Tofu Sambal: The Ultimate Malaysian Fusion Dish

The country of origin

A lot has been said for ages of how Malaysia is the ultimate multiracial, multicultural, multilingual, multi-religious country in the region, if not the world. The fact that many people from all across the region still come here in search of greener pastures simply adds to the many ingredients in our melting pot. 

Speaking of ingredients, one thing all Malaysians irrespective of their ethnic and social background can agree on is we have the best food in the world. Part of this is because we have so many different ethnic groups living here that has resulted in a variety of fusion dishes that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. One such dish is the severely underrated Tofu Sambal. 

Malay + Chinese + Indian

Just think about it. First, it is a form of Sambal, which is a Malay dish. Indonesians might claim it is theirs, but that is a debate for another day. Second, as its name suggests, its main ingredient is tofu, which is a Chinese bean curd. Third, it is predominantly prepared and consumed by Hindus in Malaysia, who are mostly of south Indian descent. It is also important to note that unlike the traditional Malay Sambal, Tofu Sambal is a vegetarian dish, which means it does not contain any shrimp paste, otherwise known as Belacan. 

Tofu

Tofu-making was first recorded almost 2,000 years ago during the Chinese Han dynasty. Along with the spread of Buddhism, tofu-making also spread to other parts of Southeast Asia as a both a vegetarian substitute for meat and fish. It grew to become an important source of protein in the vegetarian diet which is an integral part of all Dharmic religions. In recent years, vegetarianism became popular in the west and so did the use of tofu in western cooking. Indians also have their own version of tofu called Paneer. However, this is a kind of cheese while tofu is a type of bean curd. 

Sambal

Sambal was indeed developed within the Malay archipelago, but its main ingredient is not native to this part of the world. This main ingredient can either be chili pepper, Cayenne pepper and green chili pepper. These variants were all introduced to the Malay world in the 16th century by the Portuguese. This takes the fusion-ness of Tofu Sambal to a whole different level! However, Malay people have been making Sambal even prior to that using local varieties of chili. 

Ingredients

The tofu should be sliced into average-sized cube-shaped chunks. Either vegetable, sunflower or olive oil is best used since this is a vegetarian dish. Also prepare some onions, garlic and a lime or lemon. Prepare some dried chili paste beforehand too. A cup of water, a few sliced tomatoes and some salt will also be needed. If you can get your hands on some kaffir lime leaves too, that would be great. But don't sweat it if you can't find any in your area because this is only for garnishing. You can do without them too if you please. Notice how you don't need any shrimp paste because, as mentioned before, this is a vegetarian dish. 

Method

Despite its delicious taste, it is quite easy to prepare. To start with, fry the chunks of tofu in oil until they turn golden brown. On a separate pot, stir fry garlic and add dried chili paste. Stir this until the oil parts and add onions before stirring on. Then, add water, tomatoes and salt before stirring. As you allow the mixture to boil, squeeze a bit of the lemon or lime juice into the mixture before adding the fried tofu chunks.  Lastly, mix together and dish out after garnishing with some kaffir lime leaves.