Chili Lime Basil Tofu – shredded tofu cooked down in a sweet, spicy, savory, and tangy sauce with fresh aromatic basil leaves make a tasty tofu recipe you’re sure to enjoy over rice.
I used the shredded tofu technique to create a meaty texture for this recipe. Shredding tofu and baking or air-frying it to draw out excess moisture creates a unique texture that almost resembles ground meat.
WHAT KIND OF TOFU IS BEST TO USE?
Using extra firm tofu or tokwa is key for this recipe. Firm tofu can work too but it will most likely easily crumble during the shredding process. So the best option is really to use extra firm or super firm tofu for the pieces to hold up well.
Silken or soft tofu will most definitely NOT work since it won’t be able to hold up when shredded. Silken or soft tofu also has too much water content.
SHREDDED TOFU
I first stumbled upon this shredded tofu technique on Tiktok and don’t recall exactly whose video i saw but was really intrigued and decided to give it a try. I love how the tofu comes out almost like minced meat, at least texture-wise, since baking or air frying it really draws out extra moisture from the tofu.
I cooked mine until golden brown and crisp on the edges while some pieces are still white and soft so when you add everything together, you get a really nice mix of textures.
The shredded tofu itself is a great vessel for any kind of sauce or marinade you like!
THE CHILI LIME SAUCE
The sauce is a blend of sweet, savory, tangy, and spicy! I love how the lime juice really brightens up the sauce and the chili oil of course gives it that extra heat. You’re free to adjust the sauce depending on your desired taste, of course.
BASIL LEAVES
For the basil leaves, I used a mix of Thai and Holy basil leaves I harvested from my plants. You’re also free to use sweet basil if you don’t have Thai or holy basil leaves.
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE THIS CHILI LIME BASIL
You can find the full recipe in the card below!
TOFU
- 17.5 oz extra firm tofu or tokwa
- Neutral oil
SAUCE
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp chili sauce or chili oil , adjust to desired heat
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
FOR STIR-FRYING
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 asian shallot diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups fresh Thai and/or Holy Basil leaves
FOR SERVING
- Sliced red chiles
- Steamed rice
SHRED OR GRATE THE TOFU
Remove the tofu from the water and drain from any excess water. Using a cheese grater, carefully grate the tofu into shreds.
AIR-FRY OR BAKE THE TOFU
- Meanwhile, preheat your air-fryer or oven to 350F/180C.
- On a lined baking tray or air fryer basket (I used parchment paper), place the shredded tofu and spread it out.
- You can spray the tofu with some neutral oil before air-frying/baking.
- For air-frying, air-fry for 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown – do not overcook since it can easily burn and become bitter. You can flip the tofu halfway through cooking to get even browning.
- It’s also okay to leave some parts of the tofu white and still soft, since this adds to the different textures of the tofu dish when mixed with the crispier golden brown parts.
- If baking, you may need to bake the tofu for 25-30 minutes.
MIX THE SAUCE
- For the sauce, mix everything together. Feel free to adjust the measurements depending on your desired taste.
STIR-FRYING
- Heat a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add neutral cooking oil.
- Once hot, stir-fry the shallots and garlic until the shallots are translucent and aromatic.
- Add the air-fried or baked shredded tofu into the pan.
- Allow the tofu to crisp up more (if desired).
- Pour in the sauce. Mix everything well.
- Cook down the tofu for 3-4 minutes over medium heat or until the sauce starts to thicken from the sugars.
- Allow the sauce to reduce until it coats the tofu.
- Over medium high heat, add the fresh basil leaves. Mix and then turn off the heat. Allow the basil leaves to cook in the residual heat.
- Mix in some sliced red chiles, for extra heat, if desired.
SERVE AND ENJOY!
- Serve while hot over steamed rice. Enjoy!
