Spicy tofu and zucchini with lemongrass, lime and basil
June 6th, 2007
Today’s lunch. It was delicious alongside brown basmati rice. Here’s the recipe:
Spicy tofu and zucchini with lemongrass, lime and basil
serves 2
Ingredients:
10 ounces extra-firm tofu, cubed
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch half-rounds
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 habanero chile, seeded and thinly sliced
1 4-inch piece lemongrass, minced
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons fish sauce
juice of 1/2 lime
8-10 basil leaves, thinly sliced
Instructions:
1. Cut the tofu into bite-size cubes. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, then slice the halves crosswise into 1/4-inch half-rounds. Prep the remaining ingredients.
2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over high heat. When it’s almost smoking, add the tofu and zucchini. Shake the pan briefly, then leave the tofu and zucchini alone to brown well, 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the habanero, lemongrass and shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is soft, 1-2 more minutes.
4. Add the chicken broth, fish sauce and lime juice and cook until the broth thickens, 1-2 more minutes. Stir in the basil.
June 6th, 2007 at 9:55 pm
I love the combo of habanero and lemongrass. In general, I love lemongrass anyway. More of it, please.
June 7th, 2007 at 5:28 am
Love this recipe — it combines so many flavors I like (basil, lime, chile). I’ve just planted some lemongrass in my garden; it will be fun to harvest for this later in the summer.
June 7th, 2007 at 7:56 am
The idish sounds delicious. I’ve made something similar but used asparagus instead of zucchini. Also, for a dish like this I found that using a dried habanero pepper pod more effective than a fresh habanero pepper. chefjp
June 7th, 2007 at 8:03 am
Wow, I need to make this - I have lemongrass and basil growing in the back. I usually use a rasp grater to grate the lemongrass - would you recommend that or is it best just to mince?
June 13th, 2007 at 6:05 am
Glad this looks good to you all. Thanks for the comments. Sometimes I find it easier to mince, rather than grate fibrous ingredients like ginger and lemongrass. But grating does have the added benefit of ensuring that no tough material makes it into the final dish.
-Brys
June 14th, 2007 at 10:49 am
If there’s one thing I can’t stand it people who alter a recipe and then comment on it. Nevertheless, all I substituted (due to what was on hand) was fresh yellow squash for the zuchinni and a large fresh jalapeno chili for the habanero. However I also had Thai basil rather than regular basil on hand so that should give me positive points. Everything else was exactly the same including the brown rice. Having said all that I can’t say I found this all that interesting - though admittedly very healthy
June 21st, 2007 at 6:13 am
This recipe has forever changed my mindset on tofu. This was excellent, thanks!
January 1st, 2008 at 2:37 am
Really nice post - thanx for sharing
April 14th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
I was just wondering if the fish sauce is essential to the overall taste? I’m not a big fan but I was wondering if it would ruin the recipe
July 16th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
[…] The zucchini and basil that went into this stir-fry (which I bookmarked on Cookthink to make an entire year ago!) were most decidedly of the grocery store variety. It was a little different than most stir-fries in that it was pretty dry- it had subtle, but distinct flavors of lime, basil, and lemongrass, with a little hot kick, but it wasn’t saucy the way that I tend to like my stir-fries. I’d recommend just eating it on its own and enjoying the unusual flavor combination as a light summer dish rather than bothering to put it over rice. And for those of you wondering what to do with your profligate zucchini plants, think of the rest of us as you enjoy your veggies. Spicy tofu and zucchini with lemongrass, lime and basil (serves 4 with rice) […]