Press the tofu for at least 10 minutes to drain excess liquid, then crumble it into small pieces with your hands or a fork.

Whisk the sugar, vegetable broth, vegan fish sauce, soy sauce, and cornstarch together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves and no lumps of starch remain.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat until it shimmers.

Add the red onion and sauté until translucent and softened, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, green chiles, bird’s eye chiles, and bell pepper, then lower the heat to medium and cook until the pepper is tender, about 4 minutes.

Add the crumbled tofu and increase the heat to high. Let the tofu brown, stirring only every 2 minutes, until it dries out and looks like minced meat, about 10 minutes total.

Stir the sauce again to lift any settled cornstarch, then pour it over the tofu.

Add the Thai basil and cook over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes until the leaves have wilted and the sauce has thickened into a light glaze.

Season with white pepper and serve immediately over steamed jasmine rice, topping with extra chiles if you want more heat.