November 17, 2012

Satay Tofu Skewers Vegan Recipe

Serves 2 big eaters
(4 satay tofu skewers per person plus salad)

Summer is nearly here! It is only November but I can already see people ditching the jumpers and wearing summer dresses, shorts and swimmers! I love summer... the warmth, the beach culture and the way that summer mornings make you feel instantly happy. However, I still felt like something spicy and delicious. So I made up some tasty satay tofu skewers to satisfy our spicy cravings and omg these are amazing!! I guarantee that you will not be able to stop eating them. The cool cucumber salad with the fresh mint and basil leaves give a nice and fresh cooling effect to counteract the spiciness and peanuty-ness of the tofu skewers. Add as much or as little chilli as desired. It really is a fantastic combination. You can always prepare the tofu and marinade in the morning and let the tofu marinate in the fridge all day so when you get home from work/uni/school you can start cooking immediately! I can't wait to make this again... it is a tasty and easy meal for a weeknight when you don't feel like cooking. :) If you are big eaters like Jerome and I, this will make enough for two. This will be enough for four regular eaters.



350g extra firm tofu
oil to fry

Satay Sauce:
   ½ cup peanut butter
   ¼ cup tomato sauce (ketchup)
   2 tablespoons coconut cream
   2 tablespoons lime juice
   1 garlic clove
   ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
   ½ red chilli, to taste and deseeded
   1 teaspoon kecap manis*
   2 tablespoons crushed peanuts (can skip if you used crunchy peanut butter)

Cucumber Salad:
   2 cups thinly sliced cucumber
   1/3 cup basil leaves
   1 tablespoon tightly packed mint leaves
   ½ cup bean sprouts
   1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
   1 tablespoon lemon juice
   sliced red chilli (optional)

  1. If you are using wooden skewers, soak them for 30 minutes in water to prevent them from burning on a barbeque or open grill. 
  2. Add all satay sauce ingredients except for the crushed peanuts to a processor and blend until combined and smooth. Add the crushed peanuts and stir. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and set it aside.
  3. Chop up the tofu into small even 1cm cubes and add them to the bowl with the satay sauce.  
  4. Carefully stir the tofu around until it is evenly covered.
  5. Prepare the salad and toss in a bowl and divide between two plates.
  6. Carefully thread the tofu cubes to 8 bamboo skewers leaving room at the bottom of the skewer to hold. 
  7. Fry in a hot pan or grill pan with a little bit of oil, on a barbeque or under the grill until all 8 tofu skewers are evenly browned on all sides.
  8. Place 4 skewers on top of each salad and drizzle the extra satay sauce over the salad and skewers.
  9. Serve immediately!

  • *Kecap manis is a dark syrupy soy sauce that is sweetened and much thicker than normal soy sauce. You can purchase it from your supermarket or your local Asian grocery store. 
  • The more evenly you chop the tofu cubes, the more evenly they will be cooked on each side.
  • Using a seasoned non-stick cast iron pan will give a great smokey taste!
  • If you have a grill pan, use it for that extra charcoal effect. 
  • There will be a little bit of satay sauce left over. Use this to drizzle over the skewers and salad before serving. Yum! 
  • You can grill them, fry them or put them on a BBQ. Your choice! You made need a little bit of oil to prevent the sticking... or use baking paper underneath. 


  • Serve on the skewers or use a fork to take them off the skewers and toss in the salad. 



16 comments :

  1. Wow this looks incredible!! Can't wait to try it. Is there something else I could use instead of coconut cream or could I omit it from the sauce?

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    1. Hi Melissa! Oh thank you :) You could substitute it for something thick and creamy similar to coconut cream... such as soy cream :) Thanks!

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    2. Thanks for the recommendation. Made this today for lunch and it was so tasty. Definitely staying booked as a staple meal for me~

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    3. Hi Melissa, I am so glad that you enjoyed it :) I absolutely love these!

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  2. OH MY GOSH!!!!! This is now my favorite recipe!!! I had people coming to dinner last night and made the rash decision to make something new I hadn't tried before from your site, but since everything I've made so far from Veggieful has been epic I thought id do it. Needless to say everyone freaked out with how yummy it was and now you have three more followers of Veggieful as they all wanted the recipe!!!

    Sooooooo Yummy!!!!! AAAA++++++

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    1. I am glad that you enjoyed it :) I really love this dish! You made me smile :D

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  3. I have just discovered you site and i'm wowed over by the amount of delicious looking recipes here!!! I can't wait to try them all out! Do you ever do any wheat free recipes? Me and my boyfriend have had to cut dairy and wheat out of diets as much as possible and we're finding it extremely hard!

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    1. Hi Elizabeth! I haven't really thought about it but I will definitely take it into consideration for my future recipes. Is there anything in particular you would like gluten-free?? :)

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  4. I have just discovered your site and i'm wowed over by all the delicious looking recipes!!! I can't wait to try some of them out! Do you ever create anything with no wheat? Me and my boyfriend have had to cut wheat out of our diets as well as dairy and we're finding it extremely hard!

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    1. Hi Elizabeth! I haven't really thought about it but I will definitely take it into consideration for my future recipes. Is there anything in particular you would like gluten-free?? :)

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  5. Aw that's super lovely of you! We both have a love of cake and pizza but find both of them very hard to eat as of the nasties that are in them such as dairy and wheat and so unfortunately haven't ate either of them in a long time. I know there's wheat and gluten free flour but i haven't tried baking with it yet. My boyfriend unfortunately struggles to eat any type of nut or beans as well. He seems to be fine with lentils and tofu and veg are all fine but he is very hard to cook for haha!

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    1. Oh wow, that would be really hard to find recipes and cook for him. You should definitely try gluten-free flour... it is very easy to buy and use and should be available at your local supermarket :)

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  6. Hi Madison, we ventured out and found lots of wheat and gluten free ingredients and created some vegan/wheat free shortbread (super easy and yummy) some cake and pizza. We were in heaven!!! :) Hope you've had a lovely weekend! I look forward to trying some more of your recipes soon, Im going to try making the bounty balls tomorrow, hope they turn out as good as yours! :)

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    1. Hi Elizabeth! Oh that is so good that you found lots of gluten-free ingredients... Ooooo I hope the bounty balls are delicious for you... I absolutely love them!!

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  7. These were great. Thanks! My whole family loved them. I put them under the grill instead of frying them. Thanks! They taste so much better once browned!

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    1. Thanks so much! I am so happy that you liked them. My mum likes to put them under the grill too :)

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