Tauhu Goreng

've never been a big fan of fried foods, and I don't own a fryer, so this is my take on a very popular street food in Malaysia. Traditionally, large chunks of tofu are stuffed with a cucumber and bean sprout salad and served in a peanut satay sauce. For this version, I've seared my tofu in a pan and tried to "chef" it up a bit with a deconstructed version that features the salad on the side. Let me know what you think.

• A few large thick slices of tofu, one per person
• One big handful of bean sprouts and other sprouted seeds
• A small cucumber, peeled and then chopped or shredded (keep the peeling)
• 1 table spoon of peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon of soy sauce
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• Some chopped cilantro and whole leaves for garnish
• 1 teaspoon of finely grated ginger
• Some hot chili oil, to taste, or a few minced chili peppers
• A bit of peanut oil, both to thin the sauce and sear the tofu

Begin with the prep work. Using a peeler, peel the cucumber and save the peeling. Chop or shred the peeled cucumber with a knife or a box grater, and put it in a bowl with the bean sprouts and your other sprouted seeds, if need be. In my recipe here, I am also using sprouted mung beans and radish seeds, but anything is nice. it adds a nice crunch to the filling. Add some of the cilantro, too.

Combine the peanut butter, minced garlic, the ginger, the soy sauce, and the chili oil. Mix with a spoon - if it is too thick, thin it with a bit of peanut oil (or add more chili oil!). When it's stirrable, add it to your mix of veggies and toss it to combine. Set it aside for now.

Heat some peanut oil over medium heat in a pan, and sear the tofu until it is GBD (golden brown and delicious) on both sides. You can also stand it on edge to crisp the edges, if you like. Normally, traditionally the tofu was deep fried and sliced open and stuffed with the salad filling. In my version, I cut out the middle of the tofu slice, lay it on the plate, and fill the middle with the salad, and put the pieces of cut out tofu on top. The remainder of the salad is plated next to the tofu. In my photo, I am using a ring mold to keep it together but this really isn't necessary. Garnish it with the strips of cucumber peeling from before. You did save them, right?

That's pretty much it. Enjoy! Garnish it with the remaining cilantro leaves.

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