Lemongrass Curry Tofu Bowl with Coconut Rice & Sambal-inspired Sauce (Nasi Lemak)

Lemongrass curry tofu bowl with coconut rice and homemade sambal sauce, inspired by Malaysia's Nasi Lemak.

The star of the show is the sambal sauce! Sambal is a generic term in Malaysian for any chili based sauce with secondary ingredients such as aromatics like garlic and ginger, vegetables, and fish/anchovies for a signature kick of umami.

What started as a standard recipe ended up as my own custom variation, combining essential Southeast Asian ingredients with a few healthier substitutions from my pantry. This sauce is extremely versatile and tastes delicious on EVERYTHING. Trust me.

INGREDIENTS

Cook time: 1 hour | Yields: 4-5 servings

Sambal sauce: 

  • 1/4 cup of sambal olek 

  • 2 tbsp fish sauce (sub vegan fish sauce. I like Ocean’s Halo)

  • 1 sheet of roasted nori 

  • 1 tbsp white miso 

  • 6 cloves of garlic 

  • 1 inch of ginger

  • 1/3 cup of brown sugar or monkfruit 

  • 1/2 white onion, raw 

  • 1 tsp hondashi or mushroom seasoning 

  • 2 limes, juiced 

  • 1/4 cup of sesame oil 

  • 1/4 cup of avocado oil 

  • 1/2 cup of water 

Coconut lemongrass tofu:

  • 2 blocks of firm tofu 

  • 1/4 cup of cornstarch 

  • 1/2 cup of coconut cream (not milk)

  • 2 tsp of coriander, cumin, fennel, chili and curry powder 

  • 2 lemongrass stalk ends, smashed 

Coconut rice: 

  • 3 cups of long grain rice 

  • 1 cup of coconut cream 

  • Remaining amount of water (up to your fingertip) 

Additional toppings: 

  • Roasted peanuts, fried shallots 

  • Sliced cucumber 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Place all your rice ingredients into your rice cooker to cook. 

  2. While that is cooking, start making the tofu by cutting up your tofu into cubes. 

  3. Blend all tofu ingredients (corn starch, coconut cream, lemongrass, and spices) together then place your tofu in the sauce to marinate for an hour. 

  4. On a large pan at medium heat, sauté the marinated tofu with the sauce until it starts bubbling. 

  5. Cover the pan and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes. 

  6. Remove the lid and continue to sauté until all the liquid has dissolved. You will see crunchy bits of lemongrass form which you can use as a delicious rice topping later. 

  7. This is optional but I threw the tofu into the air fryer at 400 for 15 minutes to achieve a crispier texture. 

  8. Meanwhile, blend the sauce ingredients together. Add the sauce to a pot on the stove at low/medium heat. Stir the sauce constantly for 10 minutes and it should reduce slightly, further intensifying the flavor. Remove from heat. 

  9. When your rice is ready, it's time to eat! Slice your cucumbers to plate with your tofu, rice, peanuts, and sambal-inspired sauce. This is the perfect food to meal prep for the week. Enjoy! 

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