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Tofu Larb Gai - Cook Republic
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5 from 6 votes

TOFU LARB

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Course: Light Meal, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Meat-Free, Thai
Keyword: larb gai, meatless thai recipe, thai larb recipe, thai tofu larb, tofu larb gai
Servings: 4
Calories: 264kcal
Author: Sneh

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons sticky/arborio rice note 1
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon grated ginger
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
  • 1 lemongrass stalk thinly sliced (white only)
  • 4 shallots peeled and thinly sliced
  • 4 spring onions washed and thinly sliced (white and green)
  • 1 bunch coriander roots washed and finely chopped
  • 400 g firm tofu finely crumbled
  • 2 teaspoons cornflour mixed in ¼ cup water note 2
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 limes juiced
  • 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Korean red pepper powder (Gochugaru) note 3
  • 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves
  • ¼ cup fresh mint leaves roughly torn

Instructions

  • In a heavy bottomed frying pan, toast the rice on medium-low heat. Toss constantly to avoid burning. Toast until the rice is evenly golden. This takes about 4-6 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Grind to a coarse, grainy powder in a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
  • Heat oil in a small wok over medium. Add garlic and ginger. Sauté for a few seconds until fragrant. Add chilli flakes, lemongrass, half of the shallots, all of the spring onion white and half of the spring onion greens. Sauté for a minute until spring onion and shallots are glazed.
  • Working quickly, add coriander root and tofu to the wok. Stir-fry while mixing and breaking up the tofu for a minute until tofu is warmed through. Add cornflour mix, mix well and cook for a few seconds until starting to thicken. Remove from heat and transfer to a large serving bowl.
  • Add the oyster sauce, fish sauce, coconut sugar, lime juice and red pepper powder to the tofu. Toss and mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of the rice powder, remaining shallots and spring onion greens. Mix well.
  • Garnish with coriander and mint leaves. Serve with lime wedges and extra red chilli flakes.

Notes

  1. Rice - To make the rice powder, if you can’t find Thai sticky rice; use arborio rice instead.
  2. Cornflour - Also known as cornstarch, this is the fine white powder used to thicken sauces in Asian cooking.
  3. Gochugaru or Korean Red Pepper Powder is a beautifully fragrant red pepper powder that is not very spicy and has a nice, grainy texture. This not only improves the colour and fragrance of the larb but also gives it a gentle heat. If you can’t find Gochugaru, substitute with 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes and 1 teaspoon red chilli powder.
  4. Make It Vegan – Substitute fish sauce with a mix of lime juice and soy sauce. Substitute oyster sauce with Vegetarian Oyster sauce or Hoisin Sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 888mg | Potassium: 237mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 804IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 166mg | Iron: 3mg