Need an easy and quick recipe? Then, try this Spicy Thai Basil Tofu! It is simple, vegan, and packed with the aromatic Thai Basil with a savory sauce that goes very well with any grain for a delicious meal.
⅓ cup vegan 'fish' sauce (homemade or store-bought (see notes))
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
⅓ cup water (or vegetable broth)
Categories
Main Course
Side Dish
Cuisine
Asian
southeastasian
thai
Steps
Mix the sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl until well-combined and set aside.
In a heated non-stick pan, add the tofu in and using a potato masher, mash tofu into crumbles.
Cook the tofu crumbles until slightly dry. Then, add about 1 tablespoon of oil and continue to cook until tofu turns golden brown.
Push tofu aside, and add a little more oil and sauté shallots until translucent.
Continue to sauté garlic and chili for another 30 - 45 seconds. Then, bring all the mixture together and give it a quick stir.
Add in the sauce and sugar and cook down the mixture a little.
Finally, add the Thai basil and toss everything until all incorporated.
Turn off the heat and serve warm.
Reviews
sharon on 2024-10-29 (5 stars): delicious - I make this regularly, thought it was finally time to comment and thank you. I used the fish sauce recipe you provide as well. will try more of your recipes in the future.
M.O.H on 2023-06-17 (5 stars): Quick, no-fuss and delicious. Recipe and instructions spot on. Thank you for introducing me to my new favourite staple fare! I used soy mince in place of tofu, but still followed drying out step as makes a huge difference in flavour binding.
Lindsay on 2023-02-07 (5 stars): Thank you for sharing this recipe. It hit the spot and was easy to make. I used your vegan fish sauce recipe and found it to bring excellent, complex flavor to the dish! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes soon!
Mohana on 2022-05-11 (5 stars): Made this today and it was incredible! I used your homemade 5 minute 'fish' sauce recipe for it and the flavors were PERFECTLY balanced. I didn't have to adjust salt at all. So if anyone has had issues with salt in this recipe, they should definitely use her 'fish' sauce recipe on here for best results. The only modifications I made were adding sautéed green beans and using onions because I didn't have shallots.
Thank you for another incredible recipe!
Megan on 2022-03-06 (5 stars): Delicious and easy! Flavor is exactly what I wanted it to be! Next time I'll be more careful with my store-bought fish sauce to account for saltiness. Thank you!
Mo on 2022-01-26 (1 stars): The amount of soy sauce makes the dish very salty, I even used the low sodium one. Somewhat disappointed with how this turned out, especially after spending some time on cubing the tofu for a better bite.
Jan Tam on 2021-11-01 (5 stars): This is so delicious and easy to make vegan dish. Both my husband and I love it. Great recipe.
Craig Wilson on 2021-08-30 (5 stars): Delicious and east to prep. I added some fresh ginger to the sauce and added zucchini / red pepper to the mix.
Adriana on 2021-04-12 (5 stars): This is outstanding. If you enjoy spicy food I would say increase the Thai chili a bit, my boyfriend said the heat is perfect for him though. I even gave my 14 month old daughter a taste and she seemed to like it but she likes spicy food
Micah on 2021-04-06 (5 stars): It's great advice to taste test store bought fish sauce....mine was way too salty. (3 Crabs Brand). I will be trying it again with something a little more smooth. I did add extra chilies, basil, and a few teaspoons of sugar to try to balance it out. Onto tofu "meat" balls next! Thank you for the well written recipes and insights!
Lillian on 2021-04-06 (5 stars): Hi Woon Heng! This is the first recipe of yours I've tried, and it was so good!! My boyfriend also loved it.
