Name: Cauliflower, peanut and tofu larb
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1/3 cup lime juice (freshly squeezed); 2 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari if gluten free); 1 tbsp palm sugar (or soft brown sugar (20g/0.7oz approximately)); 1/4 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes ((optional)); 3 tbsp white rice ((see recipe notes)); 2 tbsp cooking oil; 1 tsp sesame oil; 1/2 cup raw red skinned peanuts ((or substitute any kind of peanut)); 1 small red onion (sliced); 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped or grated); 1/4 cauliflower (finely chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)); 1 block firm tofu ((300g/10.5oz approximately)); 1 bunch fresh coriander ((cilantro) roughly chopped); 1 handful fresh mint (roughly chopped); 1 handful mung bean sprouts; 2 spring onions ((scallions) thinly sliced); 3 makrut (kaffir) lime leaves (very finely sliced); Cooked red or glutinous white rice; Iceberg lettuce; Additional fresh herbs; Fried shallots; Lime wedges; Fresh red or green chilli (finely sliced (optional)); Kecap manis ((Indonesian sweet soy sauce, optional))

Fresh and funky tofu larb with cauliflower, peanuts, lime juice and lashings of fresh herbs.

Never one to let a dreary autumn (or is it early winter?) day stop me from eating salad, this week I staunchly stared down the rain and took myself to my happy place. Well, one of my happy places.

I can easily lose an hour wandering the aisles of our town’s Asian supermarket. I’ve found all sorts of foodie treasures there, from bargain priced two litre bottles of Japanese soy sauce, to pungent chilli oils and fortune cookies (for the kids, of course!).

One of my favourite aisles is the dried mushroom aisle. It has the usual suspects like dried shiitake mushrooms, along with many more mysterious types that are unknown to me. I had a bit of a giggle this week about one bag of dried mushrooms with the brand name ‘Rural Amorous Feelings’. I suspect something has been lost in translation, don’t you think?

This week’s treasures included a bag of organic red cargo rice from Thailand, little red skinned raw peanuts, palm sugar, fried shallots, fresh herbs and bean sprouts. I really adore red rice, which I ate a lot of during my travels in Bali, but this particular collection of goodies was destined for a Northern Thai or Lao style tofu larb.

What on earth is tofu larb?

Fair question, fair question. I’ve travelled in Thailand on three different occasions, and it wasn’t until the third visit, combined with a trip through Laos, that I really noticed larb on the menu or considered ordering it. Once I tried it I never looked back, and now I’d say it’s one of my favourite meals from that part of the world.

Larb is a type of ‘meat salad’ popular in Northern Thailand and Laos, usually made with ground meat, mushrooms or tofu; tons of fresh herbs; chopped chilli; lime juice; soy sauce or tamari; and a splash of fish sauce.

Larb made with crumbled tofu is really delicious, it’s a light and refreshing yet quite high protein meal. I leave out the fish sauce, but you can add a little if you like it.

One very unique inclusion in the traditional larb recipe is ground toasted rice, which adds a little texture and a toasty flavour. It’ll seem strange, but it’s easy to make by simply stirring uncooked white rice in a dry frypan (skillet) over medium-high heat until it’s a deep golden brown colour.

Once the toasted rice has cooled, it can be ground into a rough powder in a mortar and pestle, spice grinder or even your blender. If you can’t be bothered, then just leave it out, but it does add a certain something to the finished dish.

Tofu larb, my way

I wanted to pack as many vegetables into this tofu larb as I could, so decided to include finely chopped cauliflower. I’d have to say it was a winning idea, as the small bits of cauliflower almost disappear into the mixture, significantly increasing the vegetable content without changing the flavour profile much at all.

The lovely little red peanuts I picked up were also a great inclusion, adding savoury crunch and extra protein. I fried them in oil until they were sizzling and golden, before adding the rest of the tofu larb ingredients to the pan.

For the fresh greens, I went with an entire bunch of coriander (cilantro), handfuls of fresh mint, a few thinly sliced makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, mung bean sprouts and sliced spring onion (scallion). You could also use Thai basil, Vietnamese mint or coriander, or lemon balm.

The greens are added to the pan at the last minute so they retain their colour and freshness. It’s pretty much a situation of the more herbs the better, so be generous. The herbs wilt quickly, and what seems like a mountain of green will quickly disappear into the mix.

How to serve tofu larb

Traditionally larb is served with sticky white rice and raw vegetables, perhaps some more fresh herbs and cut lime for squeezing.

I like to keep my tofu larb on the mild side so my children will eat it, making sliced fresh chilli available at the table for the grown ups who like it hot.

Fried shallots are a welcome crispy, savoury topping, and sometimes we’ll also add an extra squeeze of kecap manis (sweet Indonesian soy sauce) which is not traditional, but is very yummy indeed.

It’s not essential, but I also love to serve tofu larb with crunchy iceburg lettuce leaves that can be used to package it up in tasty little mouthfuls, san choy bau style. It’s fun and my girls love it too. If you don’t have iceburg lettuce, just go ahead and serve the larb spooned over a bowlful of rice.

This meal is fresh, tangy with lime juice, as spicy as you like it, and really very healthy. It’s a twist on the traditional recipe, but fairly true to its intent. I hope you like it.

Some other tofu recipes you might also like: