Easy 8 ingredient vegan lemongrass tofu
Vegan lemongrass tofu is one of the best things to prepare with tofu! Lemongrass is one of the most fragrant herbs and tofu is like a blank canvas, bland and also an acquired taste in my opinion. Fragrant lemongrass is one of the best ways to season tofu and make tofu taste wonderful!
Vegan lemongrass tofu requires only a handful of ingredients but is high on flavours. Lemongrass and garlic go so well together that it’s hard to go wrong with this dish.
This vegan lemongrass tofu can be served in so many different ways.
- As a side with plain rice.
- As a side with fried rice.
- Can be used to make Tofu bahn-mi sandwiches.
- Served over Asian inspired salads.
- As a part of buddha bowls.
Ingredients required to make Vegan lemongrass tofu
LEMONGRASS (Majjige soppu)
Lemongrass is an aromatic herb native to tropical regions. It grows like a shrub. In India, the leaves of lemongrass are used in a few homemade remedies. I have not heard of the stalks being used in traditional Indian cooking. Do let me know in the comments if there are regions in India where lemongrass stalks are used in cooking. 🙂
South-east Asian cuisine uses the stem/stalk of lemongrass in cooking. If you are growing your own lemongrass, be sure to use the stalk found at the base of the plant to cook lemongrass fried rice, not the leaves.
In North America, lemongrass stalks can be found in Asian grocery stores, both fresh and chopped(frozen). The chopped lemongrass usually has added food colouring, so I like to buy the fresh stalks.
TOFU
Firm or Extra-firm tofu is ideal to make our vegan lemongrass tofu. You can also choose to buy fried tofu.
SOY SAUCE
I like to use a mix of dark soy sauce and regular soy sauce. Dark soy sauce is optional. Try to use naturally brewed soy sauce whenever possible.
GARLIC – Garlic and lemongrass together create the magic!
GREEN ONIONS/SPRING ONIONS – We use the white part of green/spring onions to be sauteed with garlic and lemongrass. Shallots or onions could also be used.
RED PEPPER FLAKES OR FRESH CHILLIES FOR SOME SPICE! – Optional, can be skipped if you don’t like spicy food.
How to prep lemongrass to make vegan lemongrass tofu.
We will be using the stalk of the lemongrass(not the leaves) , in our vegan lemongrass tofu. I have described in detail how to go about it.
- Lemongrass is woody, so the entire stem cannot be used in lemongrass tofu. We need to use the most tender, inner part of the stem.
- Chop off the hard part at the bottom of the stem. (Red line to the left, in the picture above.)
- Cut off the top part of the stem. (Red line to the right, in the picture above.)
- You are now left with the portion of the stalk in between the two red lines.
- Remove the outermost layer.
- Remove more layers until you reach the tender inner layers. (The part inside the purple circle in the picture of the cross section)
- The inner tender layer is woody too and if not finely chopped, they can be hard to chew on.
- So, mince the lemongrass very fine, into tiniest of pieces. Can be done with a knife or a food-processor.
- I like to mince a bunch of stalks at a time. Minced lemongrass freezes well and it is convenient to have it on hand for future use.
- Do not discard the layers that could not be used, including the top of the stalk. Discard the outermost layer if dirty. The rest of the stalk can be chopped up into 1 inch pieces and frozen. They can be smashed and bruised to release their flavours and used in lemongrass tea, masala chai, soups etc.
Check out these other Southeast Asian recipes like vegan thai basil fried rice and vegan panang curry using red curry paste.
Easy 7 ingredient vegan lemongrass tofu
Equipment
- I use standard measuring cups to measure ingredients in my recipes.
Ingredients
- 1 pack firm or extra-firm tofu or use fried tofu instead
- ½ tbsp oil plus ½ tsp
- 1½ tbsp lemongrass finely minced, about 2 stalks
- 1½ tbsp garlic finely chopped, about 4 big cloves
- 2 stalks green/spring onion or use shallots/onions
- ½ tbsp soy sauce naturally brewed whenever possible
- ½ tbsp dark soy sauce optional, use extra soy sauce instead.
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes adjust to suit your taste. Can use fresh chillies instead.
Instructions
Prepare the tofu. Skip this step if using fried tofu.
- Pressing tofu means wrapping tofu in a thick kitchen towel and placing something heavy on top for about 15 minutes or more, so that all the excess water drains out and you are left with super firm tofu.
- Once pressed, cut the tofu into pieces of desired shape, not more than an inch thick so that they can absorb the flavours well.
- Take a pan with a non stick surface and in half tsp of oil, roast the tofu.
- When one surface develops a skin (gets browned) flip and cook the other side.
Prepare lemongrass
- Remove the hard part at the bottom and cut off the top. Retain the part in between the two red lines. Rest of it is too woody to be used in lemongrass tofu.
- Remove the tougher outer layers of the lemongrass. Inner portion of the stalk is more tender than the outer layers.
- Slice the inner core of the lemongrass into thin slices. Then using a knife, mince it fine like shown in the picture. You can also use a chopper/food processor for this task.
Make lemongrass tofu
- Heat a wok or a pan on medium heat. Add oil.
- Add chopped lemongrass, garlic, white part of green/spring onions. If using fresh green chillies, now would be the time to add it.
- When onion wilts and the raw smell of garlic goes away, add the tofu.
- Add soy sauce and red pepper flakes.
- Stir until the sauce gets absorbed.
- Taste and add more soy sauce if required.
- Serve with plain rice, fried rice, in bahn mi sandwich or as a part of an Asian inspired salad.
Video
Notes
- I have made this several times by just wrapping the block of tofu in a thick kitchen towel without a weight on top and for me, that works fine too.
- Tofu can also be pressed by using a device called ‘tofu press’ that’s available online. I do not own one and always use a kitchen towel and my cast iron pan for weight.
- Unused parts of the lemongrass can be chopped into 1 inch pieces and frozen. Can be used to make lemongrass tea, masala chai, soups etc.
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I was never a fan of tofu until I made this today. Loved the taste of lemongrass with garlic.
Wow! That made my day! Agree with you about lemongrass and garlic. Thanks for trying it out and for the sweet comment!
Looks scrumptious ! Haven’t had a chance to try making this yet but I am definitely going to!
Yay! Do let me know how you liked it! 🙂
This looks delicious!
Thank you! Am glad you liked it!
Another Excellent use of Lemon grass, love it
Thank you!