Fried Tofu with Lemongrass
Crispy pan-fried tofu gets its savoriness from salt and soy sauce and fragrance from lemongrass.
Ingredients
- 350 g extra firm tofu one package
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 segments of lemongrass about 7-cm each
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp oil
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Cut tofu into even slabs (I got 12 in total), score them on the bias and press them down between two layers of tea towels for 30 minutes to drain the excess liquid.
- In a food processor, pulse all of the ingredients for the marinade into a rough paste.
- After one hour, brush the paste on both sides of the tofu slabs. Let rest for at least 30 minutes.
- In a frying pan or non-stick skillet, heat up 2 tbsp of oil. Scrape the lemongrass mixture off the tofu slabs before frying on high heat. Set aside the lemongrass.
- Once the tofu is done, lower the heat to medium and add in the lemongrass marinade paste, give it a good stir until the color deepens. Turn off the heat and toss in the fried tofu slabs.
Notes
- If you want some heat, roughly chop one bird's eye chili and add it into the marinade.
- Fresh lemongrass where I live is incredibly expensive, so if you come across frozen minced lemongrass, get it. The fragrance is not that permeating but it works too.