Tofu Triangles with Thai Chili Sauce Recipe

Tofu Triangles with Thai Chili Sauce

Serves 4

30 minutes or lessPerfect for a quick lunch, these delicious Thai-inspired tofu triangles take well to a splash of Asian seasoning. To keep it Thai, use sweet Thai chili saucelook for the Mae Ploy brand of Thai chili sauce or a similar product that is thickened and textured with pickled shredded red chilies. If unavailable, use Chinese hoisin sauce instead. Round rice stick noodles are sold at Asian markets, but you could use spaghetti instead. Offer fruit for dessert.

1 lb. firm or extra-firm tofu
Cornstarch for dusting
4 oz. dried round rice stick noodles
1 cup vegetable oil for frying, or more as needed
2 Asian eggplants, rinsed and thinly sliced on diagonal
2 Tbs. tamari soy sauce
8 Tbs. Thai sweet chili sauce or other Asian sweet sauce such as hoisin sauce
½ cup crushed unsalted peanuts for garnish
4 Tbs. cilantro leaves for garnish
1 green chili, thinly sliced, for garnish

Slice tofu in half horizontally, and cut each half into triangles for total of 8 triangles. Place tofu on several layers of paper towels, and press out excess water. Dust each tofu with cornstarch, and set aside.
Bring large saucepan of water to a boil, and cook noodles 6 to 7 minutes, or according to package directions. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
Heat oil in large skillet or wok over medium heat. When hot, carefully place tofu into oil, taking care not to crowd pieces. Fry 3 to 4 minutes on one side until golden, and, using tongs, turn triangles over to brown second side. Remove from heat, and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all tofu is cooked.
Discard all but about 1 tablespoon oil from skillet or wok. Stir-fry eggplant slices 4 to 5 minutes, or until softened and slightly golden. Stir in soy sauce, cook 30 seconds, or until eggplant is coated with soy sauce, and remove from heat.
To serve, place a portion of noodles on each individual plate, and top with tofu triangles and eggplant slices. Garnish each with 2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce, 2 tablespoons crushed peanuts, 1 tablespoon cilantro leaves and green chili slices.