Lemongrass Tofu Stir-Fry

This lemongrass tofu is drenched in a zippy hoisin-lime sauce and served with sweet stir-fried peppers, fresh basil, and crunchy peanuts. It’s an intensely flavorful vegan dinner that’s easy enough for a busy weeknight!

Lemongrass is such a delicious seasoning, but it’s definitely an underused ingredient in my kitchen. I don’t cook with it nearly enough! I’ve accumulated a few recipes featuring lemongrass over the years, including my lemongrass soup, tofu satay, and Thai coconut soup, but that’s about it. Every time I cook with lemongrass I realize I need more of it in my life!

Lemongrass can be a little intimidating if you’re new to cooking with it. What ever does one do with these big tough stalks? Don’t worry though — I promise you, it’s simple, and well worth the two minutes or so of prep work that are requied.

Read on to learn what to do, and how to incorporate this scrumptious ingredient into an absolutely DELICIOUS lemongrass tofu stir-fry. You’re going to want to make this one again and again!

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Ingredients You’ll Need

Soy sauce. Liquid aminos or tamari (optionally gluten-free) can be substituted if needed.
Lime juice. Make sure to use freshly squeezed juice, rather than bottled, which just doesn’t have the same level of flavor!
Hoisin sauce. Most grocery stores carry this in the international aisle.
Brown sugar. Use organic brown sugar to keep the recipe vegan. Non-organic brown sugar may have been processed using animal bone char.
Cornstarch.
Tofu. I like super-firm tofu best for this recipe, but you’re free to use firm or extra-firm, as long as you press it before using it.
Peanut oil. Peanut oil is great for stir-frying, thanks to it’s high smoke point, but you could substitute another high-heat neutral oil if you’d like.
Shallot.
Garlic.
Lemongrass stalks. I recommend using fresh lemongrass, since it’s the star flavor of this dish. Look for it in the produce section of your grocery store. If you can’t find it, you should be able to find lemongrass paste in a tube, and while I haven’t tried the recipe using this product, it usually works fine when directly substituted for minced lemongrass.
Red bell pepper.
Fresh basil. Use whatever variety of basil you can get your hands on. Thai basil or holy basil are great options, but more common Italian basil is just fine as well.
Scallions. Also known as good old green onions!
Peanuts. Go for roasted and salted peanuts. Cashews make a great alternative if you’re looking to switch things up.
Rice. You can use just about any variety of rice. If you’d really like to take the dish up a notch, try it with my coconut jasmine rice. Alternatively, this stir-fry would also be great over noodles!

How It’s Made

The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!

Bowl of stir-fry sauce with a spoon in it.

Start by mixing up your sauce ingredients in a bow: soy sauce, lime juice, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch.

Minced lemongrass on a cutting board with discarded ends and outer layers.

To prepare your lemongrass, cut the woody ends off the stalks, then remove and discard the tough outer layers. Mince the inner portion.

Cut your tofu into triangles, then heat some oil in a wok. Cook the tofu triangles for about five minutes on each side, until they are golden brown. Move them onto a plate when they’re done.

Heat some more oil in the wok, then add sliced shallots. Cook the shallots for a few minutes, stirring them often, until they soften and just begin to brown.

Tip: If you can’t fit all of the tofu in your wok in a single layer, cook it in batches. You could also cook it in a separate vessel, such as a large nonstick skillet.

Sliced shallots cooking in a wok with minced garlic and lemongrass.

Now add minced garlic and lemongrass to the wok. Cook them with the shallots for a minute.

Bell peppers, shallots, lemongrass and garlic cooking in a wok.

Raise the heat a bit and add sliced bell peppers. Stir-fry them for a few minutes, until they become bring red and slightly tender.

Lemongrass Tofu cooking in a wok with peppers and shallots.

Add the tofu back to the wok, pour the sauce over it, then mix everything up! Continue cooking the mixture for a minute or so, until the sauce thickens.

Lemongrass Tofu cooking in a wok. with fresh basil and scallions.

Finally, add your chopped fresh basil and scallions to the wok. Continue cooking everything until the basil wilts, which will happen pretty quickly!

Lemongrass Tofu in a wok with a spatula.

Remove the wok from heat. Your lemongrass tofu stir-fry is done!

Plate of Lemongrass Tofu and rice with a wok on the side.

Pile it over rice and top each portion with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts. It’s ready to enjoy!

Leftovers & Storage

Leftover lemongrass tofu will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about three days, or in the freezer for three months. You can reheat it in the microwave, or in a skillet on the stove, adding a splash of water if the sauce dries up too much.

More Tofu Stir-Fry Recipes

Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!

Plate of Lemongrass Tofu and rice with chopsticks on the side.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Ingredients

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon organic brown sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 (16 ounce/454 gram) package super-firm tofu
1 ½ tablespoons peanut oil,
1 medium shallot, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablesooons minced fresh lemongrass, about 2 medium stalks (Note 1)
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
½ cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
2 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ cup roasted and salted peanuts, chopped
Cooked rice, for serving

Instructions

Stir the soy sauce, lime juice, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Set this aside.
Cut your block of tofu into triangles. First, slice it into approximately ½-inch thick slabs, then cut each slab in half, to create a square. Cut each square in half on a diagonal to create two triangles (Note 2).
Coat the bottom of a large wok with one tablespoon of the oil and place it over medium heat. Give the oil a minute to heat up. Add the tofu triangles in an even layer. Cook the tofu pieces for about 10 minutes, flipping them halfway through, until they’re golden brown on both sides (Note 3). Transfer the cooked tofu pieces to a plate.
Add the remaining oil to the wok, then allow it to heat up for a minute. Add the shallots. Cook the shallots for about 3 minutes, stirring often, until they soften and begin to brown.
Add the garlic and lemongrass to the wok. Stir them in with the shallots and cook the mixture for about a minute, stirring constantly.
Raise the heat to medium-high and add the bell pepper. Stir-fry the ingredients for about 3 minutes, until the pepper brightens in color and becomes tender-crisp.
Return the tofu to the wok, then carefully pour the soy sauce mixture over the tofu. Stir the ingredients up and continue cooking the mixture for about 1 minute, until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the other ingredients.
Stir in the basil and scallions. Continue cooking the mixture for a few seconds, just until the basil wilts, then remove the wok from heat.
Top the stir-fry with chopped peanuts and serve it over rice.

Notes

To prepare your lemongrass, cut the woody upper and lower ends from your stalks, then make a lengthwise slit along the length of each stalk. Peel off any tough outer layers, then finely mince the inner portion.
You can alternatively cut the tofu into cubes, if that’s your preference.
You can cook the tofu in batches if it won’t all fit at once.
Nutrition information does not include rice.

Nutrition

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