Lemongrass tofu

Lemongrass pork chop is a very popular dish that can be found in almost all Vietnamese restaurants. It’s also quite common in Hong Kong and known as cha chan tang（茶餐廳）. A proper lemongrass pork chop is marinated in a fragrant brown lemongrass sauce for hours before it’s dunked into hot oil for deep frying.

In this vegetarian version, I am using tofu in place of the meat, which makes it a more delicate dish that takes less time to marinate.

Ingredients

300 g firm tofu

2 tbsp garlic, minced

1 tsp red chili, thinly sliced; remove seeds for less heat

1 small shallot, finely chopped

2 lemongrass stalks, remove ends and tough stems on top, lightly smash soft stem, then mince

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

A few shakes of white pepper powder

2 tbsp corn starch

Vegetable oil for cooking

Garnish

1 Scallion, finely chopped

Recipe Preparation

Mix all ingredients together (except tofu and corn starch) in a bowl until well combined. Add tofu, flipping halfway through marination process. Marinate for 20 minutes to 1 hour in fridge.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in shallow frying pan. Take tofu out of marinade, removing excess liquid. On a small plate, coat tofu with corn starch and shake off excess. Sear on all sides until golden and lightly crispy. Sprinkle with finely chopped scallions before serving.