Thai Basil Tofu (Tofu Pad Krapow)
Quick and easy protein packed Thai Basil Tofu (Tofu Pad Krapow), made with just few ingredients and packed with tremendous flavors.
I am a big fan of spicy savory aromatic Thai cuisine. Granted that lot of the Thai dishes are made with meat, aromatic herbs, fresh crunchy veggies and simple sauce mixes. Being a vegetarian I always try to find ways to make meaty dishes vegetarian friendly. Lot of Thai dishes can be easily made with tofu which is a vegan/vegetarian source of protein. This recipe is simply a reflection of all the above minus the meat.
Thai basil is one of the best fresh herbs you can find in the market and when it comes to Thai cuisine, it ends up being a must have ingredient. Every time I go to Asian grocery stores, I make sure to pick up a bunch of fresh Thai basil. One of my go to recipe that I use lot of Thai basil in is this Thai Basil Tofu (Tofu Pad Krapow). Pad means stir fry and Krapow means Thai/holy basil. That simply explains the name of this recipe, stir fired Thai/holy basil with tofu.
I like to coat tofu crumbles with hint of salt and pepper along with corn starch and bake it to get that proper meaty texture. However you can simply pan fry the tofu crumbs if you like. Or simply just use the tofu crumbs directly in the mix of sautéed Thai red chili and garlic. Honestly, I would highly recommend that extra step of baking the tofu to get the best texture for this dish. By the time your tofu bakes, you can prepare other ingredients. And those other ingredients being fresh Thai red chilis, garlic, shallots, Thai basil and sauce mix.
This dish comes together super quickly and great for batch cooking. It reheats very well, and honestly the longer it sits in the fridge, the better it absorbs the flavors. I simply serve it over plain steamed rice and top it with fried egg with runny yolk. If you would like to keep it vegan, you can simply skip the fried egg. I am not a big fan of runny yolk, so I skip it while my husband enjoys it with runny yolk fried egg. Either way it is extremely delicious, comforting and packed with protein!
I have been on a Thai cuisine kick this winter. That is the reason you’ll notice back to back Thai recipes on my blog like this Thai Basil Tofu (Tofu Pad Krapow) and Creamy Tom Yum Udon Noodles. I highly suggest you guys try this simple minimal ingredient protein packed recipe. Leave me a comment below or tag me on Instagram @myvegetarianroots if you try it and like it! I would love to get your feedback on my recipes!
Happy & Healthy Eating!
Thai Basil Tofu (Tofu Pad Krapow)
Ingredients
Baked Tofu (you can simply pan fry instead)
- 16 oz High Protein Organic Super Firm Tofu I get mine from Trader Joes
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- 2 tbsp Corn Starch
Thai Basil Tofu (Tofu Pad Krapow)
- 2 tbsp Avocado Oil any choice of cooking oil
- 6 cloves Garlic I like to process both garlic and red chili in food processor
- 4 Fresh Hot Red Thai Chili (use 6 for more spicy) if using large hot red chili pepper then use 2 for spicy, 1 for less spicy
- ⅓ cup Finely Chopped Red Onions or Shallots
- 1½ cup Fresh Thai Basil
- 2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
- 1 tbsp Organic Raw Cane Sugar or palm sugar
- 2 tbsp Water
Instructions
Bake Tofu (or simply pan fry)
- Remove any water from tofu and pat dry it. Crumble it in small pieces, do not mush it.
- Coat crumbled tofu with ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper powder and 2 tbsp of corn starch. If baking, lay it flat on a greased baking pan and spray oil on top.
- Bake it on 425℉ for 25 min. Toss tofu couple of times during baking step so that it is baked evenly from everywhere. Once done, keep it aside.
- If pan frying, cook tofu crumbles in a greased pan until all the moisture is gone and tofu starts to firm up with deeper color. Once done, keep it aside.
Make Thai Basil Tofu (Tofu Pad Krapow)
- Once tofu is baked/cooked, heat up 2 tbsp of oil in wok.
- Once hot, add in chopped thai red chili and garlic along with finely chopped red onions/shallots. Saute on medium heat for a minute or more, until raw smell of garlic is gone. DO NOT BURN IT.
- Once sauteed, add in baked tofu, mix well and cook for a minute or two on medium heat.
- Mix all the sauces mentioned above in a separate bowl, pour it over tofu in the wok. Take 2 tbsp of water in the same bowl you mixed sauces in to wash off remaining sauces and add it to the wok. Mix really well.
- Once sauce is mixed, cook for a minute on medium heat. Then add in chopped thai basil (or add in whole if you like). Mix well and cook for a minute or two until the basil is wilted.
- Simply serve it over plain steamed rice, top it with fried egg if prefer and enjoy while its hot!