Taohu Lap
Taohu Lap
Vegan Tofu LarbFor this dish, it’s important to use medium tofu in water. Medium tofu crumbles perfectly and mimics ground meat. If you find the tofu is a little too soft, you can press out excess moisture in a colander. Prelubricating the tofu with a little bit of oil also keeps it from sticking to the pan. Larb is a spicy acidic salad from the northeast of Thailand usually made with ground meat. It’s great alone or as a protein side with crunchy cold vegetables.
Ingrediënten
MAKES: 4–6 SERVINGS
- 1½ lb 680 g medium tofu in water, drained
- 1 tbsp 15 ml tamarind concentrate
- 2 tbsp 30 ml canola or other high-temperature cooking oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large shallot thinly sliced
- ÂĽ cup 60 ml vegetarian fish sauce or Thai soybean sauce
- ½ cup 120 ml fresh lime juice
- ½ cup 110 g palm sugar or brown sugar
- 1 –2 tsp Thai chili powder
- ½ cup 46 g mint leaves
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- ÂĽ cup 55 g roasted rice powder (see Pro Tip)
- 3 –4 scallions chopped
- Carrot sticks 4–5 inches (10–13 cm) long, for serving
- Long beans or other green beans 4–5 inches (10–13 cm) long, for serving
- Lettuce leaves in 4–5-inch (10–13-cm) pieces, for serving
- Green cabbage in 4–5-inch (10–13-cm) pieces, for serving
Instructies
- Prepare the tofu by slicing it into ÂĽ-inch (6-mm) tiles, then cut the tiles into ÂĽ-inch (6-mm) slices, then finally cut the slices into a fine dice.
- Place the diced tofu in a medium-sized bowl.
- Stir the tamarind concentrate into the diced tofu and let it stand for 15 minutes.
- Heat a medium-sized pan over high heat and swirl in the oil.
- When you see the first wisps of white smoke, add the garlic and shallot and sauté for about 1 minute, until the shallot is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
- Fold in the tofu and stir-fry until heated through, about 2 minutes.
- If any liquid is released, either drain it from the pan or continue cooking to reduce it so it does not dilute the seasonings.
- Turn off the heat, then stir in the vegetarian fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and chili powder and mix well.
- Adjust the flavors as necessary to your taste.
- Fold in the mint, red onion, roasted rice powder and scallions until well combined.
- Serve with carrot sticks, long beans, lettuce and cabbage.
- Pro Tip: Roasted rice powder is a fun condiment.
- It adds a quintessential nutty, smoky crunch to larb as well as other dishes.
- It also soaks up the dressing and binds it to the dish, upping the flavor.
- Look for it at an Asian market, or make it at home.
- This homemade version makes ½ cup (90 g).
- Place ½ cup (90 g) dry Thai sticky rice in a medium dry pan over medium-high heat.
- When the pan starts to heat up and you smell the rice toasting, stir or pan-flip the rice every 20 seconds.
- If the rice seems like it’s browning too fast, reduce the heat to low.
- Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until the rice is golden brown.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow the rice to cool.
- Transfer the cooled rice to a spice grinder and pulse until it’s sandy in texture.
