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Sweet fragrant mercy and all that is holy in the tofu galaxy. Lemongrass tofu (đậu hũ sả) brings that the aroma of Vietnamese curry and a citrusy hit of lemongrass straight to your kitchen table. Spooned over jasmine rice, or layered on vermicelli noodles with herbs and pickled veg, it's hella fast to make, and even faster to disappear.
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This is my wife's absolute fave way to eat tofu. She's so bummed when we visit a Vietnamese restaurant and they don't offer it, or only have it made with oyster sauce, which we don't mess with.
This recipe tries its hardest to emulate our fave, the one they used to serve at the now-closed LAN cafe that used to be on 6th street in NYC. The older mom and dad were in the back cooking together, while playing buddhist hymns. Their son was the waiter, and the decor featured dusty old ceiling fans that looked like they came out of a toddler's bedroom. But their lemongrass tofu was insanely good, so this recipe pays homage to their way of making and serving it, ceiling fans and all.
It makes a killer meal served with vegan bánh mì, with a side of rau muống, or sometimes with a big bowl of bánh tráng trộn. It's super easy too: tofu block to dinner plate before you can even finish ranting about that one coworker who smells bad, or whatever, ever again.
Time to lemongrass-ify that block of tofu you've been figuring out what to do with all week.
We didn't expect much from this - green beans and tofu, right? Wrong. It's terrific! We've made it twice already! Super easy and flavorful.
Jump to:
🥰 Why you'll adore this Lemongrass Tofu recipe
✊ Vegan AF & GF: No cruelty involved in all my vegan Vietnamese recipes, just so you know. It's also one of the gluten-free vegan recipes that could humble your barbecue-obsessed dad in one bite.
⏰ Weeknight Legend: Done in under 30. Done faster than your brain can decide between rice or noodles.
✅ Tested and Loved Everywhere: Crowd-sourced, fine-tuned, and globally okayed by hundreds of my recipe testers. The collective response was "Helllllls yes, post it on the site." That's the only Yelp review I need to move forward with publishing my vegan recipes.
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🥢 Ingredients for Đậu Hũ Sả
The tofu
I like to make this with medium firm tofu, not soft tofu because it falls apart if you breathe near it. If you have soft tofu on hand, save that to make tofu katsu, vegan schnitzel, or tofu karaage with. This truly is best with medium, but either firm or extra-firm tofu can work too.
The Green beans
The normal thing is to use regular green beans with lemongrass tofu. But it can also be made with long beans (aka sitaw) if you cut them down to size.. Those also make a great bean to use in ginataang gulay, sambal goreng tempe, and sayur lodeh recipes too.
But you can totally rock this recipe out with regular green beans as a great substitute. You can even use frozen green beans and just skip the simmering of them, since they will already be more on the tender side when thawed.
Lemongrass
Fresh lemongrass stalks are what the recipe calls for, but frozen pre-obliterated lemongrass totally works if that's what you have. Use about 4 teaspoons of the frozen ground lemongrass in place of each stalk for best results.
If using fresh minced lemongrass, save the rough outer leaves to brew bandrek tea for a little low-effort self care, that puts your kitchen scraps to work.
Vietnamese curry powder
Turmeric, cumin, coriander, star anise, bam, bam, bam doing synchronized cartwheels into your dish. Can't find legit Vietnamese curry? Chuck in my Madras curry powder or Japanese curry powder which will come close enough.
Coconut sugar
Coconut sugar adds a subtle caramel-like sweetness that is important in making the flavor of the lemongrass feel more complete. Brown sugar, palm sugar, or maple syrup can be used instead if you aren't a coconut sugar freak like me.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯 Variations
Coconut Lemongrass Tofu Hotpot
Use the same tofu and lemongrass base but stir in coconut milk instead of water and serve it hot-pot style with wood ear mushrooms and bok choy.
Central Vietnamese Lemongrass Tofu
Turn up the lemongrass quantity, do away with the green beans and bell pepper, add chopped bird's-eye chilies and serve over rice noodles or over mi xao xi dau.
Grab my easy-yo-use app that builds your whole week with real, chef-tested vegan dinners in 30 seconds, customized to your budget, time, and taste, with a shopping list sorted by aisle.
📖 How to make vegan Lemongrass Tofu
So you're gonna just toss tofu in a pan and peace out? Nah, grab your wok and stay with me through this scenic step-by-step I prepped for you. Or, if you're too dang hungry to read, scroll to the printable recipe card and let your instincts cook.
Step One
Wok This Way:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. After about 90 seconds, once the oil is hot, add the tofu strips in a single layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, turning gently until they become golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate and set aside, wiping the pan to remove any leftover bits.
✅ You can also air fry the tofu or use pre-fried strips if you'd rather skip making a mess of your stovetop.
Step Two
The Bean Mile:
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Once bubbling, toss in the green beans, take off the heat immediately, and cover to let them steam.
Step Three
Sautébraham Lincoln:
In the same skillet you cooked the tofu in, add a little more oil and warm it over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and green bell pepper and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, sautéing until softened and fragrant.
Step Four
Jurgrassic Park:
Mince the tender inner part of the lemongrass stalks finely, then add them to the skillet with the garlic and curry powder. Stir to mix everything together.
Step Five
The Cold November Drain:
Drain the green beans using a colander or fine mesh strainer and set them aside.
Step Six
Tofu Wong Fu:
After 3-4 minutes, when the garlic smells fragrant, add the green beans, fried tofu strips, coconut sugar, water, and salt. Stir occasionally without breaking the tofu strips apart and let everything cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until the green beans are tender and the liquid reduces.
