Spicy Lemongrass "Tofu Zucchini"
(click on image to enlarge)
2 small or one large serving
One of my favorite cooked Vietnamese dishes has been Spicy Lemongrass Tofu. I tried to figure out something to use instead of tofu to make this a raw dish. Since the tofu is usually deep fried, I went with the zucchini instead of eggplant. Zucchini has a light flavor, like tofu, and stays crisper. Just be ready for the burn!
Originally posted at http://legallyraw.blogspot.com on September 16, 2007
Ingredients
- ¼ cup lemongrass, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons nama shoyu
- 2 teaspoons thai bird chilies, seeded and finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon tumeric
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup
- 12 ounces zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
- 2 green onions, thinely sliced
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- ⅔ cup basil, loosely packed and shredded
Preparation
1. Combine the lemongrass, soy sauce, chilies, turmeric, agave and green onion, and garlic, in a bowl. Add the zucchini and turn to coat them evenly. Marinate for at least 1 hour.
2. Drain off all but about 3 tablespoons of liquid. Place in a bowl into the dehydrator for at least 2 hours at 100 degrees. Serve warm.
Note: If you don’t like it spicy, cut back on the chilies! If you can find Asian Basil, then use it. Regular Basil can be substituted, as can cilantro.
Comments
sweetpea writes: (October 28, 2007)
This sounds lovely although I don’t use nama shoyu. I would try miso instead.
ambiguous writes: (December 16, 2007)
I had to make a few substitutions (e.g. couldn’t find fresh basil, so used dried) but this was absolutely delicious—thanks rkbush for the great recipe. I’m sure in the summer most of these ingredients will be abundant.
leafekat writes: (January 24, 2008)
This is great!!! We will make this again.
leafekat writes: (April 07, 2008)
We had this for a second time. We totally love this. We did not have any agave so we used date sugar(not raw- just our backup). Wish we had more zucchini, we would make a bigger batch for leftovers tomorrow.
leafekat writes: (May 22, 2008)
Just for reference. If you substitute crushed red pepper for the thai chillies dont use 1/2 tsp. It was too much. If you add too much hot stuff, then add some cubed avocado. The avocado cuts the hot and adds a deep rich flavor.
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