Lemongrass Tofu Noodle Bowl

Fresh, flavorful and fabulous baybay! This lemongrass tofu features INCREDIBLE lemongrass-marinated tofu, a tangy fish sauce dressing, delicate vermicelli noodles and a rainbow of fresh veggies and herbs. If you love Vietnamese food, you are going to love this flavorful noodle bowl.

Erica’s Thoughts

Okay let me first start by saying that this is not a traditional Vietnamese lemongrass tofu recipe.

When developing this recipe, I was deeply inspired by some of the aspects of Vietnamese cuisine- all of the fresh herbs, a fish sauce vinaigrette, bright and fragrant lemongrass, etc. but I decided to make this recipe with slightly more accessible ingredients.

For example, the grocery stores closest to me do not carry fresh lemongrass. They do however carry lemongrass paste. Which is finely minced lemongrass is tube form. So, it’s easier to find AND it’s easier to cook with! I also use red pepper flakes in lieu of Thai chili because again, it’s hard for my to find small red chili pepper where I live. These ingredients could be found in Asian supermarkets, but generally speaking I love to create recipes that do not require extra trips to different grocery stores.

So, hopefully you’ll be able to find everything you need to make this lemongrass tofu in one fell swoop! And lemme tell ya, you neeed to make this recipe. I cannot stress enough how obsessed I am. It is bright and fresh with crispy tofu cubes and zippy noodles, oomph. It’s easy enough to be in the rotation of weeknight dinners but one million percent delicious enough to serve for friends and family.

What You’ll Need to Make Lemongrass Tofu

How to Make Lemongrass Tofu

Marinade

In a mortar, combine the fragrant ginger, garlic, lemongrass paste, sugar, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Use a pestle to smash into a fine paste. Alternatively, you can mix these in a small bowl. Divide the mixture in half, setting one half aside in a jar. To the other half, add soy sauce and two tablespoons of water, whisking to combine—this is your tofu marinade.

Dressing

Take the reserved mixture in the jar or salad shaker and add lime juice, fish sauce, the remaining two tablespoons of water, and avocado oil. Shake the jar vigorously to combine everything. This will be the dressing for the noodle bowls.

Tofu

Press tofu for 10 minutes up to an hour to remove excess moisture. You can use a tofu press or wrap the tofu in a paper towel and place a heavy object on top, like a large pot or a textbook. Once the tofu is pressed, slice it into small triangles. Place the pieces of tofu in a shallow dish and pour over the marinade, ensuring all pieces are evenly coated. Let the tofu marinate for at least 15 minutes or up to 24 hours if you have the time.

Make the fried tofu. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add about 1½ tablespoons of avocado oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the lemongrass tofu cutlets, shaking off any excess marinade (but don’t discard the marinade!). Let the tofu cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes to develop a nice sear. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Lower the heat and add the remaining marinade to the pan, tossing the tofu in the sauce. Cook for another minute, then remove from heat.

Veggie and noodle prep

Cook the vermicelli rice noodles according to the package instructions, usually by soaking in very hot water for 2-3 minutes until softened. I like to toss the cucumbers with a little rice vinegar and pinches of salt and sugar to ‘quick pickle’ them. Drain the noodles and toss with shredded cabbage, julienned carrots, and sliced cucumbers. Drizzle with one-third of the dressing and toss to combine.

Assemble baybay!

Divide the noodle and vegetable mixture and add lemongrass tofu. Place fresh herbs, chopped peanuts, fried onions, and an extra drizzle of the dressing on top of the tofu. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Equipment You’ll Need to make Lemongrass Tofu

• Tofu press (or a heavy object like a pot)
• Mortar and pestle (or a small bowl and spoon for smashing)
• Nonstick skillet
• Salad shaker or jar with a lid for shaking up the dressing
• Chef knife
• Cutting board

Expert Tips and Variation Ideas

• Maximize the flavor by marinating the tofu for up to 24 hours! This could be a cool ‘meal prep’ sitch where you whisk together the marinade and dressing before work, get the tofu marinating and then after work, throwing the bowls together will be a breeze!
• I recommend doing a ‘quick pickle’ on the cucumbers. See recipe notes for how-to!
• Make it a rice bowl! You could use plain rice or brown rice.
• You can adjust the heat by using more or less red pepper flakes. As written, this recipe is not spicy (1 out of 5 stars)

FAQs

If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!

