Sweet and Spicy Fried Tofu

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Sweet and Spicy Fried Tofu is a indonesian dish with a character of its own. Crisp fried tofu with a sharp, sweet and spicy dressing from West Java, simple, punchy and perfect as a street-food style snack. It is a useful recipe for exploring Asian flavours through clear, approachable cooking.

What is Sweet and Spicy Fried Tofu?

Sweet and Spicy Fried Tofu is not a standard everyday dish in many Western kitchens, which is exactly why it is interesting. At its core, it is crisp fried tofu with a sharp, sweet and spicy dressing from West Java, simple, punchy and perfect as a street-food style snack. The key is balance: savoury, aromatic, fresh and sometimes sweet or spicy. Serve it with rice, noodles, vegetables or a crisp cucumber side so the flavours can stand out clearly.

Serves: 4 people

Preparation time: 13 min

Ingredients

• Firm tofu – 400 g
• Palm sugar – 2 tbsp
• Tamarind water – 2 tbsp
• Sweet soy sauce – 1 tbsp
• Garlic cloves – 2
• Bird's eye chillies – 2
• Shallot – 1
• Water – 100 ml
• Oil – for frying
• Salt – to taste

Method

STEP 1
Cut the tofu into pieces and fry until golden and crisp.

STEP 2
Pound the garlic, chillies and shallot roughly.

STEP 3
Heat the water with palm sugar, tamarind and sweet soy until the sugar dissolves.

STEP 4
Stir the crushed aromatics into the warm dressing and season with salt.

STEP 5
Place the fried tofu on a plate and spoon the dressing over it.