Tofu Satay All Day (Vegan)

Having a kid who doesn’t love meat means getting really excited about tasty tofu dishes!

I’ve adapted this version from Vegan Scratch Kitchen. Check out their video.

You could use chicken here (though I’d marinate it in the sauce for an hour or more first) unless you’re vegan, then well, don’t use chicken.

SERVINGS: 3

TIME INVESTMENT: sub 30 min.

Notes: The original recipe calls for cubing the tofu and putting them on skewers like kebabs, however, when I went to turn the skewers in the pan the tofu rotated independently of the skewers making it tricky to brown the other side. There may have been some swearing. I recommend cutting the tofu into long strips and skewering lengthwise (like chicken satay) so it’s less fiddly and requires fewer swear words.

I served this with the Thai Fresh Spring Rolls. It can also go over rice or is perfect on a salad or, no judgment here, you can eat them standing up over the stove. This is a great room temp and it’s portable so hello al fresco dining.

WANT IT FAST? It’s still homemade if you make it at home! I mean who among us hasn’t forgotten that dinner is a daily recurring calendar item? Trader Joe’s (if you’re lucky enough to have one) sells a fantastic peanut sauce (or use your favorite one). Just thin it out with some coconut milk for the sauteeing and use full strength as the dip.

SAUCE & DIP:

WHAT TO DO:

  • CHUNKY PEANUT BUTTER: 3 big tbsp
  • COCONUT MILK: 2/3 cup
  • MAPLE SYRUP: 2 tbsp
  • SESAME OIL: 1 tbsp
  • SOY SAUCE: 3 tbsp
  • GARLIC: 2-3 cloves
  • GINGER: 1 tbsp or 3 TJ’s frozen cubes
  • LIME JUICE: from one lime

    Add according to taste or spice tolerance:
  • SRIRACHA
  • THAI RED CURRY

You could grate or finely chop the ginger & garlic before whisking this all together or you can just bang it all in your Mini Cuisinart (or whatever whizzing/chopping thing if you have one) EZPZ. For the latter, start with the garlic and ginger then add the rest.

Set aside until it’s ready to be added to the tofu.

Note: If you can find Thai red curry paste (it comes in little jars) it really kicks the flavor profile up in the sauce. It’s fine without it, but if you can get some, get some.

TOFU:

WHAT TO DO:

  • FIRM TOFU: 1 block
  • CORNSTARCH: 1 tbsp
  • PEANUT OIL or NEUTRAL OIL: 3 tbsp

    Optional:
  • BAMBOO SKEWERS
    These are really for presentation or if you plan on taking a satay roady. You can just cook the strips without the skewers. No one will know unless you out yourself.

  1. Drain the tofu and pat dry.
    You can press your tofu for 15 min. but I’m lazy and it turned out fine unpressed.
  2. Stand your tofu on its side, and slice lengthwise. Lay it down and slice it into roughly 1″ strips.
  3. Roll the strips in the cornstarch. Add more cornstarch as needed.
  4. Slide the skewers through the tofu lengthwise.
  5. Heat a 12″ pan.
    I use a non-stick pan which is no longer non-stick. so I highly recommend Smitten Kitchen’s quick tutorial on how to heat any pan so it’s non-stick. It’s 58 seconds that may change your cooking life. Deb Perelman is a sorceress.
  6. Add 3 tbsp of oil to your heated pan & let it get hot then add your skewers. Enjoy the ASMR sizzle.
  7. Cook for roughly 3-4 min.
  8. Flip the skewers & cook for 3 min.
  9. Add about half the sauce to the pan and flip the skewers until you’re happy with their level of crispiness.

Note: If the tofu sticks it may need to cook a little longer or you can try to release it with a spatula. Patience is your friend here. Also, remember if the tofu falls apart it’s still gonna taste amazing and you can serve it as CRISPY TOFU SATAY CRUMBLE. Yum.

GARNISH & SERVE:

WHAT TO DO:

  • CILANTRO: Washed well & chopped
  • PEANUTS: Crushed, lightly salted & dry roasted
  • CHILI CRISP
    I highly recommend David Chang’s Momofuku Crunch but whetevs.

You can serve this by itself, over rice, over salad or whatever floats your culinary boat. Cucumber spears are a lovely side and are fantastic dipped in the satay sauce.

Sprinkle with cilantro* and peanuts. Serve with the leftover peanut sauce and chili crisp on the side.

*CILANTRO SO SOAPY: Some people have a genetic mutation that makes cilantro taste like soap. So unless you know, serve the cilantro on the side.

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