Preparing Stir Fry Sauce
- Begin by cooking jasmine rice in a small saucepan.
- For the stir-fry sauce, remove the outer shell of the lemongrass stalk, leaving about 4" of the root end. Use a pestle or the back end of a knife to smash the lemongrass until very fragrant. Carefully mince the smashed lemongrass with a sharp knife.
- Combine the minced lemongrass, garlic, ginger, peanuts, white peppercorns, shallot, soy sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, palm sugar, and dried red pepper flakes in a blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.
Stir Fry
- As the rice cooks, prepare all stir-fry ingredients, such as chopping broccoli into bite-sized pieces, draining tofu, and cutting it into 1" cubes.
- Heat a wok or fry pan over high heat, adding half of the grapeseed oil. Once it shimmers, add tofu and fry on both sides until lightly browned (approximately 3 minutes per side). Set aside.
- Add the remaining oil and chopped broccoli to the wok or pan. Stir-fry until the broccoli edges begin to brown. Pour in about a ¼ cup of water and let the veggies cook for another 5 minutes or until the water evaporates.
- Combine the fried tofu and reserved stir-fry sauce in the wok. Toss until well combined and warmed through, being careful not to break the tofu too much.
- Serve the stir-fry on top of steamed jasmine rice, garnished with crushed peanuts, scallions, and lime wedges. Optionally, add chili-garlic sauce for extra heat.
Substitutions:
You can easily make this dish vegan by simply leaving out the fish sauce. Although there isn't really a good alternative, you can double the amount of soy sauce to make up for it.
Although I prefer the crunch of fresh peanuts, substituting peanut butter will transform this dish into a velvety delight. If you can't find palm sugar (which is the natural sugar from a coconut), I like to use an equal amount of maple syrup. It changes the flavor a bit but makes a great sauce, especially when combined with peanut butter!
Don't skimp on the fragrant ginger or lemongrass though; dried versions of the herbs will work equally as well if you can't find them fresh.
Equipment:
Wok: I really think a wok is essential for a good stir-fry. It helps achieve the famous "wok hei" flavor, where you cook with such high heat that you get a rich, smoky flavor without overcooking the food and retaining its texture and crunch.
Blender: Using a high-powered blender makes grinding the ginger and lemongrass-filled sauce no work at all!
Storage:
This dish makes great leftovers! It will stay good in the fridge for 3-4 days in a well-sealed container.
Top Tip:
Although using lemongrass paste is a quick alternative if you are in a hurry, I really recommend trying fresh lemongrass. It seems intimidating but is actually super easy to prepare. Start by removing the tough outer shells and cut off the top, leaving just the last 3-4 inches of the lighter-colored root end. This is the part that has the most flavor and can be softened with cooking.
Lemongrass sauce can be made in many different ways, but it is commonly prepared with ginger, garlic, sugar, and lime.
Lemongrass goes great in many Southeast Asian soups, such as Pho and Tom Yum, as well as when steeped in tea and minced into stir-fries.
Yes! Lemongrass is safe to consume. It has a very woody texture; however, it needs to be either ground up, minced, or steeped in boiling water.
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Lemongrass Tofu Stir Fry
Nutrition
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- 2 cloves garlic, (peeled and minced)
- 1 " ginger, (peeled and minced)
- 1 teaspoon white peppercorns, (or ground white pepper)
- ½ cup peanuts
- 1 small shallot, (peeled and minced)
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce, (replace with equally amount soy sauce for vegan version)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 lime, (juiced)
- 2 tablespoon palm sugar, (or white sugar)
- 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, (optional)
Stir Fry
- 1 large head broccoli, (or broccolini, florets torn and core chopped into bite size pieces)
- 12 oz firm or extra firm tofu, (drained and cut into 1" cubes)
- ¼ cup grapeseed oil or any neutral oil
- cooked jasmine rice, (for serving)
- crushed peanuts, scallions, lime wedges, chili-garlic sauce (for topping)
Instructions
Making the Stir Fry Sauce
- In a small saucepan, start preparing jasmine rice.
- To make the stir-fry sauce, begin by removing the outer shell of the lemongrass stalk and discard all but about 4" of the root end. Then, using a pestle or the back end of a knife, smash the remaining lemongrass until very fragrant. Once the lemongrass is smashed, use a sharp knife to carefully mince the stalk.
- Next, add the minced lemongrass, garlic, ginger, peanuts, white peppercorns, shallot, soy sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, palm sugar, and dried red pepper flakes to a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Stir Fry
- Meanwhile, prepare all ingredients for the stir-fry, including chopping the broccoli into bite-sized pieces, draining the tofu, and cutting it into 1" cubes.
- Heat a wok or fry pan over high heat and add half of the grapeseed oil. Once it begins to shimmer, add the tofu and fry on both sides until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
- Next, add the remaining oil and chopped broccoli to the wok or pan and stir-fry until the broccoli begins to brown on the edges. Add a splash of water (about ¼ cup) to the wok. Let the veggies cook for another 5 minutes or until the water evaporates completely.
- Add the fried tofu and reserved stir-fry sauce to the wok and toss until well combined and warmed through. Try not to break the tofu up too much.
- Serve on top of steamed jasmine rice with crushed peanuts, scallions, and lime wedges. Add a bit of chili-garlic sauce if you want some heat (or a lot if you're like me).
Notes
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Food Safety
- Cook meat to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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