1.25.10 Lemongrass Tofu
I picked up a stalk of lemongrass a few weeks back, not having the faintest idea what to do with it. It sat for days in the fridge untouched, as I waited for inspiration to come. And waited. And waited. Just when I was moments from tossing it and cutting my losses, I had a vision. Lemongrass tofu for lettuce wraps. Turns out my vision was not original, as there were a plethora of lemongrass tofu recipes to be found. Funny though, because I don’t remember ever hearing about them before. Perhaps great minds do think alike or possibly this bit of information had been stored in my subconscious waiting for its day. Hmm… I guess, I’ll never know. Either way I was thankful to have a source to work from. I thoroughly enjoy Asian cuisine, but I can’t say I am comfortable enough with the spices to experiment too much at this point. Perhaps something to add to my to-do list for 2010?
In the meantime, I may have found a new favorite herb. I love the overwhelmingly strong, but sweet lemon smell and am envisioning a simple noodle soup for my next feat. If you have any favorite uses or recipes for lemongrass, I would be very interested to hear them, so please share!
Lemongrass Tofu
adapted from Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table . serves 4
12-14 oz tofu, drained
3-4 t minced fresh lemongrass (peel outer layers of 1 stalk, grate or mince bottom white part)
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 T soy sauce
2 T water
2 t roasted red chili paste
1 t ground turmeric
2 t sugar
1 t salt
2 T vegetable oil
1/2 t red pepper flakes, optional
Cut tofu lengthwise into thirds. Place on an absorbent kitchen towel and cover with an additional towel. Place a heavy pan on top, and allow to sit thirty minutes to remove moisture. Transfer tofu to a cutting board and cut into 3/4" cubes.
In a large bowl or glass container combine lemongrass, garlic, say sauce, water, red chili paste, turmeric, sugar and salt. Add tofu cubes, and carefully toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (I did mine overnight) to marinate.
In a large wok or sauté pan, heat oil over high heat. Add tofu and cook 10-15 minutes, shaking pan every minute so tofu doesn’t stick, until golden brown on all side. If using, add red pepper flakes the last few minutes. Enjoy in lettuce wraps, with sesame noodles or add to miso soup.
Reader Comments (26)
This dish looks absolutely divine! I love lemon grass too but have never cooked with it myself so I will have to try this recipe out!
This is so funny - I was just in an asian market the other day and totally felt overwhelmed by all of the fantastic ingredients that I'd never seen before (banana crackers?!). It's my unofficial 2010 resolution to figure out what some of those things are for.
Re: this recipe, I love lemongrass, and will definitely make this soon! Thanks!
I ADORE lemongrass. There is a fantastic upscale Vietnamese place in Seattle that does a lemongrass tofu dish to die for. So glad you discovered this amazing herb!
yum this looks so delicious.. I've also had lemongrass on my "to do" - list. I love the taste but really don't know what to do with it. Next summer, I think I'll cultivate some myself, even if the end result is in here in the North quite meagre compared to Thailand..
I really love lemongrass... and your pairing it here with spices and such really wakes up tofu! :o)
Scrumptious! My only experience at home with lemongrass is making Thai soup, which was delicious. I have a great recipe that my favorite local Thai restaurant was gracious enough to give me (they are so sweet!). I'll have to post that.
I recently found lemongrass in dried herb form at Penzey's Spices, but I haven't been brave enough to try it yet. I bet it would actually work well with this recipe.
just love your tofu recipes. definitely bookmarking this one!
I've never used lemongrass at home, but that's my favorite method for preparing tofu. Mmm.
I did see a recipe a while ago for a lemongrass caipirinha (the Brazilian cocktail) that sounded refreshing and lovely.
This dish looks really good! I adore lemongrass and tofu! I use lemongrass for making tai tom yum soup! Can't wait to try this out. Have a lovely merry happy week and love to you!
The Ordinary Vegetarian, I can't wait to see your Thai soup recipe. What a score from the restaurant! Stacy, the lemongrass caipirinha sounds amazing too!
mmmm! i also didnt have the faintest idea of what to do with lemongrass. i tossed it in some sweet potato soup with coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves. delicious!
Would you recommend the lemongrass for an herb butter? I've been looking up lemony herbs lately as I'm trying to duplicate an herb butter from my favorite NYC restaurant and when I saw this recipe I figured I'd ask what you thought of it!
Hi stealthnerd, That is a really interesting idea for the herb butter. I honestly have no idea how it would work, but I love lemon and rosemary flavors together. I would focus more on the lemongrass than the herbs though (you could always adjust to taste). PLEASE give it a try and report back!
Wow!!!This dish looks absolutely divine:) A great recipe...
Oh my gosh....that looks awesome!!!!!!
Hi Erin,
I recently made some tofu coated in Thai red curry and it was succulent. Really. This dish is so tempting too.
I buy lemongrass quite often to use in Thai curry pastes and such, but always seem to buy too much. I have a stalk in my fridge right now which I plan to put to use in this delicous-looking recipe tonight. Thanks!
A good tip for using up the green parts of the stems which aren't usually required in recipes is to make lemongrass tea with them. Chop into short peices and steep in boiling water for about 3-4 minutes. So refreshing!
Love love love tofu! One can do so many things with it.And yay to more Asian receipes :)
This looks fantastic! I do love lemongrass and have a plant of my own in my herb garden. It's also nice steeped in hot apple cider.
You know, lemongrass is one of those things I just have not committed to trying. I once had these asian crackers made with lemongrass that tasted like lemon Pledge and since then I haven't built up the courage to try...
Thanks for sharing all the amazing lemongrass ideas everyone!
YUM!!!! I love tofu, firm, soft, fried, braised but LEMONGRASS TOFU? amazing I will definitely be bookmarking this recipe for dinner one night :)
Oh you and your delicious tofu recipes!! I really want to make the salt and pepper tofu you posted not too long ago and now this one is being added to the list too.
I recently made this with your lettuce wrap recipe, it was so delicious! I substituted fresh lemongrass with a few pinches of dried (purchased from the bulk section of a natural foods store, they didn't have any fresh). Still tasted great though I can't say how it compares to this.
This is so good! Just made it tonight and added some baby bok choy for added nutrition.
Really good recipe. Thanks for posting!
I recently found your blog and have enjoyed many of the recipes you've shared. I have to tell you, though, this recipe has become one of my families absolute favorites. Thanks so much!