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Tahu Tumis Kemangi - Tofu & Basil Stir Fry
Whenever I buy tofu, I love turning a couple of blocks at once into fried tofu cubes. They are so handy to quickly whip up a batch of satisfying meal, such as this tahu tumis kemangi - tofu & basil stir fry. I also like to add them to my salad :)
Thai basil
You can generally find Thai basil (Indonesian: daun kemangi) in most Asian groceries. You may think that Italian basil is a good substitute, but it actually is not. Asian dishes never use Italian basil. If you must substitute, it is preferable to use the same amount of cilantro. Yes, the dish will taste different, but I think cilantro matches better with the rest of the ingredients compared to Italian basil.
Tahu Tumis Kemangi - Tofu & Basil Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 block firm tofu (~ 400 gram / 14 oz.)
- salt
- pepper
- corn starch / all-purpose flour
- oil, for deep frying
- 50 gram shallot, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bird eye chilies, seeded
- 5 gram (1 teaspoon) shrimp paste (Indonesian: terasi, Malaysian: belacan), toasted (*)
- 1 tomato, halved and thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce (Indonesian: kecap manis)
- 4-5 stalks (~ 1/4 cup packed) Thai basil leaves (Indonesian: daun kemangi)
Instructions
- Drain the tofu block really well, cut into 1" cubes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, lightly dusted with corn starch (or all-purpose flour), and deep fried until light golden brown. Set aside to drain.
- Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Sauté shallot, garlic, bird eye chilies, and toasted shrimp paste until fragrant. About 3 minutes.
- Add tomato slices, salt, and sugar. Stir until tomato looks wilted and slightly saucy.
- Return fried tofu cubes to frying pan, and stir in the sweet soy sauce. Gently toss until tofu cubes are coated in sauce.
- Finally, add Thai basil leaves, and stir until wilted. Turn off heat, and transfer to a serving plate. Serve with steamed white rice.
Notes
- (*) Or 1 teaspoon of Thai shrimp paste, or 1 tablespoon of fish sauce.
Comments
Oh, this looks wonderful!!! So delicious and flavorful.
Thanks! And to be honest, the most difficult part is frying those tofus, haha :)
This is a wonderful recipe with tofu. I have previously tried Chinese and Japanese recipes by online references. I’ll surely try this Indonesian recipe (Tahu Tumis Kemangi / Tofu and Basil Stir Fry). Thanks for sharing it.
SO good! Love the crispy edge and sauce on the tofu! And thanks for the tip on not using italian basil, I definitely would have just substituted without it!
My whole family loved this dish and even my picky eaters cleaned their plate! So flavorful and quick to put together!
Wow, I'm impressed the kiddies loved this dish. Even in Indonesia, not all kiddies love Thai basil. :D
This looks so handy and great for salads and other dishes. Tofu is the best and your basil combination ticks some boxes, cheers!
I've made this tofu dish countless time but always serve it only with steamed white rice. Your salad idea is a genius! I need to try doing that myself.
I fell in love with Thai basil when it was the only basil I could find - yum! This sound delicious!!!
This is so easy and tasty! Love this recipe!
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