Tamarind Tofu
Deep fried crispy tofu pairs well with tamarind sauce made from the sweet and sour fruit popular in Africa and Asia.
INGREDIENTS
Tamarind Sauce
6 full pieces tamarind fruit
4 cups water
2 cups hot water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/8 cup hoisin
1/8 cup vinegar
2 Tbsp potato starch
2 pieces palm sugar
Deep Fried Tofu
1 cup tofu, any type
2 tsp flour, for coating
2 eggs, for coating
panko crumbs, for coating
Garnish
2 Tbsp cucumbers, diced
2 Tbsp pineapples, diced
2 Tbsp tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp red onions, diced
1 head lettuce
2 tsp roasted peanuts, crushed
spicy mayonnaise, for garnish
green onions, for garnish
METHOD
Tamarind Sauce
1. Peel tamarind out of its shell.
2. Bring water to a boil, and throw in tamarind fruit for about 3 min, softening the fruit. Remove tamarind from water.
3. Pour out 2 cups of the tamarind water, keeping the rest.
4. Let tamarind cool, then remove the stems and seeds. Place tamarind into the tamarind water. Mix with a fork to form a paste.
5. In a small pot, add 2 cups hot water, along with ketchup, hoisin, vinegar and palm sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add tamarind paste.
6. Add 4 Tbsp of water to the potato starch and stir. It should look like milk.
7. Bring tamarind paste mixture to a boil, then pour in the potato starch water, stirring constantly to thicken. Not stirring constantly will form clumps in the sauce.
8. Set aside, allowing the sauce to cool.
Deep Fried Tofu
1. In a small bowl, whip up eggs and 1 tsp water, making an egg wash.
2. Dust flour onto the tofu, then fully submerge tofu into egg wash. Remove right away and throw into panko crumbs, moving quickly. Fully coat tofu with panko crumbs, pressing firmly to ensure crumbs secure onto the tofu.
3. Deep fry tofu at 350°F until crispy golden brown.
Assembly
1. Chop up lettuce, and place some on a plate as a bottom layer.
2. Place tofu on lettuce. Sauce with spicy mayonnaise, then place all diced vegetables and fruit overtop of the tofu.
3. Add tamarind sauce. Sprinkle peanuts over the dish, and garnish with green onions.
Yield 2 servings