Tahu Gejrot
In this recipe
About this recipe
Tahu Gejrot is Cirebon street food made simple at home: warm fried tofu drowned in a bold sweet-sour-spicy sauce with raw shallot and chili.
The sauce should taste intense—almost too strong on its own—because the mild tofu balances it.
Serve immediately so the tofu stays hot while the sauce is bright and freshly mixed.
Prep & cook time
- Prep10 minutes
- Cook10 minutes
- Total20 minutes
- Servings2 servings
- LevelEasy
Tools you need
- Small saucepan
- Knife
- Serving bowls
- Frying pan if frying tofu yourself
Ingredients
- 4–6 pieces fried tofu (tahu goreng), cut into bite-size cubes
- 3 tablespoons palm sugar, grated
- 4 tablespoons tamarind water (or to taste)
- 4 shallots, thinly sliced
- 5–8 bird's eye chilies, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 100 ml water
Directions
- Cut warm fried tofu into cubes and divide into serving bowls.
- In a small pan, combine water, palm sugar, tamarind water, and salt. Simmer until the sugar dissolves and the liquid slightly thickens.
- Taste: it should be boldly sweet, sour, and salty.
- Remove from heat. Stir in raw shallots and chilies.
- Pour the hot sauce generously over the tofu.
- Serve at once with a spoon so every bite gets sauce and crunch.
Kitchen tips
- Use fresh, hot tofu—cold tofu dulls the dish.
- If palm sugar is hard, grate or melt it fully so the sauce is smooth.
- For kids, reduce chili and serve extra cucumber.
- A splash of sweet soy sauce is optional if you like a darker sauce.
Serve with
- Warm rice
- Cucumber
- Kerupuk
How to store
Sauce keeps 2 days refrigerated. Assemble only when serving so tofu does not turn soggy.
Common mistakes
- A watery, under-seasoned sauce.
- Pouring sauce over cold tofu.
- Cooking the shallots in the sauce until soft—raw crunch is traditional.