Step Seven
Neil Lemongrassy Tyson:
Transfer everything to a serving dish alongside steamed rice or rice vermicelli. Garnish with sliced scallions, cilantro leaves, and bird's eye chilies.
If you are looking to rock this some less basic noodles, vegan mi quang noodles, vegan bún bò huế, or vegan bun riêu are sorta the gold standards of the noodle game.
💡Serving Ideas
When you combine this lemongrass tofu with some potent Vietnamese dishes, dinner suddenly takes on a whole new level. More bangin' than a 2000s karaoke night where you're wearing that romper you used to look sick in.
Serve it with some juicy, steamy bánh bao chay and dip 'em in Vietnamese peanut sauce or nước chấm. I love me some lemongrass tofu as an accompaniment to vegan mi quang noodles too.
Or pull out cà ri chay and a pile of stir-fried water spinach because you need at least 3 kinds of veggies in your life to convince yourself you're still eating vegan food.
You think you're done eating? Wrong.
Bánh flan is that creamy vegan creme caramel situation that makes everyone go quiet for 10 seconds. Chè ba màu looks like confetti exploded in syrup except its actually a good for you, protein packed dessert. Kem chuối for cold banana-coconut insanity on fleek.
👉 Top tips
- Remove That Tofu's Moisture: To avoid extra splatters and making a mess of your stovetop, wrap your tofu cubes in a clean towel and gently press it for at least a few minutes minutes before frying so it gets that perfect crispy tofu crunch.
- Get the Heat Just Right: When you fry the tofu, don't rush it. Medium-high heat is your sweet spot.
- Don't Overcook the Veggies: While my wife likes hers more well-done, I like it when the green beans and bell peppers still have a little life left in them. Overdoing it turns them into mush and robs you of the textural balance that makes the tofu come across as meaty and delightful.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
While I love medium tofu for this, it requires a little care and attention to prevent it from breaking while you fry it. So if that sounds like you, firm or extra-firm tofu is your move here. It holds its shape during frying and soaks up all that lemongrass flavor without falling apart or turning mushy.
Powdered lemongrass is better off in things where you don't want to introduce more liquid such as tempe mendoan, turon, and vegan banh mi.
Fresh lemongrass is ideal, but most Southeast Asia inspired grocery stores also sell frozen bags of macerated lemongrass which is super convenient. I would recommend using about 4 teaspoons of that to replace each stalk of lemongrass.
Absolutely. Toss the tofu in a light coat of oil and air fry at 400°F for about 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through until golden brown and crisp.
Trim off the dry ends, peel away the outer layers, and mince the pale inner part finely. That's where the flavor lives. The external leaves end up staying "hairy" even when cooked and don't have much flavor.
Steamed jasmine rice is the classic choice, but you can also serve it over Thai basil fried rice, coconut jasmine rice, tom yum fried rice, or a crunchy lao papaya salad.
❄️ Refrigeration:
Let the lemongrass tofu cool to room temperature before transferring it into an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. The flavors deepen overnight, so don't be surprised if it tastes even better the next day.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating:
Warm a skillet over medium heat with a splash of oil or water. Add the tofu and veggies, stirring gently for about five minutes until everything is heated through and the sauce thickens again.
⚡️ Microwave Reheating:
Place the lemongrass tofu in a microwave-safe bowl, cover it loosely with a plate, and heat for about one to two minutes. Stir halfway through to make sure it reheats evenly, and let it sit for a minute before serving so you don't scorch your tongue.
Please don't. Frozen tofu turns into bouncy weirdness that even sauce can't fix. Put it in the fridge instead and reheat like a normal, functioning adult.
✌️You'll love these Asian tofu recipes too:
Learn to make your fave Vietnamese street food bangers in this super-fun cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Lemongrass Tofu Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Fried Tofu:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil canola oil, or sunflower oil
- 14 oz soft tofu cut into strips
For the Stir-Fry:
- 2 cups green beans stems removed, cut in 2 inch sections
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil canola oil, or sunflower oil
- 1 cup onion diced
- ½ cup green bell pepper diced
- 2 stalks lemongrass dry outer layer discarded
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons Vietnamese curry powder
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or brown sugar
- ¾ cup water
- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
Optional garnishes:
- Thinly sliced scallion
- Cilantro leaves
- Sliced bird's eye chilies
Instructions
- Warm oil in a large skillet over medium heat. After 90 seconds when the oil is hot, add the tofu strips in a single layer. Cook for 3 minutes per side, turning carefully, until golden and crisp. Transfer the tofu to a plate and set aside, wiping down the pan to remove oil? and particles of tofu. *Alternatively you can air fry the tofu, or use pre-fried tofu cut into strips.
- Bring a saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. When the water is boiling, add the green beans, remove from the heat and cover the pot.
- In the same skillet you cooked the tofu in, warm oil over medium-high heat. After 90 seconds when the oil is hot, add the onion and green bell pepper and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Finely mince the tender inner portion of the lemongrass stalks and add to the pan along with the garlic and curry powder.
- Drain the green beans in a colander or wire mesh strainer.
- After 3-4 minutes when the garlic is fragrant, add the green beans, the fried tofu strips, coconut sugar, water, and salt. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the green beans are tender and most of the liquid has reduced.
- Transfer the lemongrass tofu to a serving dish with steamed rice on the side and garnish with sliced scallion, cilantro leaves, and bird's eye chilies if desired. Serve warm.
Notes
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Elke says
We didn’t expect much from this — green beans and tofu, right? Wrong. It’s terrific! We’ve made it twice already! Super easy and flavorful.
Marjorie says
You can tell Adam actually cares about flavor. This was so goodd