Don’t like Tofu? Love Pad Thai? We dare you to try this fusion of perhaps the most classic Thai dish ever and often-underappreciated Tofu. Behold! Thai Peanut Crispy Tofu – with the meaty bite and umami tang you love…
Some folks say its ‘rubbery’ texture of tofu that puts them off. Others say it’s the bland flavour. I know an otherwise discerning diner who claims tofu has no flavour of its own, at all!
Whatever your excuse, it’s addressed in this great fusion of classic Pad Thai and ancient, venerable, ultra-nutritious tofu. The secret is… You bake the tofu first giving it a crispy crust and a ‘bite’!
Fast, easy, simple…
It checks all the younger-gen cooks’ boxes. And it’s updated and upgraded more than enough to qualify as a new-stalgized treat!
You need just 7 ingredients 30 minutes of your time – and the resolve to try tofu one more time before consigning it to the ‘never again’ file for good.
“I’m obsessed with this peanut butter tofu, that’s loosely inspired by satay sauce, minus the satay (skewers),” explains recipe contributor Toni Okamoto. “This recipe features tofu baked until golden and crispy, slathered in an ultra-creamy, delicious peanut sauce that has me (sometimes literally) licking the bowl clean.”
(Have we got you hooked, yet?)
“Better yet, it’s so simple to make. With just a few simple, inexpensive ingredients, this rich yet creamy, sweet, salty, savory peanut sauce takes tofu to the next level in a restaurant-quality dish (that I can eat on my couch in my PJs!). It’s perfect for peanut butter lovers, easy to tweak, and is a protein-rich, ultra-satisfying vegan lunch or dinner. Perfect with rice or noodles!”
Pared to the basics
The sauce is the core of this dish. and it could just end up being the core of many a Thai-inspired sauce of your own in future. All the basics are there: Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, Brown Sugar, Lime Juice, Peanut butter and Scallions…
You can, of course, add Thai chillis, lemon grass and other traditional flavours, but the aforement-ioned 5 components really do form the foundation of almost all classic Thai flavours. Give or take the peanut butter.
Baking the tofu
This is the most crucial step in putting this dish together. Okomoto stresses the importance of using firm or ‘super-firm’ tofu, and pressing it to ensure you achieve the desired interior texture.
In a medium bowl, toss the tofu cubes with 3 tbsp. / 45 ml oil. Add 2 tbsp. / 30 ml corn starch.
Stir gently to coat all the tofu pieces evenly. This is the secret to the crispy crust!
Arrange the tofu on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake at 400 F for 15 to 25 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crispy on all sides.
The sauce
… Couldn’t be easier unless you just opened a jar of store-bought Satay. But then, you wouldn’t get the foundational flavour this recipe deliver…
In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, and lime juice.
Add a splash of hot water and stir until smooth.
Add more hot water a little at a time until you reach your desired creamy consistency. The hot water is important to help all the ingredients blend to that creamy consistency…
Minimal assembly required
Then, just dd the sauce to the tofu and fold to coat all the protein chunks.
Serve over rice or noodles – but remember that, in traditional, authentic Thai cuisine, noodles are almost always preferred .
And garnish with the scallions…
My take
I love the simplicity of this dish. And as I hinted above, I also love the doorway it opens to future experimentation with a host of other Thai flavours.
But what I love most is that this gem of a quick-cook opens a door into the big, wide, historic world of tofu cuisine. The pressed/baked technique of tofu prep might just be what it takes to turn you from a hater into a lover!
~ Maggie J.