Basil Tofu

Basil Tofu

Inspired by the savory heat of pad krapow, the popular Thai dish of stir-fried ground chicken or pork with chiles, garlic and basil, this tofu version is just as robustly seasoned and satiating. The traditional dish uses holy basil, but Thai or everyday sweet basil will work here. The cooking of this dish happens quickly, so have all your ingredients prepped before cooking. Tear the tofu into chunky pieces, as it will naturally break down further while being stir-fried. Keep the flavor of the basil bright and the color green by adding it right at the end, so the leaves are barely kissed with heat. Thai chiles are spicy, so add according to your taste: Two is a good choice for those who like spicy food, or three if you like it fiery. 

Yield: 4 servings

Vegetable or grapeseed oil

1 shallot or small red onion, halved and sliced 

1 red bell pepper, halved, seeds removed and finely diced 

4 ounces green beans, trimmed and thinly sliced into ½-inch pieces 

Salt 

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

2 to 3 Thai chiles, finely chopped

2 (14- to 16-ounce) packages extra-firm tofu, drained and broken into irregular 1-inch pieces 

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons lime juice, plus 1 lime, quartered, to serve 

1 cup Thai, holy or sweet basil leaves 

Cooked jasmine or short-grain white rice, to serve 

Heat a wok or a large 12-inch skillet on medium-high. When it’s hot, drizzle in 2 tablespoons of oil, add the shallot and toss until softened, 1 minute. Add the red bell pepper and green beans, season with ½ teaspoon of salt and toss for 1 minute. Add the garlic and Thai chiles and toss until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Add the tofu, soy sauce and dark soy sauce, and stir fry until the tofu is well coated and thoroughly warmed, 3 to 4 minutes. Finally, add the lime juice and basil leaves, and toss until the basil is wilted, about 30 seconds. 

Serve with rice, with lime wedges on the side.

TIP: Three small changes that really brought this to life - added a tablespoon of rice vinegar, a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of cornstarch to the soy sauce mixture. Otherwise made as is and it was delicious!

This recipe has potential. I thickened the sauce with some corn starch as it was too watery. Next time I may add some vegetable broth as well to increase the amount of sauce instead of just adding soy sauce. I would mix the cut up tofu with cornstarch and bake in oven to get crispy before adding to wok. I would also double the amount of green beans and simply cut them in half instead of slicing.

Unexpectedly flavorful/ well-seasoned. Super easy. Used 4T soy -- had no dark soy. Added a smidge of fish sauce. Skimped on the basil because I had only about 1/2 c. Clearly would have benefited from more.