Golden, crispy, and impossible to resist—this beloved Thai street food staple pairs perfectly fried tofu with a sweet and spicy chili dipping sauce. But watch out! They’re addictive!

Tau Hu Tod—Fried Tofu with Chili Sauce

Servings: 4

Wait Time: 1 hour (to dry tofu)

Cook Time: 15 minutes

What You’ll Need

For Fried Tofu:

• 1 package (16 oz) Heiwa tofu (cut into 16 equal wedges)
• Oil

For Chili Sauce

• 4 tbsp water
• 4 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Red Boat fish sauce (or try Nature’s Charm vegan fish sauce to keep this recipe plant-based!)
• ¼ tsp dried chili flakes
• 1 bird’s eye chili (optional)
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts (roughly chopped)
• 1 tbsp cilantro (roughly chopped)

Instructions

For Sauce:

1. To a sauce pan over medium heat, add water, sugar, and vinegar. Stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved.
2. After removing from heat and allowing mixture to cool slightly, stir in fish sauce and dried red chili flakes.
3. Set aside.

For Fried Tofu:

1. Place tofu on paper towels and dry for 1 hour.
2. In a wok or pan over high heat, warm oil to 400°
3. Being mindful of the hot oil, lower tofu wedges into wok and fry. Occasionally flip with long tongs until golden brown (about 5 minutes)
4. Place tofu on paper towels to drain oil.

For Serving:

1. Garnish dipping sauce with roasted peanuts, bird’s eye chili (if using), and cilantro.
2. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from asianinspirations.com.