Asam Pedas
Ingredients
- 14oz [397g] firm tofu, pressed & cut into sticks
- 2 sheets of nori - cut into strips
- 2 Roma tomatoes, wedged
- 2-3 Okra, sliced then blanched with hot water
- 1 small Japanese eggplant, cut into bite-size sticks
- 1 Thai chili
- oil for cooking
- 2 small shallots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 stalk lemongrass (white part only)
- 1-2 slices of ginger
- 2 tablespoons sambal
- 1 tablespoon tamarind juice
- a few Vietnamese coriander
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar or to taste
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- salt
Preparation
Season tofu sticks with salt, then wrap each loosely with nori strips (tofu will expand during cooking). In a heated non-stick pan with a drizzle oil, lightly pan-fry wrapped tofu sticks until golden brown. Remove and set aside
For the eggplant, I shallow pan-fried mine quickly in hot oil, but you can steam or pan-fried them
In a heated non-stick shallow pot with 1 tablespoon oil, saute shallots, lemongrass, ginger, and garlic until fragrant. Then, add tomatoes and the rest of the sauce ingredients. Let simmer until tomatoes turn softer
Add in Thai chili, eggplant, tofu, and cook for about 1 minute (try not to stir vigorously). Season to taste or add more vegetable broth if needed. Lastly, add in the okra and simmer for 30 seconds
Serve warm with rice