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Tahu gejrot (tofu in tamarind sauce, Cirebon): photo of the dish
Illustrative photo: Hariadhi — CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Everyday meals

Tahu gejrot (tofu in tamarind sauce, Cirebon)

A speciality of the Cirebon region in West Java: crispy fried tofu drenched in a sweet-sour tamarind and chilli sauce, served warm. It's eaten as street food, often at lunchtime or late afternoon.

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Ingredients

Ingredients

Sauce

Spices & seasoning

Optional extras

On the side

Instructions

  1. Drain the tofu, cut it into large cubes and pat dry with kitchen paper.
  2. Heat the oil to 180 °C and fry the cubes for 5 to 7 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on paper.
  3. Dilute the tamarind pulp in the lukewarm water, then strain to remove the fibres and seeds.
  4. Roughly pound the shallots, chillies and a pinch of salt in a mortar, or chop them very finely.
  5. Add the palm sugar and soy sauce to the tamarind, then stir in the shallot and chilli mixture. Mix until the sugar has fully dissolved.
  6. Just before serving, cut the tofu into pieces, pour over the sauce and toss gently to coat well.

Variations and tips

Version without frying. Bake the tofu at 200 °C for 25 minutes, turning halfway through, for a lighter version.

Using what's easy to find. Replace the palm sugar with light brown sugar, and the tamarind paste with lime juice plus a spoonful of tamarind if you can get it.

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Original Ecomely recipe.