Jalapeño flavors the dipping sauce.
This recipe takes inspiration from the Vietnamese dish cha ca la vong, which marries turmeric-infused fish with dill and nuoc cham, a sweet, salty, and hot dipping sauce, says Brooklyn-based recipe developer Ali Slagle. Here, the fish is replaced with tofu, which soaks up all the jalapeño-laced sauce and accompanied by lettuce wraps and riced noodles. "For a simpler dish, you could serve the tofu just with crispy shallots and sauce," says Slagle.
Ingredients
Directions
Step 1
Drain the tofu on a paper towel–lined plate. Place another plate over it and a heavy skillet or book on top and allow to drain while you prepare the nuoc cham and shallots.
Step 2
To make the nuoc cham, in a small bowl, stir together the fish sauce, lime juice, honey, jalapeño, and half the garlic until the honey has dissolved.
Step 3
In a separate small bowl, stir together the turmeric, remaining garlic, ginger, and 3 tablespoons water. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 4
Put the oil and shallot in a medium non-stick skillet and set a paper towel-lined plate next to the stove. Then, turn the heat to medium-high. When the shallot starts to bubble, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to the paper towel–lined plate and season with salt.
Step 5
Tear or cut the tofu into 1-inch pieces. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add the tofu to the oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook, turning occasionally, until tofu is crispy on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the turmeric mixture and the dill and cook, stirring, until absorbed, about 2 minutes.
Step 6
Layer lettuce wraps with noodles, tofu, shallots, and nuoc cham over top. Serve extra nuoc cham on the side.
Photography and prop styling by Julia Gartland. Food styling by Samantha Seneviratne.