This vegan Thai-inspired dish is made with crispy fried tofu drenched in a homemade sweet chili peanut sauce.
This is it. This just might be my favourite tofu recipe on the blog to date. (Sorry fried tofu burger, you’re ranked second now.)
When firm tofu is fried, it forms an outer layer even without any batter. The final result is soft and pillowy on the inside, crispy golden brown on the outside.
And can we just talk about this sauce for a second? Sure, you can buy Thai sweet chili sauce from the supermarket, but this homemade sweet chili peanut sauce is next level.
It’s mostly sweet, with sour notes from tamarind juice and vinegar. It’s not very spicy at all, so if you have a low spice tolerance this one is for you! However, if you want it to be spicier you can use more red chili or add in some chili flakes.
What’s in the sweet chili peanut sauce:
- red chilies
- garlic
- rice vinegar
- tamarind juice, otherwise known as asam jawa in Malaysia. I usually buy a big packet of tamarind from the supermarket like NSK. Then I dissolve it in water, making sure to remove the seeds, to get tamarind juice. The concentration varies each time so I usually start with 1 tbsp of juice, then taste the sauce and adjust accordingly.
- water
- white and brown sugar. We’re using two types as both white and brown sugar have different depths of sweetness. If you only have one kind, feel free to substitute it for the other.
- salt of course
- crushed roasted peanuts
- cilantro
This dish is so simple to make, there’s no marinating required, as compared to any other tofu recipes out there. All you do is blend and cook down your sauce, fry tofu, put it together and you’re done! Honestly, deep-fried anything sounds good to me.
Even though the tofu isn’t seasoned at all, the sweet chili peanut sauce really comes through to make this a super tasty dish. I really can’t stop going on about how good this is!
If you liked this Fried Tofu w/ Sweet Chili Peanut Sauce dish, here are more tofu recipes to try:
- Vegan Kung Pao Tofu
- Vegan Pan Fried Tofu Dumplings
- Spicy Vegan Tofu Curry
- Spicy Eggplant w/ Minced Tofu
If you made this recipe, do leave a comment and rating below because I love hearing your feedback. Make sure to tag me on Instagram @eatwkriss so that I can see your recreations!
Fried Tofu w/ Sweet Chili Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- 350 g traditional/firm tofu
- vegetable oil for frying
Sweet chili peanut sauce
- 2 red chilies roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp tamarind juice/asam jawa
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tbsp white granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- ¼ tsp salt more to taste
- 2 tbsp roasted peanuts crushed
- 1 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
Make sauce
- In a blender, combine red chili, garlic, rice vinegar, tamarind juice and water. Blend until there are no more big chunks, it doesn't have to be completely smooth.
- Pour into a small pan/pot. Add in white sugar, brown sugar and salt. Let simmer over medium-low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce has reduced to your desired consistency (I like a more watery sauce). Remove from the heat and set aside.
Fry tofu
- Slice traditional/firm tofu into bite-sized triangles and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
- Add oil to a pot until it is deeper than the thickness of your tofu. Insert a wooden chopstick and if bubbles start to form around the edges, the oil is ready.
- Deep fry tofu for 3-4 minutes, making sure they do not overcrowd the pan. If they start to stick, wait for them to form their outer skin then gently separate them. Once the tofu is golden brown, remove and set on a wire rack.
- Once ready to serve, add crushed roasted peanuts and chopped cilantro to the sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the tofu and garnish with more crushed peanuts and cilantro. Serve immediately with rice.
Notes
