Vegan Tofu Satay Skewers

With all of the same flavours you'd find in a Thai restaurant's chicken satay - these tofu skewers give a plant-based upgrade. Make sure to set aside enough time to marinate the tofu - this is something you can do up to 24 hours in advance! Serve as an appetiser (for 4) or as a main dish (for 2).

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Servings 4

Prep Time 5

Additional Time 1

Total Time 1 30

Ingredients

Tofu Satay

300 g (10 ½ oz) firm tofu
120 ml (½ cup) full-fat coconut milk
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp tamarind paste
10 g (2 tsp) palm sugar finely chopped (see note 1)
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Peanut Sauce

50 g (⅓ cup) unsalted peanuts
120 ml (½ cup) full-fat coconut milk divided
1 tbsp Thai red curry paste (see note 2)
1 tsp tamarind paste
10 g (2 tsp) palm sugar finely chopped (see note 1)
1-2 tsp soy sauce

Instructions

Firmly pat the tofu dry with paper towels and cut it into 2.5cm (1in) cubes. Add to a large zip-top bag and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, add the coconut milk, soy sauce, tamarind puree, palm sugar (or brown sugar), coriander, cumin, turmeric and cinnamon. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
Pour the marinade into the bag with the tofu. Ensure it is completely sealed and squish it over the tofu, taking care that the tofu is completely covered in the marinade. Allow the tofu to marinate at room temperature for at least 1 hour or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Remove the tofu from the marinade and evenly distribute the cubes across several short skewers. Set the tofu skewers on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until golden and crisp in places - about 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the peanut sauce (see note 3). Using a food processor, mortar and pestle or a rolling pin, finely grind the peanuts until they reach the consistency of coarse sand. Set aside.
Add 2 tbsp of coconut milk to a small saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stirring occasionally, bring the coconut to a vigorous simmer. Continue simmering until you see the fat separate from the coconut milk - about a minute longer. Add the red curry paste and cook until very fragrant - about 1-2 minutes.
Stir in the remaining coconut milk, ground peanuts, tamarind puree and palm sugar (or brown sugar). Bring to a simmer and allow to cook until thickened and viscous, 5 minutes or so. Taste to adjust for seasoning, adding soy sauce if necessary. Transfer the peanut sauce to a dish and serve alongside the satay skewers.

Notes

You can sub brown sugar if you don't have palm sugar
Some red curry pastes contain shrimp paste. If you're concerned about making this vegetarian/vegan, ensure that you're using a plant-based curry paste.
If you want a simpler (but no less delicious) peanut sauce option, you can also use my soy-free peanut sauce recipe - just note that this is not vegetarian/vegan.

Nutrition

Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.

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