Thai fried beancurd in sweet nut sauce (Tau hou tod)

People travel, and along with them, they carry ingredients and cooking techniques. This dish highlights this aspect of a movement and migration of communities.

The Chinese migrated to Thailand, and with them came deep frying and tofu. But arriving in Thailand, this dish is cooked with its own characteristics and flavours, adapting to the local palate. The tofu is still deep-fried, but the sauce is all regional: peanuts, sugar, and souring vinegar.

I loved this dish; it is as much about the super tofu as it is about the sauce. The soft tofu has a crisp skin, an essential characteristic of this dish. The spooned sauce over should be added at the last minute before serving to preserve the crisp skin. The sauce adds pop, mild spice, tartness, and nuttiness; the combination is addictive. It is a side dish that will disappear quickly from the table.

This is a thin cookbook filled with outstanding vegan recipes. Simple recipes for traditional salads, fried foods, noodles, and curries, like this one, make this my go-to cookbook for vegetarian Thai cuisine. Vatch, as he is known, has published several cookbooks, runs some excellent restaurants worldwide, and teaches Thai cooking at his school.

For more wonderful recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

10 oz. soft beancurd, cubed

Oil to fry

5 tablespoons apple cider or white vinegar

4 tablespoons sugar

Salt, to taste

1/2-3/4 teaspoon chilli powder

2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, crushed, or creamy peanut butter

Fresh cilantro, or Thai basil for garnish

Method:

Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Fry the beancurd until browned on all sides. The soft beancurd tends to fall apart very easily, so be careful. You can also deep fry the beancurd, but I prefer this method. Set aside.

Heat the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. until the sugar is melted and you have a strup. Take off the flame and add the chilli powder and peanuts and mix well into a creamy sauce.

Arrange the fried beancurd on a platter and spoon the peanut sauce over generously. Garnish with cilantro or basil. Serve immediately.