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Lemongrass Tofu

January 12, 2015 by Lisa Le 37 Comments

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Lemongrass tofu is one of my favourite ways to enjoy tofu. My mom will make this dish anytime I come home to visit with some frozen tofu she’s had in the fridge since my family isn’t vegan and she knows I love that this is a vegan lemongrass tofu dish. It’s super easy to make, quick to serve, and can be eaten on fresh spring rolls, over rice, or rice noodles. 

Lemongrass Tofu

I’ve always considered myself as a chameleon. I’ve moved from place to place, switching between juxtaposing positions easily, morphing myself into a vibrant, outgoing individual, to a more muted, conservative member of a group when needed. I am adamant about always improving, probably annoying all my friends and family with my incessant need to assess my current state of being and how I can improve.

Am I overly critical? Like, on a scale to reasonable to ultra-high standards restaurant critic, where do I fall? Do I tell bad stories? How can I improve?

Yes, I sound like a satisfaction survey.

My close friends usually don’t say anything because they think I’m loopy and being weird, but I really do aspire to change and be better. I reflect on who I was as a high school student, then as a freshman in uni, then as a grad student, and I wonder if I’ve changed. It’s hard to look back and assess, because I’m naturally biased. I need a third opinion but nobody wants to be the bad guy and tell me I tell terrible stories and need to stop (I know they’re bad, I’m still working on it).

Lemongrass Tofu

I don’t see the change in me until I go back to those places. This week I’m working from Ottawa, visiting Chris and sitting in my old study spots and basically anywhere with WiFi and an outlet. I’m surrounded by versions of me from 4 years ago and it’s so weird to see.

People who are still green and figuring out what they’re doing with their lives, finding out how to talk to boys (well, I haven’t figured that out really either but I haven’t had the need in about 6 years so that’s not a priority), navigating real life things like paying rent or doing your own car repairs.

I was a gung-ho, ultra enthusiastic, high-energy, high impact kind of girl. I saw something that I wanted to do and then I did it. Even though I know I’ve changed so much in the past, I find that it’s harder to do that now. I’m less malleable to change. I find myself falling into patterns I know aren’t the best for me, but I still do it anyway.

Lemongrass Tofu

I speed just under the acceptable speed level. I probably could go faster or slower, but I refuse. I binge watch TV shows. I eat a whole bag of Sweet Chili Heat Doritos with a sleeve or Oreos even though I know that just because they’re vegan, they’re not good for me. I will avoid my yoga mat even though I know that if I just did 20 minutes of yoga, I would feel so much happier and better.

It’s as if aspects of my personality are starting to calcify and I can’t break out of the position to change like I used to. Is this something that all people start to see as they grow older? Is the gradual increase of stubbornness to change, heartburn, and inability to sleep anything more or less than 7 hours a symptom of getting older?

Continue to Content
Yield: 4

Lemongrass Tofu

Lemongrass Tofu
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium sized onion, diced OR 1 bunch of green onion, diced.
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 stalks lemongrass, cleaned and chopped (discard the dryer outer layers, because they will have flavour but will be hard to eat. You can save those for making a flavourful broth.)
  • 1/2 tsp dried red chilli flakes
  • 1 lb fresh or frozen* fried tofu, sliced into strips
  • 2-3 tbsp soy sauce (depends on how salty you like it, start with 2, then add more if needed)

Instructions

  1. Over medium heat, saute the onions in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic, chopped lemongrass and red chilli flakes, and stir until the lemongrass looks "melted".
  2. Add the tofu and soy sauce and stir fry, mixing well until the tofu has absorbed the flavour and is cooked through (about 5-10 minutes).
  3. Serve over rice, rice noodles, or even in rice wraps!

Notes

*I used fresh for this recipe because honestly it looks nicer, but frozen tofu will yield a different texture that's a bit more spongey from the freezing process. The water in the tofu will create pockets that are great for absorbing flavour. My mom always makes this with frozen tofu and frankly I think it's tastier, but both fresh and frozen taste good.
___
If you're using a garlic and lemongrass mixture, use about 1/4 cup of the mixture instead of the fresh lemongrass stalks

© Lisa Le

 

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Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, Gluten-Free, Lunch, Vegan recipes, Vietnamese Tagged With: dinner, easy, lemongrass, quick, tofu

About Lisa Le

Lisa is the thirty-something, nerdy, procrastinating, feminist blogger and photographer behind The Viet Vegan. She loves spicy foods, noodles, and food in bowls.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Caroline says

    January 12, 2015 at 2:38 PM

    This looks delicious and super easy to make. Thanks. :)

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      January 12, 2015 at 8:24 PM

      Glad to share one of my favourite dishes ^_^

      Reply
  2. June Burns says

    January 12, 2015 at 7:10 PM

    Mmmm that sounds awesome! Such a lovely flavor, lemongrass is :)

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      January 12, 2015 at 8:25 PM

      Right? Not enough people live lemongrass the time of day. It’s so easy to cool with too =)

      Reply
  3. Lisa Le says

    January 12, 2015 at 8:24 PM

    I’ve never heard of kanom jean. What is it?

