Lemongrass tofu is Deniz’ favorite Vietnamese dish.  We both love it, with rice or in a ban mi.  This is our vegetarian adaptation to the Chicken Stir-Fried with Lemongrass and Chile recipe in Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors by Andrea Nguyen.

Ingredients:

• 2 batches of Deep Fried Marinated Tofu Cubes
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into ½ inch squares
• 1 c coconut milk
• ½ c concentrated broth (½ Knorr bullion dissolved in ½ c of boiling water, or leftover broth from marinading the tofu cubes prior to deep frying)
• 2 T cilantro, chopped (optional)

Marinade

• 1 t salt
• 1 T sugar
• 2 T curry powder
• 1 T fish sauce
• 2 t water

Wet Spices

• 4 T vegetable oil
• 6 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 Serrano chilies, finely chopped
• 6 stalks lemongrass, green tops chopped off (keeping the whiter bottom 3 inches), hard outer layers removed, finely chopped

Instructions:

Prepare the ingredients as described above.  In a small bowl, combine the Marinade ingredients.  In a medium bowl, combine the Wet Spices.

Pour the Marinade over the deep fried marinated tofu cubes.  Stir to evenly coat, stirring carefully to minimize damage to the tofu cubes.

In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil over high heat.  Add the rest of the Wet Spices and stir-fry for a minute.  Add the marinated deep fried tofu cubes and the bell peppers, and stir to coat well.  Cook for an additional minute.  Add the coconut milk and concentrated broth, using a spatula to flip and stir to evenly coat.  Lower the heat and cook for about 6 minutes, flipping the tofu occasional to prevent burning.  The tofu is done when the coconut milk is barely visible.

Garnish with optional cilantro.