Tahu Goreng Bumbu Bali - Balinese Sauce Fried Tofu
Bumbu Bali is a delicious, sweet, savory, and spicy Indonesian sauce packed with bold umami flavor. This amazing sauce transforms tofu into an extraordinary dish.
- Prep time
- 1 hr
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 block/450 gram/1 lb firm or extra-firm tofu
- salt
- pepper
- all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon oil
- 100 gram shallots (Indonesian: bawang merah)
- 2 cloves garlic (Indonesian: bawang putih)
- 8 red cayenne chili peppers (Indonesian: cabe merah keriting)
- 1 inch ginger (Indonesian: jahe)
- 1 inch galangal (Indonesian: lengkuas)
- 5 candlenuts (Indonesian: kemiri), or macadamia
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste (Indonesian: terasi), toasted
- 3 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon tamarind liquid (1 teaspoon tamarind + 1 tablespoon water)
- 1 lemongrass (Indonesian: sereh), bruised and knotted
- 2 Indonesian bay leaves (Indonesian: daun salam), optional
- 2 kaffir lime leaves (Indonesian: daun jeruk)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoon coconut palm sugar (Indonesian: gula Jawa)
- 2 tablespoon sweet soy sauce (Indonesian: kecap manis)
Instructions
- 1
Drain tofu: Drain tofu, wrap it with paper kitchen towel, and sandwich between two plates. Place a heavy object on top of the plate, such as a cast-iron skillet, to press the tofu.
- 2
After 30 minutes, there should be noticeably plenty of liquid pool around the tofu. Drain the liquid, unwrap the tofu, and cut into 12 pieces.
- 3
Fry tofu: Heat a non-stick pan or a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add three tablespoons of oil and swirl to coat the pan/skillet.
- 4
Sprinkle tofu pieces with salt and pepper, coat with all-purpose flour, and fry in hot oil until golden brown.
- 5
Prepare spice paste: Use a food processor or a spice attachment for a blender to puree shallots, garlic, red chilies, ginger, galangal, candlenuts, and toasted shrimp paste into a smooth spice paste.
- 6
Cook the tofu dish: Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat and sauté spice paste until fragrant, about 4 minutes.
- 7
Add tamarind liquid, lemongrass, Indonesian bay leaves, kaffir lime leaves, salt, and coconut palm sugar. Mix well.
- 8
Add fried tofu pieces. Stir and continue cooking until the sauce is thick. Stir in sweet soy sauce and cook for another minute.
- 9
Serve: Turn off the heat, discard lemongrass, daun salam, and kaffir lime leaves. Transfer to a serving plate and serve with steamed white rice.