Thai Crispy Tofu with Holy Basil Pad Krapow Tofu 🌿🌶️

Description

Pad Krapow Tofu is a bold Thai plant based stir fry built on crisp edged tofu, garlic, chili, and holy basil in a glossy savory sauce. It is fast, aromatic, slightly fiery, and deeply satisfying with the unmistakable punch of Thai street food flavor. 🌿
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Crispy tofu, hot garlic chili aroma, and fragrant holy basil make this one of the strongest Thai fasting dishes for both flavor and real weeknight appeal. 🔥

Ingredients

• Tofu
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• 🧊 450 g firm tofu, pressed and cubed (16 oz)
• 🌽 25 g cornstarch (2 tbsp / 0.9 oz)
• 🫒 30 ml neutral oil (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
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• Aromatics
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• 🧄 18 g garlic, roughly chopped (6 cloves / 0.6 oz)
• 🌶️ 10 g red Thai chilies, roughly chopped (2–3 chilies / 0.35 oz)
• 🧅 80 g shallots, sliced (⅔ cup / 2.8 oz)
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• Sauce
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• 🥣 30 ml soy sauce (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
• 🥣 15 ml dark soy sauce (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• 🍬 10 g palm sugar (2 tsp / 0.35 oz)
• 💧 45 ml water (3 tbsp / 1.5 fl oz)
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• Finish
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• 🌿 25 g holy basil leaves (1 cup loosely packed / 0.9 oz)
• 🧅 40 g scallions, sliced (⅓ cup / 1.4 oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Prepare the tofu
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3. Pat the tofu dry, toss with cornstarch, and make sure every cube has a light even coating for crisp edges. 🧊
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5. 2️⃣ Fry the tofu
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7. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet and cook the tofu 6–8 min until golden and crisp on multiple sides, then remove briefly. 🍳
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9. 3️⃣ Cook the aromatics
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11. Add garlic, chili, and shallots to the pan and stir fry about 1 min until intensely fragrant but not burnt. 🌶️
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13. 4️⃣ Build the sauce
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15. Stir in soy sauce, dark soy sauce, palm sugar, and water and let the sauce bubble for about 30 sec. 🥣
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17. 5️⃣ Return the tofu
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19. Add the crispy tofu back to the pan and toss so the sauce lightly glazes every piece. 🍛
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21. 6️⃣ Add the basil
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23. Fold in the holy basil and scallions and cook just until the leaves wilt and release their aroma. 🌿
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25. 7️⃣ Rest briefly
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27. Turn off the heat and let the stir fry sit 1 min so the glaze settles onto the tofu. 🛋
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29. 8️⃣ Serve
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31. Serve hot on its own or with jasmine rice for a fuller Thai style plate. 🍽️

Total Time

🕒 Prep: 15 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 10 min
🛋 Rest: 1 min
⏰ Total: 26 min

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