This easy flavourful sambal stir fry can be prepared in under 30 minutes and is perfect for quick weeknight dinners.

Sambal is a very popular flavour in Asian cuisines – specifically Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. I’ve been having many variations of sambal in Singapore where I grew up. I do have to warn you that it can be super spicy but it’s also very delicious alongside rice. It’s traditionally made aromatics and dried shrimp paste but we’ll be making a simple vegan version today without compromising on flavour!

This spicy sambal vegetable stirfry is made with an easy homemade sambal paste will leave you feeling hot but satisfied. The perfect side or sharing dish with rice or if you want to fuse or jazz things up, you can also add them to wraps, sandwiches or serve them over noodles. Another creative idea is to use the sambal paste and seasoning to make sambal fried rice instead!

What You Need for This Recipe

  • extra firm tofu – I use fresh tofu from my market and it’s not the most firm but this recipe is not substituting tofu for ‘chicken’ so we’re good!
  • vegetables – I love using mushrooms and broccoli together as they are a nice combo to cook with for varying texture, crunch and taste
  • onions and garlic – for my alliums free peeps, sorry – this recipe has to have onions and garlic but I’m working on an alliums-free version as we speak
  • chillies – the type of chillies you use is very important – the recommended ones are dried red chillies (bedigai chillies) for best colour and flavour. I also added chopped red chili in here for added heat and colour
  • lemongrass – to add aroma and make the paste more fragrant
  • coconut sugar – to balance out the spices
  • soy sauce – for umaminess and flavour
  • salt to taste

Sambal Mushroom, Broccoli & Tofu Stirfry

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Fusion, Malaysian, Singaporean
Keyword: sambal, stirfry, vegetables
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Sambal Paste

  • 2 dried red chillies
  • 1 lemongrass stalk
  • 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 shallots

Vegetables

  • 200 g king oyster mushrooms
  • 6 broccolini
  • 200 g extra firm tofu
  • 1 red chili deseeded
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp gluten free light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce sub with gluten free light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • salt

Garnish

  • 1 red chili
  • toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

  • Slice tofu into squares and pan fry them in olive oil until crispy.
  • Blend together ingredients for sambal paste. Chop up red chillies finely.
  • Add sesame oil to a pan and saute red chillies.
  • Add back in sambal paste and fry off until fragrant.
  • Add a splash of water to prevent burning, mushrooms and cook until mushrooms release all water.
  • Add in soy sauces, salt, maple syrup. Mix well.
  • Add in broccolini and cover the lid for a minute or two. Add in pan-fried tofu.
  • Add a splash of water and cook ingredients in the sauce if the stir fry is too dry.
  • Garnish with red chillies and sesame seeds. Enjoy!