    Reply
    • Dorien says

      April 24, 2017 at 4:29 PM

      Hi Lisa, love your blog and LOVE Vietnamese food. It’s so fresh and healthy! I’m half Thai, living in the Netherlands ( next to Germany) . Khanom Jean is a noodle salad with white Japanse noodles and a fresh coconut dressing with normally ginger, pineapple , chili and dried shrimp in it. I love it. The tofu looks great. I will defenitely try it !

      Reply
  4. Katie @ Produce on Parade says

    January 13, 2015 at 2:56 PM

    Thanks for the tips about the lemongrass. One time, I just added it all chopped up in my soup and I ended up having to fish out all the “woody” bits…it was horrible. Good to know about saving them for later! You’re so smart. OMG, your second to last paragraph definitely summed up my life as of late. It’s okay, don’t beat yourself up! Sometimes we all need a sleeve or Oreos and some binge watching ;)

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      January 13, 2015 at 5:35 PM

      Yeah my mom actually cooks with the woody bits too but they just get stuck in my teeth and I have to chew them a lot and it feels like I’m literally eating grass or something. Not pleasant, and I’d rather avoid it if possible haha.

      Reply
  5. Jenny says

    June 15, 2015 at 4:43 AM

    Just made this for my 10 yr old. Big smiles as he wolfed it down. He wants it every week. Thankyou!

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      June 17, 2015 at 10:21 AM

      Aw I love hearing that. Thanks Jenny!

      Reply
  6. Emma {Emma's Little Kitchen} says

    September 17, 2015 at 9:53 AM

    This is one of the first meals I ever ate in Vietnam, and I’ve been searching for a recipe for YEARS (seriously!). So happy I stumbled upon your site :)

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      September 18, 2015 at 8:13 PM

      =) So glad you will once again enjoy the amazingness that is lemongrass tofu <3

      Reply
  7. Sonya says

    September 28, 2015 at 11:05 PM

    Hey, we’re practically neighbours! I love your blog and LOVED this recipe:) I googled “fast and healthy lemongrass tofu stirfry” and was not disappointed. Great flavour, fast and simple enough that my 4 year old could ‘help’ me make it, and all our young kids loved it! I will make this again and definitely share it. Thanks for posting!

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      September 29, 2015 at 4:05 PM

      So glad you liked it Sonya! Yay Torontonians =) Although I just moved out to Mississauga so I don’t think I can call myself a Torontonian anymore T_T

      Reply
  8. Sonya says

    November 16, 2015 at 5:25 PM

    This recipe never disappoints! It’s my second time making your recipe – my go-to whenever we get lemongrass and tofu:) Our young kids love it and eat it up, and it’s FAST and easy. Ideal for a busy weeknight meal. AND it’s healthy! Thanks so much for sharing, Lisa!

    Reply
  9. Christina says

    February 27, 2016 at 1:16 AM

    Hi Lisa, when you use frozen tofu do you defrost it first?

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      February 28, 2016 at 6:48 PM

      Hi Christina,

      Yes! Defrost it first =) My mom sometimes defrosts it in a bowl of warm water, I’ve defrosted it in the fridge overnight before.

      Reply
      • Christina says

        February 28, 2016 at 10:02 PM

        Thank you so much! I’ve already tried this recipe once with fresh tofu and it was AWESOME! Loved it

        Reply
        • Lisa Le says

          March 1, 2016 at 12:38 AM

          Glad you liked it!! It’s forever one of my favourites =D

          Reply
  10. Jezus Santos says

    October 27, 2016 at 7:52 PM

    I can torally relate to always im proving but trying best to remain unbiased! Just went vegan 2 months ago. Started meditatig twice a day. Constantly changing. Constsntly adapting. Constantly tweaking and refining. Finding that middle ground. Have fun on your journey. Found your article after ordering lemon grass tofu at a vietnamese restaurant at my home in O’ahu Hawai’i. Thanks for the blog, totally relatable.

    Reply
  11. Celyne says

    November 15, 2016 at 10:50 PM

    Hi! Can you tell me where I can find Lemon grass and other Vietnamese cooking supplies near Orleans? I want to try to make your lemongrass tofu… thanks! :)

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      November 16, 2016 at 1:27 PM

      Hi Celyne! I’m not sure. I don’t live in Ottawa anymore, the places I would have gone would be any Asian grocery store in Chinatown, but I’m not sure if they have any in Orleans.

      Reply
    • Isabelle Gosselin says

      May 31, 2017 at 6:46 PM

      have you found it? Loblaws and Farm boy (those two are where I grocery shop the most) carry it. It’s delicious.

      Reply
  12. Tiffany says

    August 24, 2017 at 12:54 PM

    Hi Lisa,

    Can you add other veggies to this? OR have you you tried that? Such as bell pepper, onion etc.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      August 28, 2017 at 2:47 PM

      You do you! This recipe already has onion in it but add whatever ya want, you’re the Goku of your lemongrass tofu.

      Reply
  13. Teresa says

    September 5, 2017 at 8:03 PM

    Thank you so much for the lemongrass tofu recipe. I made it last night and my husband and I devoured it all. I was looking for a recipe that was close to the lemongrass tofu I used to order all the time at Chateau Saigon in Atlanta. This recipe met our expectations. I can’t wait to make it again. We had no leftovers, but I wish we did!

    Reply
  14. Alana says

    October 11, 2017 at 8:56 PM

    Hi I just wanted to ask your opinion on something.
    I work in a vietnamese restaurant and I am vegan.
    I have so many people asking me each day if we have tofu on the menu and each time I have to inform them that we don’t.
    Our vegan options is basically a vegetable only banh mi or removing the meat and fish components from any menu item which isn’t always the most exciting thing when you wanna go out for a meal.
    When I bring it up to the boss and suggest we add tofu to our menu my boss gets all funny about it and says that in Vietnam it’s not really traditional and that we are a Tradition Vietnamese Restaurant…
    I just wanted to hear your thoughts on this because everywhere I read online says that Vietnam is one of the best places for vegan and tofu dishes…

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      October 12, 2017 at 8:55 PM

      Hi Alana,

      Tofu is pretty prevalent in Viet culture, at least it was for where my family is from (Saigon). If they still don’t think tofu is traditional, you could go about the angle of supporting more Buddhist or catering to more people: Since more and more people are going vegetarian/vegan these days, and even if an entire family isn’t vegan, they will often pick a place that has vegan options if one member family is.

      Reply
  15. Helaine Shpritz says

    January 30, 2018 at 1:12 PM

    This looks delicious. Will this recipe yield crispy tofu or so I need to bake it first?

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      January 31, 2018 at 1:52 PM

      The tofu is typically fried first, the end result isn’t crispy though. Using fried tofu just gives it extra texture to hold up during the stir-frying process

      Reply
  16. Bob Bush says

    February 5, 2018 at 2:16 PM

    Thank you! I love Tofu with Lemongrass and Chilies, and this looks like a great one to try. I’ll probably make it spicier. I like it hot!

    Reply
  17. Anami says

    April 24, 2018 at 8:39 AM

    Hey, I have a question: every time I make this, the lemongrass/onions/spices burn terribly after the first batch of tofu.. How do I make sure that doesn’t happen? Is that because of my pan, or do I reduce the heat? I’m so confused..
    Oh and another one, do you just fish out the tofu with chopsticks and clean the lemongrass bits off, or do you serve it all together? Thanks!
    Also, my (viet) dad told me to marinate the tofu in soy sauce and lemongrass overnight and it was a great idea!
    Love.

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      April 27, 2018 at 11:07 PM

      Hi Anami! Yes marinating would definitely make the flavour much bolder! You serve it with the lemongrass, the idea is that once it’s processed, the bits are quite small and easier to eat. If you’re finding that they burn quickly you may need to reduce the heat OR cook for less time.

      Reply
      • Anami says

        May 26, 2018 at 1:23 PM

        Thank you so much, Lisa!! You’re awesome.

        Reply
  18. Supriya says

    September 20, 2018 at 7:44 PM

    Just tried this for the first time, and it’s delicious! I used lemongrass paste from a tube and also garlic paste, just to save time. We all loved it! The only thing I would change for next time is to go easy on the pepper flakes…just a sprinkle would do it for the kids, I think. Thanks for the great recipe! Going into rotation.

    Reply
  19. paula rothman says

    August 31, 2020 at 10:02 AM

    looks great, for frozen.. do you just freeze the packet of te fried tofu? then do you cook them frozen or let them thaw?

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      September 1, 2020 at 3:55 PM

      Freeze the fried tofu, then thaw, slice, and cook :)

      Reply

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