I had spicy and delicious Thai basil sauce with silken tofu at an Asian restaurant and was hooked. It had rich umami and spicy taste that went so well with jasmine rice. Such a delicious meal.
I then recreated the same at home. My husband is growing loads of basil, and this was such a lovely way to use it. Thai Basil sauce is a delicious base for any curry that you like. I have made a vegan curry with veggies and tofu here. You can add any protein and veggies of choice.
You will also like: vegan Thai Red curry, vegan black eyed peas curry.
Let's dive into the recipe
Ingredients
Tofu: I used one block of silken tofu. It nicely absorbs the delicious flavours of the sauce.
For Thai Basil Sauce:
Basil leaves: 1 cup, fresh and roughly chopped. These give the dish its distinctive flavor.
Soy sauce: 2 tablespoons
Oyster sauce: 2 tablespoons, use vegetarian sauce.
Garlic: 4 cloves minced.
Onion: I used one diced onion.
Chili: 2 Thai chilies, chopped
Sugar: 1 teaspoon
Sesame Oil: I used 2 tbsp. Peanut oil or coconut oil can be used as well.
Vegetable stock: 1 cup for the sauce
Vegetables: I used 1 yellow pepper, 1 cup chopped mushroom and 1 cup diced bamboo shoot.
Instructions
First step is to lightly press the silken tofu to release all the water. Don't put too much pressure or it will break. Chop vegetables or dice them in uniform pieces. I have used canned bamboo shoot, mushrooms and yellow pepper.
Prepare the sauce by combining oyster sauce and soy sauce together. Heat oil in a pan and sweat the onion and garlic till translucent.
Then add the sauce along with vegetable stock, sliced Thai chillies and sugar to balance out the flavours.
Add in the veggies that you are using and let them simmer in sauce for 2-3 minutes till they are almost done.
Finally add in chopped basil along with cubed tofu. Turn off the heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes so that the flavours infuse well.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Your Thai Basil sauce with veggies and tofu is ready to serve. Serve hot with boiled jasmine rice or noodles.
Expert Tips
1. It is important to press the tofu to release all moisture. You can use paper towels too. But do it gently so as not to break it.
2. I have used silken tofu in this recipe as it really absorbs the flavours well.
3. You can use any veggies that you like and have in this recipe. Broccoli, carrot, other peppers, corn all work well. I have used what I had available.
4. Thai chillies are quite spicy. Skip or use as per taste. You could use hot sauce in its place as well.
5. Basil gives the sauce its delicious flavour. I used more than a cup. Use Thai basil, Italian basil or holy basil or even a combination of these.
6. You can store it for a couple of days in air tight jar. Heat through and serve. The veggies do get soft though.
7. You can use other proteins in place of tofu.
Here's the recipe card:
Thai Basil Sauce with Tofu
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 block silken Tofu
For Thai Basil Sauce:
- 1 cup Basil leaves
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. vegetarian Oyster sauce
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 Onion
- 2 Thai Chili
- 1 tsp. Sugar
- 2 tbsp. Sesame Oil
- 1 cup Vegetable stock
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 cup mushroom
- 1 cup bamboo shoot
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Instructions
- First step is to lightly press the silken tofu to release all the water. Don't put too much pressure or it will break. Chop vegetables or dice them in uniform pieces. I have used canned bamboo shoot, mushrooms and yellow pepper.
- Prepare the sauce by combining oyster sauce and soy sauce together. Heat oil in a pan and sweat the onion and garlic till translucent. Then add the sauce along with vegetable stock, sliced Thai chillies and sugar to balance out the flavours.
- Add in the veggies that you are using and let them simmer in sauce for 2-3 minutes till they are almost done. Finally add in chopped basil along with cubed tofu. Turn off the heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes so that the flavours infuse well.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Your Thai Basil sauce with veggies and tofu is ready to serve. Serve hot with boiled jasmine rice or noodles.
Video
Notes
I have used silken tofu in this recipe as it really absorbs the flavours well.
You can use any veggies that you like and have in this recipe. Broccoli, carrot, other peppers, corn all work well. I have used what I had available.
Thai chillies are quite spicy. Skip or use as per taste. You could use hot sauce in its place as well.
Basil gives the sauce its delicious flavour. I used more than a cup. Use Thai basil, Italian basil or holy basil or even a combination of these.
You can store it for a couple of days in air tight jar. Heat through and serve. The veggies do get soft though.
You can use other proteins in place of tofu.
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