Lemongrass tofu (also known as đậu hũ sả) is one of my favourite ways to enjoy tofu. It’s super easy to make, quick to serve, and delicious in fresh spring rolls, over rice, or rice noodles.
My mom makes this dish anytime I come home to visit with some frozen tofu she has in the fridge. Back before my family went vegetarian, my mom would always have the ingredients for đậu hũ sả at the ready since this was a crowd-pleasing dish.
Lemongrass tofu is super easy to make and the main ingredients are shallots/onion, lemongrass, tofu, and a bit of soy sauce. This dish is pretty common in a lot of Vietnamese restaurants! However, you may find restaurants use fish sauce unless it explicitly says “chay” (which means vegetarian).
Over the years I’ve made versions of this lemongrass tofu with fresh lemongrass, frozen lemongrass, shallots vs onions vs scallions, frozen fried tofu or regular fried tofu. Out of laziness, my go to tends to be using frozen lemongrass (about 1/3 cup), shallots, and regular fried tofu.
Lemongrass Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium sized onion, diced OR 1 bunch of green onion, diced OR two shallots, 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.) OR 1/3 cup frozen lemongrass
- 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
- Over medium heat, saute the onions in oil until translucent. Add garlic, chopped lemongrass and red chilli flakes, and stir until the lemongrass looks "melted".
- 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).
- 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.
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If you're using a garlic and lemongrass mixture, use about 1/4 cup of the mixture instead of the fresh lemongrass stalks
Caroline says
This looks delicious and super easy to make. Thanks. :)
Lisa Le says
Glad to share one of my favourite dishes ^_^
June Burns says
Mmmm that sounds awesome! Such a lovely flavor, lemongrass is :)
Lisa Le says
Right? Not enough people live lemongrass the time of day. It’s so easy to cool with too =)
Lisa Le says
I’ve never heard of kanom jean. What is it?
Dorien says
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 !
Marilou Hakuta says
Hi, Lisa,
I’m going to make the lemon grass tofu but I’m also interested in getting the recipe for Kanim Jean next week for a supper I’m having with neighbors this coming Tuesday. Would it be possible to have the recipe today or tomorrow so I can shop ahead? Thanks much in advance!
Please email me at [email protected]. I really love Vietnamese food and have been to Vietnam four times since the 90’s, mainly to Hanoi and neighboring places around there. I’d move to Hanoi in a heartbeat!
Lisa Le says
Hi Marilou, I’m not sure what Kanim Jean is?
Katie @ Produce on Parade says
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 ;)
Lisa Le says
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.
Jenny says
Just made this for my 10 yr old. Big smiles as he wolfed it down. He wants it every week. Thankyou!
Lisa Le says
Aw I love hearing that. Thanks Jenny!
Emma {Emma's Little Kitchen} says
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 :)
Lisa Le says
=) So glad you will once again enjoy the amazingness that is lemongrass tofu <3
Sonya says
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!
Lisa Le says
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
Sonya says
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!
Christina says
Hi Lisa, when you use frozen tofu do you defrost it first?
Lisa Le says
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.
Christina says
Thank you so much! I’ve already tried this recipe once with fresh tofu and it was AWESOME! Loved it
Lisa Le says
Glad you liked it!! It’s forever one of my favourites =D
Jezus Santos says
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.
Celyne says
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! :)
Lisa Le says
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.
Isabelle Gosselin says
have you found it? Loblaws and Farm boy (those two are where I grocery shop the most) carry it. It’s delicious.
Tiffany says
Hi Lisa,
Can you add other veggies to this? OR have you you tried that? Such as bell pepper, onion etc.
Thanks!
Lisa Le says
You do you! This recipe already has onion in it but add whatever ya want, you’re the Goku of your lemongrass tofu.
Teresa says
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!
Alana says
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…
Lisa Le says
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.
Helaine Shpritz says
This looks delicious. Will this recipe yield crispy tofu or so I need to bake it first?
Lisa Le says
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
Jennine says
Would you mind providing instructions for pre-frying the tofu? How long is it fried for, at what heat setting, and how much oil do you use? Also, do you not press the tofu first?
Lisa Le says
I usually just buy pre-fried tofu, but for frying your own firm tofu, check out this post for the details you’re looking for!
Bob Bush says
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!
Anami says
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.
Lisa Le says
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.
Anami says
Thank you so much, Lisa!! You’re awesome.
Supriya says
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.
paula rothman says
looks great, for frozen.. do you just freeze the packet of te fried tofu? then do you cook them frozen or let them thaw?
Lisa Le says
Freeze the fried tofu, then thaw, slice, and cook :)
Rw says
Very dry and sauce didn’t soak into tofu. I think the lemongrass in Canada isn’t fresh.
Lisa Le says
Lemongrass doesn’t really soak into the tofu, it’s more of a coating/herb? You’ll want to cook mainly with the lower white bulb and remove the woodier layers. It’ll be more like a firm onion when cooked.
Catherine says
Love this recipe, will cook again. Thanks for sharing!