Name: Tofu Fried with Basil (Taohou bai gaprow)
Yield: Serves 4 as part of a rice-based meal
Cuisine: Thailand
Ingredients: ¼ cup vegetarian stock, chicken stock, or water; 4 squares fresh tofu (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch squares; 1 to 2 bird chiles or serrano chiles, finely chopped; ½ pound long beans or green beans, finely chopped; 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic (4 to 6 cloves); 1 tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil; 1 teaspoon soy sauce; 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce; ½ cup packed Fresh holy basil leaves (or substitute Asian or sweet basil), coarsely chopped (save a few whole leaves for garnish); 1 teaspoon sugar

Preparation info

Serves
4
as part of a rice-based meal

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Seductions of Rice

By Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

Published 1998

About

Thailand doesn’t really have a vegetarian tradition apart from the very small number of Buddhists who do practice vegetarianism. But it is something that is beginning to catch on, especially among young people. Vegetarian restaurants can now be found in big cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and they tend to serve very good food. When you take fish sauce out of Thai food, you must almost by definition be a creative cook.

If you overlook the fish sauce, Thai cuisine has many delicio