Lemongrass Tofu Noodle Bowl

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 6-8 minutes
• Total Time: 30-40 minutes
• Yield: 4 noodle bowls 1x
• Category: Bowls
• Method: Marinate + Fry
• Cuisine: Vietnamese
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Aromatic lemongrass meets crispy tofu and delicate noodles in this vibrant lemongrass tofu noodle bowl. It is fresh, flavorful and perfect for dinner!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Tofu

• 14oz tofu
• 2 tablespoons ginger, freshly grated
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemongrass paste
• 3 tablespoons brown (or white) sugar (see note)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water, divided
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1/4 cup avocado oil + more for frying tofu

Bowls

• 8 oz vermicelli rice noodles
• Cucumbers, thinly sliced (see note about quick pickling them!)
• Julienned carrots
• Finely shredded purple cabbage
• Fresh herbs: mint, green onions, cilantro and basil
• Peanuts, finely chopped
• Fried onions (commercially available, like these ones)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark while cooking this recipe!

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Instructions

Marinade and Dressing

• Place ginger, garlic, lemongrass paste, sugar, red pepper flakes and pinch of salt in a mortar and use a pestle to smash into a fine paste. (or smash/stir together in a small bowl) Place half of the mixture in a jar and set aside. To the remaining mixture add the soy sauce and two tablespoons of water, whisking to combine. This is your tofu marinade.
• To the mixture in the jar add the lime juice, fish sauce, two tablespoons of water and the avocado oil. Shake vigorously to combine. This is the dressing for the finished noodle bowls.

Tofu

• Place tofu in a tofu press to squeeze out as much moisture as possible for 10 minutes, up to an hour. Alternatively, you can wrap the tofu in a paper towel and place something heavy on top, like a large pot or textbook. Slice the tofu into six planks, then slice each plank in half so you have small rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to get the small triangle pieces pictured in this recipe. Place pieces in a shallow dish and pour on the tofu marinade, tossing to get all of the pieces evenly coated. Set aside to marinate at least 15 minutes but longer (up to 24 hours) if you have the time!
• In a large nonstick skillet add a swish of avocado oil (about 1 ½ tablespoons or enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan) over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the tofu pieces in a single layer, shaking off the excess marinade, but don’t discard the marinade! You may need to work in batches so you don’t crowd the pan. Leave the tofu untouched for 2-3 minutes to develop a nice sear and caramelization. Flip the tofu and cook another 3 minutes until the sides are golden brown and crispy. Take care that your heat is not too high, you don’t want to burn the lemongrass and garlic in the marinade. When the tofu is crisped to your liking, reduce the heat to the lowest setting. If there is a lot of excess oil, use a paper towel to blot it up. Add the remaining marinade to the pan, tossing the tofu so it gets coated in all that saucy goodness. Cook for another minute and remove from the heat.

Bowls

• Soak or cook noodles according to package instructions. For most vermicelli rice noodles, soak in very hot/boiling water for 2-3 minutes until softened. Drain. To the noodles add cabbage, carrots and cucumbers. Drizzle with about one third of the dressing, tossing to combine.
• Add noodle/veggie mixture to a bowl. Top with the lemongrass tofu, tons of fresh herbs, fried onions, peanuts and another big drizzle of dressing.

Enjoy that noodle bowl. I’m so jealous.

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Notes

Cucumbers: I like to toss my thinly sliced cucumbers with about ¼ cup rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt and let sit for about 15 minutes before tossing in the rice bowls. It gives them an excellent punchiness that makes this noodle bowl even more tangy and irresistible.

Sugar: I tested this recipe with both brown and white sugar. While either work, I actually do like packed brown sugar slightly more than regular cane sugar. You could also try maple syrup but I have not tested it with syrup so I can’t speak on the results.

Refer to above post for substitution ideas, variations and answers to frequently asked questions.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/4 recipe
• Calories: 540
• Sugar: 9.7 g
• Sodium: 1259.2 mg
• Fat: 21.5 g
• Carbohydrates: 62.5 g
• Fiber: 3.6 g
• Protein: 16.4 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg