Thai Tofu Pizza with Spicy Peanut Sauce
My husband LOVES making pizza – he grills it in the summer, bakes it in the winter, and comes up with a new flavor combo each time. In this monthly “guest post,” I’m going to sit back, relax, and maybe take the occasional photo while Jeff makes me a pizza and tells you about it. Here he is:
I remember the day Lori asked for this most recent pizza post. She said something along lines of . . . “I want a really tasty pizza. But you know, not the usual. Like, less Jeff stuff.”
I took this to mean no smoked meats, no double pork, more fresh veggies, and probably a lack of copious amounts of cheese. Thai food struck me as a theme right off the bat.
When I eat Thai food – regularly with my coworkers on Thursdays – I usually have pork or chicken. My first order of business was to find a suitable meat alternative.
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I realized that tofu is pretty prevalent in Thai food and I have always wanted to try to cook it at home. I had heard that tofu is the best when you pan fry it to get a crispy exterior and use a powerful spice to impart some flavor. I did both.
I also realized that cheese was probably a no-go on a Thai pizza when I offered up pepper jack and Lori gave me the grossed-out facial expression. You know that one that involves a stink eye, a frown, and a crumpled nose.
A dynamite sauce had to made, something involving peanut and sambal oelek (also a crucial ingredient for Asian pasta salad recipe). I think you’ll enjoy its multiple layers of flavor.
Finally, I threw in all kinds of Thai inspired fruits and veggies. Pineapple added for sweetness. Carrots for color. Bean sprouts for crunch. And, green onions for a hit of freshness. I don’t usually eat vegetarian, but found this pizza both fun to dream up and very tasty.
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Thai Tofu Pizza with Spicy Peanut Sauce
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Ingredients
For the Spicy Peanut Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek
- 1-1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1-1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the Thai Tofu PIzza:
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces firm tofu drained, patted dry and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- 1 prepared whole wheat pizza crust
- 1 medium carrot shredded
- 1 medium tomato chopped
- ⅔ cup chopped pineapple
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- ¼ cup bean sprouts
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- Juice of 1/2 lime
Instructions
- Prepare Spicy Peanut Sauce: In small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, vinegar, sambal oelek and soy sauce. While whisking, slowly drizzle in oil until all oil is incorporated.
- Make Pizza: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Heat oil over medium-high heat in large nonstick skillet. Sprinkle tofu with curry powder, then add to skillet. Cook tofu 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown; turning once with a spatula halfway through cooking.
- Place pizza crust on baking pan and spread with Spicy Peanut Sauce. Divide carrot, tomato, pineapple and tofu over sauce. Transfer to oven; bake 10 minutes or until bottom of crust is golden brown.
- Remove pizza from oven; sprinkle with onions, bean sprouts, cilantro and mint. Squeeze lime juice over pizza, cut into 8 slices and serve immediately.
I live in rural Haiti and don’t have easy access to grocery stores. We make a pizza similar to this, and I’m going to give yours a try. We add roasted eggplant and roasted garlic (under the cheese – yeah, the only cheese we have is mozzarella sadly). We also use shredded chicken breast (marinated in seasoned coconut milk). It’s my employees favorite pizza. We use a homemade peanut sauce as well. Very similar. Will pick up some bean sprouts, and tofu. The addition of the lime juice sounds wonderful.
Thanks for stopping by, Tom! I love the idea of adding roasted eggplant to a pizza like this. Yum!
Tofu and pizza…what a creative and delicious combo!
Thanks so much, Angie!
Nope, it wasn’t soggy at all! It definitely helps to pat the tofu dry REALLY well. I believe Jeff even let it sit on a paper towel for 15 minutes or so while he prepped the rest of the toppings.
I have always wanted to make a pizza with tofu in it but always think it would come out really soggy! It is great to know it turned out good!
So my husband stopped on the way home from work yesterday to pick up a few ingredients that we lacked and he whipped this up for dinner. It was phenomenal!!!!
That’s awesome, Jennifer. Don’t you just love having a husband who can cook you dinner? So glad you liked it!
Haha, I know! I guess me tricking him with that seitan chili opened up a whole new world of meat substitutes for him?
I was confused at first because I thought Jeff doesn’t do tofu? Well call me impressed because this is an explosion of flavor and I’d order this right up!