Vegan Pad thai style tofu satay skewers with peanut sauce marks the beginning of party themed posts on my blog. As most of you know carveyourcraving is turning one this month. It’s party time , so stay tuned for party food ideas and recipes which will be going all month long . Do follow me on facebook and pinterest for recent recipe updates.
This post is devoted to Pad thai lovers! If you love Pad thai , you will agree that these babies are so appetizer worthy. Entertain your guests with this delicious skewers which requires easy preparation . These Vegan Pad thai tofu satay skewers are inspired by the classic Pad Thai which is served as a main course. It’s summertime , so get grilling . I do not have an outdoor grill but thoroughly enjoying grilling on my small panini grill . If you do not own one, then pan fried or baked tofu tastes equally great. These Vegan Pad thai tofu satay skewers are packed with pad thai flavors .
What is Satay?
Satay actually originated in Indonesia . It’s considered their national dish and mainly uses skewered / grilled and seasoned meat and poultry . It’s the most famous street food out there. Although both Thailand and Malaysia claim it as their own, its Southeast Asian origin was in Java, Indonesia. There satay was developed from the Indian kebab brought by the Muslim traders. Even India cannot claim its origin, for there it was a legacy of Middle Eastern influence. — Jennifer Brennan (1988), Satay Information credit – Wikipedia We love ordering this appetizer in the restaurants which is served along with peanut sauce. The recipe I am sharing today is a vegan and thai spin on satay. It starts with pressing the water out of the tofu , marinating them with pad thai sauce , grilling tofu skewers to perfection and serving them with quick salad and peanut sauce.
Tofu – I am not sure about using it , I don’t like the taste.
Well I have been there – turned from tofu hater to tofu lover , infact my husband (an ardent paneer lover) is still skeptical about having tofu. But he loved the way this one turned out. So if he has approved it then I have to share it with you too. In all my cooking years I have learnt that choosing the right kind of tofu and preparing it right before actual cooking is very important. I like firm and extra firm tofu for grilling and baking. What about the texture and the taste ? It’s so mushy , full of water and not at all appetizing look wise or taste -wise. That is true , tofu is taste less and comes packaged sunk in water. But there is an easy and effective trick to make it sturdier texture wise and more appetizing. This trick totally changes the texture making it so appetizing. I agree it it tasteless, but isn’t that good news. I mean you can infuse in whatever flavors you like. You can customize the heck out of it.
I wanna know the trick please! Take off the tofu block from the package. Now for more chewy dense texture you have to press the tofu to get rid of excess water. You have to wrap tofu with couple of dish towels or cheesecloth . Place it on a strainer / colander . And top the tofu gently with some weight so that the tofu is pressed down and excess water drains slowly. You will even need to place the colander on a plate or a tray to collect the dripping water from the tofu. Now this weight can be a stack of sturdy bowls or a heavy pan. Press it down for at least 20 minutes and maximum upto 2 hours. Congratulations- your tofu is all ready to be used. See how easy it is. By just adding one step extra to the process is so worth it. At this point you may store tofu in an airtight container or zip lock bag for 2 days without water until ready to use. By the time tofu is pressing down , you can do other preparations on the side , like making the sauce , cutting veggies if any and cleaning up the space to save time. Hope you give this trick a try which will change your opinion about tofu.
Let’s get back to the recipe
You guyssss , it’s all about the sauce. It has bold flavors – a mix of sweetness, tang , spice and crunch. It has it all. The sweetness comes from the agave while peanut butter adds substance to this sauce. Tamarind is used here to boost up the tang and roasted peanuts provide exciting crunch to this recipe. Not to forget the heat factor- cayenne pepper gives a great kick and sprinkle of fresh red chillies just makes it even better. The entire package screams thai . Authentic satay requires turmeric to be an important ingredient, but I took a liberty to add very little here. Feel free to add some more if you wish. Did I tell you the best part – this recipe doesn’t call for making dipping sauce separately . It’s all in one. Below picture shows step by step marinating process .
As I mentioned tofu will pick up any flavors you throw in , so marinating is important. Marinate for at least 20 minutes recommended . You can leave the marinated tofu for upto 2 days in the fridge in a airtight container .This make ahead of time option makes it more desirable for a party menu.
If you are not Vegan , you may substitute tofu with paneer too , no need to press it . Just marinate and grill or pan fry. It’s equally delicious! Wanna join in!
Make ahead of time tip- Marinate and refrigerate up to 2 days in advance. Pin this for later!
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Thanks for stopping by. Satay information credit- Wikipedia
