DEEP-FRIED TOFU WITH PINEAPPLE, SWEET CHILLI & BASIL

Deep-fried tofu with pineapple, sweet chilli & basil image

Fresh, zingy Asian flavours at are the heart of this tofu dish with pineapple and sweet chilli

Provided by John Torode

Time 45m

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

4 long red chillies
6 garlic cloves , crushed
200g palm sugar
1 small pineapple , peeled, cored and cut into 2cm/¾in cubes
50ml fish sauce
2 tbsp tamarind paste
oil , for deep-frying
300g firm tofu , cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
50g cornflour
handful Thai basil

Steps:

Split the chillies down the middle and remove the seeds. Pound the halved chillies a few times with a pestle or the end of a rolling pin (this will soften the flesh and release the flavours). Finely chop and mix with the garlic and palm sugar in a large pan. Cook until the sugar starts to boil. Add the pineapple and cook for 5 mins until the pineapple softens, and the sugar starts to caramelise and turn brown. Add the fish sauce and tamarind. Return to the boil, then take off the heat.
Heat 5-10cm of oil in a wok and roll the tofu in the cornflour. Fry the basil leaves so that they crisp, then transfer to kitchen paper to drain. Fry about 5-6 pieces of tofu at a time until golden brown, then leave to drain on kitchen paper. Keep warm in a low oven while you fry the rest.
Warm the sauce through. Place a few cubes of tofu on each plate, pour over the sauce and sprinkle with the basil.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 513 calories, Fat 15 grams fat, SaturatedFat 2 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 80 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 63 grams sugar, Fiber 4 grams fiber, Protein 15 grams protein, Sodium 2.6 milligram of sodium