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Kupat tahu
Kupat tahu: Bandung rice cakes and fried tofu under a garlicky peanut sauce
Kupat tahu is breakfast from a pushcart in Bandung and Magelang: chunks of compressed rice cake, freshly fried tofu and blanched bean sprouts, buried under a loose peanut sauce sharpened with garlic, chilli and sweet soy, then finished with crackers and fried shallots. The common mistake is grinding the peanut sauce too thick: it should pour like single cream so it soaks into the rice cake. Many prawn crackers are made with seafood, so choose plain cassava or rice crackers for a vegan plate. Chef's tip: fry the tofu just before serving; soft, hot tofu soaks up the sauce, while tofu fried ahead turns leathery.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the plate
- 1 ⅛ lb ketupat or lontong rice cakesready-made, cut into chunks
- 14 oz firm tofucut into 2 cm cubes and patted dry
- ½ cup neutral oilfor shallow frying
- 5 ½ oz bean sprouts
For the peanut sauce
- 5 ½ oz roasted unsalted peanuts
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 bird's eye chillior to taste
- 1 tbsp palm sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
To finish
- 3 tbsp crispy fried shallots
- 2 tbsp Chinese celery or spring onionchopped
- 8 plain cassava crackerscheck they contain no seafood
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Pound or blend 5 ½ oz roasted unsalted peanuts, 3 cloves garlic, 2 bird's eye chilli, 1 tbsp palm sugar and ½ tsp salt into a coarse paste.
Step 2: Loosen the paste with 1 ¼ cups warm water and 1 tsp tamarind paste, adding the water a little at a time until it pours easily. Taste for salt and sweetness.
Step 3: Heat ½ cup neutral oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry 14 oz firm tofu in two batches for 6–8 minutes, turning, until golden and crisp on all sides. Drain on kitchen paper.
8 minStep 4: Pour boiling water over 5 ½ oz bean sprouts, leave for 30 seconds and drain, so they stay crunchy.
1 minStep 5: Warm 1 ⅛ lb ketupat or lontong rice cakes in a steamer or the microwave until hot through, then divide between plates with the tofu and sprouts.
5 minStep 6: Spoon over plenty of peanut sauce, drizzle with 3 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) and scatter with 3 tbsp crispy fried shallots and 2 tbsp Chinese celery or spring onion. Serve with 8 plain cassava crackers crumbled on top.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kupat tahu take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of palm sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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