Meatballs in whatever shape or form, and meatless or not, are not usually considered to be the latest thing. But they are like old friends, familiar and comforting, and, as such, I’ve been wanting to make a plausible vegan- (and tofu-) based one for some time. A little joyful nugget that could be taken in any direction, from Swedish köttbullar to Vietnamese bun cha. And here it is: I’ve flavoured the balls with a vegeatarian sambal oelek, a zingy chilli sauce and one of my favourite ingredients, and drenched them in a lemongrass coconut curry sauce to put some heat in your belly and a snap in your step.
Tofu meatballs in lemongrass curry
You’ll need a food processor and a blender.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4
450g firm tofu, drained
100g dried breadcrumbs
6 tbsp sambal oelek – I like Lucullus
½ tsp ground white pepper
8 lemongrass stalks (160g), trimmed and roughly chopped (80g net)
8 large garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
4cm x 4cm piece fresh ginger
8 makrut lime leaves, deveined and roughly chopped
6 tbsp rapeseed oil
400ml tin coconut milk
30g coriander, leaves picked
Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
Put the tofu, breadcrumbs, two tablespoons of sambal oelek and the white pepper in a food processor and blitz to a malleable dough. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface, divide it into four even pieces, then divide each piece in five and roll into small balls weighing about 30g each. Put the 20 tofu balls on a plate and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.
In a small blender, blitz the lemongrass, garlic, ginger, lime leaves, the remaining four tablespoons of sambal oelek and two tablespoons of oil to make a paste.
Take the tofu balls out of the fridge, and put two tablespoons of oil in a wide nonstick frying pan on a medium to high heat. Fry the tofu balls for 10 minutes, turning frequently, until golden all over, then tip back on to the plate.
Heat the last two tablespoons of oil in the same pan and, when hot, gently fry the paste for three to five minutes, until it smells fragrant. Slowly stir in the coconut milk bit by bit, then bring to a gentle simmer. Drop the fried tofu balls into the sauce, heat through for a couple of minutes, then take off the heat.
Stir through the coriander leaves, then serve with jasmine rice alongside.
