It’s oyster, not meat!
Anyone who knows me can attest to my obsession with Southeast Asia, my own personal respite from the never-warm-enough climate of Greatish Britain. I’ve yet to visit the country as a practising vegan, but even the vegetarian diet seemed tricky during my travels. Very little dairy is used, so it wasn’t so much the typical “is there rennet in the cheese” issue as it was the argument that fish is not, in fact, vegetarian (which reminds me, there’s a word for that: pescetarian. Yes, that’s right. Vegetarians don’t eat fish).
I could only take so many arguments regarding the “fact” that oysters don’t count as meat, so I’d settle for simple pasta to avoid conflict and chance. My most recent visit, however, introduced me to some vegetarian-friendly establishments I’d yet to try previously. Thus began my love affair with the region’s cuisine, my constant attempt to get it right in my own kitchen. And honestly, making vegan Thai food isn’t difficult at all.
A sexist meal?
You wouldn’t be the first to question the title of this Thai dish, pondering the whereabouts of its female counterpart. “Down with this patriarchal snack,” you might say, but the seemingly most frequently told story speaks quite loudly for feminism (albeit slightly on the passive aggressive side if you ask me, which you probably didn’t). It goes something like this: A mother is disgusted with her son in law’s arsey behaviour and serves him these eggs as a metaphorical representation of what’s going to happen to his man vegetables if he doesn’t snap to it.
And with that, here’s the recipe.
Son in Law Tofu (Tao Hoo Luk Kheuy)
- Directions/Method
- Before you begin, heat an inch or two of oil in a wok to about 175-190 C (350-375 F), or use a deep fryer if you have one. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, tamarind paste, water, soy sauce and salt. Bring to a medium high heat and cook for about 5 minutes, or until just thickening a little.
- When the oil is heated, add the shallots and fry for a minute or two until they just start to brown. Remove them quickly with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels or a mesh screen at this point so to avoid them burning. Repeat this process with the garlic, but keep an even keener eye as it’ll burn much more quickly (you’ll likely only need to fry it for somewhere up to a minute). Again, remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels.
- Spread the cornflour (corn starch) on a plate and coat each side of each piece of tofu thoroughly. The cornflour will blend in with the bean curd so it’ll look at if there’s nothing on there, so don’t panic about the magical disappearing foodstuffs. It’s there, I promise. Place the coated tofu in the oil and fry for a minute or two, or until the tofu is crispy and starting to brown lightly.
- While the tofu is cooking, pour the sauce onto a serving plate. As soon as the tofu is finished frying, remove with your slotted spoon and allow to drain before placing it immediately in the sauce. Top with the fried shallots and garlic and serve!
