Indonesian Fried Tofu with Cucumbers and Sprouts
Ingredients:
2 c mung bean sprouts
3 cakes tofu, pressed and patted dry
vegetable oil
4-5 servings cooked rice
1-2 small cucumbers, cut in half, seeded and sliced
peanuts, toasted and chopped
Sauce:
2/3 c light soy sauce
3-4 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 T minced onion, shallot, or scallions
1-2 small chiles, minced (deseeded for less spicy)
1/4 c fresh lemon or lime juice
1/2 to 1 t sugar
In a small bowl, mix together sauce ingredients and taste to get a pleasing balance of hot, salty, and sour. Sweeten with sugar if you like. Everything else in this dish is bland, so the sauce should be intense.
Blanch the mung sprouts by placing them in a strainer and pouring boiling water over them. Immediately plunge them into a bowl of very cold water. When the sprouts are cold, drain thoroughly.
Cut each cake of tofu horizontally into thirds, and then cut each piece diagonally both ways to form triangles. Pat the tofu dry again. Heat about one inch of oil in a wok ar 1/2 inch in a shallow frying pan and, when it is hot, fry the tofu, a few pieces at a time, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. The advantage of a wok is that you can use less oil, but you will fight to keep the pieces from sticking to one another. In a skillet you use more oil, but the tofu pieces won't stick together. If they stick to the bottom, just scrape them up with a thin metal spatula.
On a platter or individual plates, place first some rice and then the fried tofu with a drizzle of the sauce. Add the cucumber and mung sprouts and pour on some more of the sauce. Reserve some sauce to pass at the table. When you are ready to serve the dish, garnish it with a sprinkling of peanuts.
Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant by The Moosewood Collective
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