Pan fried tofu slabs are drizzled with soy sauce and sprinkled with a savory Thai coconut rub spice blend. This flavorful tofu goes deliciously atop a salad, stuffed in a sandwich, or on it’s own.

I love food gifts. Whenever a friend goes on vacation and asks what type of souvenir I’d like, they can be sure I’ll respond with some type of food. Sauces, spices, dressings…it all works for me. What I especially love though is receiving some seemingly un-vegetarian appropriate food gift and totally reclaiming it for the vegetarian world.

That’s what happened when my mom gave me a little spice packet labeled “Coconut Rub” from a local gourmet shop. She knows me and explained that the shop instructed her to use it as a meat seasoning, but of course I’d find some other use for it, which of course I did, whipping up a batch of some mean flavor-packed tofu. I can’t say if this recipe stays true to form in the sense of being rubbed with coconut. I’ve never cooked with meat and I have no clue what this whole rubbing technique is all about, but for purposes of this recipe I’ll consider some sprinkling and a bit of distributing the spice with a spoon to be more than sufficient.

I spent a few months working with the rub and eventually perfected my recipe. Eventually though, I ran out of the rub, and rather than seeking out some more, I opted to recreate it on my own. My spice blend recipe below makes between 1 and 2 tablespoons, which would yield you between 1 and 2 batches of tofu. I tried to get the recipes to fit better, but some of the spice amounts are so small that I couldn’t get it to work. My suggestion is to try out the recipe as printed below, and then if you like it just make a big batch (triple, quadruple, whatever) of the rub to draw off of next time you make the tofu.

are the tofu hater. Make this. This is the tofu for tofu haters, soon to be ex-tofu haters. It’s also super quick, easy and versatile. I could envision this tofu as part of a veggie sandwich, maybe topped with some Thai inspired slaw, but I’ve mostly eaten it atop salads, usually I told you this tofu is flavor packed, and I meant it. Do you have any tofu haters in your life? Or maybe youthe tofu hater. Make this. This is the tofu for tofu haters, soon to be ex-tofu haters. It’s also super quick, easy and versatile. I could envision this tofu as part of a veggie sandwich, maybe topped with some Thai inspired slaw, but I’ve mostly eaten it atop salads, usually this salad. The salty, savory flavor of the tofu really compliments the sweet tanginess of the peanut dressing and clusters. I could honestly eat just a plate of this tofu as a meal, but I’m open to hearing any creative ideas you try out.

Print Thai Coconut Rubbed Tofu Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Total Time 20 minutes Servings 2 Author Alissa Ingredients For the Thai Coconut Rub Spice Blend 1 tsp. ground coriander seeds

1 tsp. dried lemongrass

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. coconut flour

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. turmeric For the Tofu 1/2 lb. extra firm tofu

1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1-2 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. Thai coconut rub spice blend Instructions Prepare the Spice Blend Mix all ingredients. Blend can be stored in a sealed container. Prepare the Tofu Drain and press tofu for at least 10 minutes, then cut into 1/2" thick slabs. Heat oil over medium in a medium skillet. Add tofu slabs and pan fry about five minutes, or just until golden brown on bottoms. Flip and cook about another five minutes, or until the other side is golden brown. Lower heat to medium. Drizzle each slab with half of your soy sauce and then sprinkle with 1 tbsp. spice blend, spreading around with the back of a spoon as needed. Cook about 1 minute, then gently flip slabs and drizzle the other side with remaining soy sauce and sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp. of spice blend. Some of the spice will fall off of the tofu. It just happens. Don't worry about it - do your best to keep as much on there as you can and everything will be just fine. Cook about another minute, then gently flip again. Cook another minute just to get that last addition of spices nice and toasty.

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