MORE TOFU RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Shredded Tofu ‘Bulgogi’
- Tofu Sisig
- Maple Hoisin Tofu
- Baked Peanut and Lime Tofu
- Kung Pao Tofu
- Pineapple Cashew Tofu Stir-Fry
- Crispy Salt and Pepper Tofu
- Black Pepper Tofu Steaks
Chili Lime Basil Tofu
Ingredients
Tofu
- 17.5 oz extra firm tofu or tokwa
- Neutral oil
Sauce
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp chili sauce or chili oil , adjust to desired heat
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
For Stir-Frying
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 asian shallot diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups fresh Thai and/or Holy Basil leaves
For Serving
- Sliced red chiles
- Steamed rice
Instructions
PREPARE THE TOFU
- Remove the tofu from the water and drain from any excess water. Using a cheese grater, carefully grate the tofu into shreds.
- Meanwhile, preheat your air-fryer or oven to 350F/180C.
- On a lined baking tray or air fryer basket (I used parchment paper), place the shredded tofu and spread it out.
- You can spray the tofu with some neutral oil before air-frying/baking.
- For air-frying, air-fry for 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown – do not overcook since it can easily burn and become bitter. You can flip the tofu halfway through cooking to get even browning.
- It’s also okay to leave some parts of the tofu white and still soft, since this adds to the different textures of the tofu dish when mixed with the crispier golden brown parts.
- If baking, you may need to bake the tofu for 25-30 minutes.
MIX THE SAUCE
- For the sauce, mix everything together. Feel free to adjust the measurements depending on your desired taste.
STIR-FRYING
- Heat a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add neutral cooking oil.
- Once hot, stir-fry the shallots and garlic until the shallots are translucent and aromatic.
- Add the air-fried or baked shredded tofu into the pan.
- Allow the tofu to crisp up more (if desired).
- Pour in the sauce. Mix everything well.
- Cook down the tofu for 3-4 minutes over medium heat or until the sauce starts to thicken from the sugars.
- Allow the sauce to reduce until it coats the tofu.
- Over medium high heat, add the fresh basil leaves. Mix and then turn off the heat. Allow the basil leaves to cook in the residual heat.
- Mix in some sliced red chiles, for extra heat, if desired.
SERVE AND ENJOY!
- Serve while hot over steamed rice. Enjoy!
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This Post Has 16 Comments
We LOVED this recipe!!
Happy to hear this hehe thanks Ramona! ◡̈
Delicious recipe!! Gonna make this more often!! 🫶🏼
YAY!! Thanks Hannah ◡̈
This soooo good!
Thank you Rae!! ◡̈
I overbaked the tofu a bit, but it made these crunchy tofu bites that were still really cool! Lime juice and basil was tasty as well.
Greetings from Germany
Danke Niklas! Hope you still enjoyed it ◡̈
I am obsessed with this recipe! My new go-to.
Yaaay, thanks Emily! ◡̈
Ok, new to your site – This was fantastic. Here in a kosher household, I needed to create my own dark soy sauce (4 teaspoons soy sauce plus 1 tsp molasses plus 1/4 teaspoon salt as a base, since kosher dark soy sauce doesn’t exist).
A question for you, though – It feels like shredding the tofu and then baking it is recreating Soy Curls. Have you tried this recipe with them? I’m guessing 1 bag of rehydrated Soy Curls = 2 blocks of tofu.
Thanks again!
Hi Liari! I haven’t tried this recipe with soy curls but I can imagine the sauce would go great too. I’m not so sure about the ratio as well, so please let me know if you get to give it a try! ◡̈
This looks DELISH! Thanks for Sharing!
Being a novice cook, I learned to achieve a meaty texture from tofu. It is the key takeaway for me. Your blog is truly wonderful, and I thoroughly enjoyed the food photographs.
This was delicious, such a good idea to grate and bake the tofu. Did a mixture of Thai and regular basil and it worked well. Will definitely make it again.
Thanks so much Karen! Hope you enjoyed your meal! ◡̈