Spicy Tamarind Vegetable Medley 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
Sauce
- 2 small shallots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 stalk lemongrass (white part only)
- 1-2 slices of ginger
- 2 tablespoons sambal (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 tablespoon tamarind juice (mix 1/2 tablespoon tamarind pulp with 2 tablespoons water)
- a few Vietnamese coriander (daun kesum) - optional
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar or to taste
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- salt to taste
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 of oil, lightly pan-fry wrapped tofu sticks until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
For the eggplant, shallow pan-fry quickly in hot oil, or alternatively steam or pan-fry it.
In a heated non-stick shallow pot with 1 tablespoon oil, saute the blended mixture of 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, and 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.
