Seeking out ingredients you need to make this traditional Thai peanut sauce may involve a trip to an Asian or Indian market. If you can’t find tamarind juice, pour boiling water over a mashed piece of tamarind concentrate and strain for a similar effect.
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 1 tablespoon Thai Mussaman curry paste
• 2 cups chopped fresh-roasted peanuts
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup palm sugar or brown sugar
• 1 cup tamarind juice
Fried Tofu
• 1 (1 pound) block extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed dry
• Cornstarch for coating
• 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup vegetable oil for frying
1. To make the Peanut Sauce, pour the oil into a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the two curry pastes, the peanuts, and the coconut milk. Heat till mixture comes to a boil, then add sugar and tamarind juice, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring often, until the mixture thickens into a sauce.
2. Meanwhile, slice the pressed tofu into 6 uniform blocks and dust them thoroughly on all sides in cornstarch. Heat the oil in a large wok and when the oil is hot, add the tofu pieces, one at a time. Cook the tofu on the first side until the bottoms have turned golden and puffy. Gently turn the pieces over, adding more oil if needed, and fry the second sides until golden. Remove from the wok and drain on paper towels.
3. Spoon the Peanut Sauce into a large bowl and arrange the tofu on a serving platter. Pass the sauce and tofu.
4. What Is Tamarind Juice?
5. Tamarind juice is the liquid that forms after soaking the pulp from the tamarind pod. It adds a sweet-sour taste to Thai dishes. People will try to tell you that lime or lemon juices are substitutes; they definitely are not.
