If there is one dish that I really liked in Vietnam it’s “Cá kèo chay”, which you could (more or less) translate to vegan fish.
It consists of tofu wrapped in seaweed and cooked in a sweet and spicy lemongrass and chili sauce. The seaweed gives the tofu a sea flavor and adds a nice crispy texture while the tofu inside stays chewy. Did I mention this dish is healthy and protein-packed! Let’s do it!
You just need a few ingredients for this recipe, yet the result is delicious!
It starts with the tofu, that is quickly fried until golden brown on each side. Next, you wrap each tofu stick tightly in a sheet of nori and seal with a mixture of rice flour and water. And don’t worry, wrapping it is a lot easier than making sushi and takes very little time!
Once your tofu rolls are done, sautée with minced garlic, lemongrass, and chili for some heat. Next, add soy sauce, coconut sugar, and water, and cook until the sauce has thickened. Simple but full of flavor!
Add a drizzle of lime, some green onions, and enjoy!
I’m thinking this recipe would also probably work well with tempeh instead of tofu if you want a different texture. Let me know if you try it!
Feel free to serve these as an appetizer (delicious!), or with rice and your favorite greens for a more complete meal.
Do you like tofu? If you do, you might want to check out these Almond Butter Tofu Skewers, Sesame Crusted Hoisin Tofu Bowls, or Enchilada Power Bowls with Spicy Tofu!
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Spicy Seaweed Tofu Rolls
Tofu wrapped in seaweed and sautéed with lemongrass, garlic, and chili. This Vietnamese-inspired dish is spicy, “fishy”, healthy, and easy to make!
Yield: about 12 rolls 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 blocks (about 250g) fried tofu, store-bought or homemade
- 2 nori sheets (sushi seaweed sheets)
- 2 tsp rice flour diluted in 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp (15ml) oil
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1/2 lemongrass, minced
- 1/2 small chili, finely sliced (or more to taste)
- 1 tbsp (15ml) soy sauce
- 1 tbsp (15ml) coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp (15ml) water
- for serving: chopped green onions, lime juice, fresh herbs
Instructions
- Cut the tofu blocks into rectangles of 1/2-inch thick and about 2.5-inch long.
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the tofu and fry for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown on all sides. Remove from heat and transfer the tofu to a plate lined with kitchen paper towel to remove excess oil.
- Cut the nori sheets into 3 strips. Cut each strip in half (see photos). The sheets should be about the same width as the tofu, and long enough to wrap it. In a small bowl, dilute the rice flour into the water and set aside.
- Tightly wrap a rectangle of tofu into a sheet of nori. Slightly damp the top of the nori sheet with the rice flour mixture and finish wrapping. The rice flour mixture will help seal the rolls. Repeat with the remaining tofu.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic, lemongrass, and chili, and sautée for 2 minutes.
- Next, add the tofu rolls to the skillet and sautée for another 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
- In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, coconut sugar, and water. Pour into the skillet and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until the sauce has slightly thickened and coat the tofu rolls.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately with a squeeze of lime and chopped green onions! You can serve these tofu rolls with rice, noodles, or as is as an appetizer!
- Tofu rolls will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 rolls
- Calories: 201
- Sugar: 6.9g
- Fat: 12.1g
- Carbohydrates: 12.5g
- Fiber: 2.3g
- Protein: 12.1g
This looks so easy to make. I will try it today.
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Hope you will like it!
love them love them love them I have everything ready to try blue cheese just have not quite got round to it yet. Enjoy easy as recipes Helen.
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Thanks!
Made this with tempeh twice, and it was excellent, but I simplified it a bit. Omitted the rice flour (plain water works fine), and combined steps 5-7 all into one. Used one 100 g block of tempeh cut into 8 strips and one strip of nori also cut into 8 strips, which was a good size for handling and eating. Quick, easy and delicious!
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Thanks for your feedback Sarah!
I went with rice flour to keep it gluten-free, but any flour will work 🙂
The tofu in the picture is obviously deep fried. Why tell people to fry on all sides in a pan for ‘5 minutes’ when that won’t do anything near crispy?
Christoper, as stated in the recipe and showed on photos, I start from fried tofu. Then cut it and shallow-fry again for a few minutes to get a golden brown color on the cut sides as well. And yes, it makes it crispy…