The story of son in law eggs
You wouldn't be the first to question the title of this Thai dish, pondering how on earth any food could come to be named so unusually. One version of the so-called story goes something like this: A mother is disgusted with her son in law's arsey behaviour and serves him some deep fried eggs as a metaphorical representation of what's going to happen to his man vegetables if he doesn't snap to it.
The more child friendly narrative is that a man was keen to please his wife's mother, and so he put some cupboard staples to exemplary use and created this dish.
Son in law tofu (vegan son in law eggs)
เต้าหู้ลูกเขย Tahu Luk Khoei
This recipe for vegan son in law tofu is commonly found in Thailand and in vegan Thai cookbooks as an alternative to son in law eggs. The salty, sweet, and sour sauce is rather moorish, so props to anyone who doesn't lick their plate clean.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons shallot oil
- 75 grams (¼ packed cup) light palm sugar
- 3 tablespoons tamarind water
- 2 tablespoons Thai thin soy sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 300 grams extra firm tofu, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 5-6 dried long red chillies
- ¼ cup fried shallot
- Fresh coriander
Directions/Method
- In a small saucepan heat the 2 teaspoons of shallot oil over medium heat. Add the palm sugar and fry until the sugar is melted and turns a shade darker, about a minute or two. Add the tamarind water, soy sauce, and salt. Stir until all ingredients are melted and combined. Keep the sauce on low heat.
- Heat enough oil in a wok or deep fryer to fry the tofu cubes. Fry on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until each side is golden and slightly crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the tofu to kitchen roll to drain.
- Add the dried chillies to the oil and fry for a minute or so, moving around in the oil to ensure both sides are cooked. The colour will deepen to dark red brown. Remove and drain alongside the tofu.
- Plate up the tofu and pour the warm sauce over top. Top with the fried shallots, fried dried chillies, fresh coriander, and fresh chilli (if using). Serve with jasmine rice.
- Author: Kip Dorrell
- Serves: 2 with rice
- Cuisine: Thai