Tofu in Peanut Sauce is one of my favourite ways to eat tofu. On meat-free days, I’m always looking for interesting ways to incorporate plant protein in my meals and tofu is a great option. If you like satay sauce, and all things peanutty, this Tofu in Peanut Sauce is a must in your recipe collection.
How to make a killer peanut sauce
The peanut sauce is the star of this dish and has to be perfectly creamy to coat the tofu and vegetables, saucy enough to be eaten with rice or noodles and have just the right balance of salt, sweet and sour. While the recipe has specified amounts of peanut butter, tamarind paste, soy sauce, honey and sambal oelek, taste the sauce and tweak to balance the flavours. And to tailor it to your palate. Tofu in Peanut Sauce turns out the best with creamy, all-natural peanut butter (I prefer unsalted). If you don’t have sambal oelek, you can go for any other chilli paste. When you make the sauce, it will be thick and you’ll have to add a little water to thin it to a saucy consistency. It is at this point that you must taste it continuously, adding a little of this or that as needed till you have the perfect peanut sauce.
Add colour and crunch
I made my Tofu in Peanut Sauce to be a dish I could eat just by itself, in a bowl. So I threw in a bunch of fresh, crisp, winter vegetables for texture, fibre and just overall healthy wholesomeness. I went with carrots, capsicum (any colour works), peas and button mushrooms. They made the dish look more vibrant and colourful; because as delicious as the dish was without them, it was a monotonous brown. So you can clean out the leftover single veggies from your fridge or add the ones you’re most partial to; basically, make it the way you want.
Tofu in Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- 200 g Firm tofu, drained, dried and cut into cubes
- 1 large carrot, cut into batons
- 1 green capsicum (pepper) cut into long strips
- 200 g button mushrooms, cut into quarters
- A handful of fresh or frozen peas
- A handful of cashews
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ginger, minced
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp peanut oil
- Salt
For the peanut sauce
- 60 g creamy, all-natural, unsalted peanut butter
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- 1½ tbsp soy sauce
- 1½ tbsp sambal oelek or any other chilli paste
- 1 tbsp honey
Instructions
- To make the peanut sauce, mix all the ingredient in a bowl till well combined. Taste and correct the balance of flavours in the sauce. Thin with a tablespoon or two of water if needed.
- Toss the tofu cubes in cornflour and salt so that all the pieces are coated. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan on medium flame and add the tofu making sure the pieces are spread out in a single layer and not touching. Fry the pieces till lightly golden on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- Fry the cashews in the same pan for a minute till they're golden. Set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to the pan and fry the ginger an garlic for a few seconds. Then add the mushrooms, carrots, capsicum and peas and fry on medium heat. Stir fry the vegetables so that they are lightly browned, and still crunchy.
- Now put in the tofu and fry for 5 seconds. Reduce the flame and pour in the sauce, and mix well. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, adding a little water if required to prevent the sauce from thickening too much. Add the fried cashews, mix and serve hot.
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