This Thai Tofu Coconut Curry recipe is very delicious plus simple to make. A lot of vegetarian curries tend to be rather bland and tasteless, but not this one! Made with tofu and lots of fresh vegetables, this dish is vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free - great for anyone who wants to eat something healthy and nutritious without sacrificing taste. Makes a great everyday meal, but also pretty and tasty enough to serve at a dinner party. ENJOY!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Yield: SERVES 3-4 (with rice)
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup dry shredded baking-type coconut, unsweetened
- 3/4 package (1.5 to 2 cups) firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes
- 1/2 cooking onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic,minced
- 2 thumb-size pieces galangal OR ginger, thinly sliced into matchstick-like pieces
- 1 cup good-quality vegetable stock OR faux chicken stock
- 6 lime leaves (purchase frozen at Asian/Chinese food stores)
- 1-3 tsp. Thai chili sauce OR 1/2 to 1 tsp. dried crushed chili or cayenne pepper, to taste
- 3 Tbsp. vegetarian fish sauce OR soy sauce (or regular fish sauce if non-vegetarian)*use gluten-free soy sauce for celiac diets
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 small sweet potato or yam, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 tsp. whole cumin seed
- 1 can good-quality coconut milk
- generous handful fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced or left whole if small
- 1 red bell pepper, de-seeded and chopped into bite-size pieces
- approx. 1 cup snow peas, left whole or cut in half
- handful cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup fresh coriander
- optional: approx. 1 cup eggplant chopped into bite-size pieces or slices
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil for stir-frying
Preparation:
- Place shredded coconut in a dry wok or large frying pan over medium heat. Stir continuously until the coconut is nicely toasted. Tip toasted coconut into a bowl to cool.
- Replace wok or frying pan on the burner and turn heat up to high. Add 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil plus the onion, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry 1-2 minutes, or until onion begins to soften and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add stock plus lime leaves, chili sauce, vegetarian fish sauce or soy sauce, ground coriander, and most of the toasted coconut (reserve 1 to 1+1/2 Tbsp. for garnish). Stir everything together and bring to boil.
- Add sweet potato/yam, cauliflower, cumin seeds, and half the coconut milk. Stir and bring to a light boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer 2-3 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms, eggplant (if using), and tofu, stirring to incorporate. Cover and simmer 2 minutes.
- Add bell pepper, snow peas, and tomatoes, and simmer 2-3 minutes, or until snow peas have softened but are still bright green. Tip: Don't worry if the curry seems too thick with vegetables - simply stir them in the best you can.
- Turn heat down to low and add remaining coconut milk, stirring to dissolve.
- Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and lime juice. Do a taste-test for salt and spice, adding more [veg.] fish sauce, soy sauce or salt. If too salty or sweet for your taste, add more lime juice. Add more chili if you prefer if spicier.
- To serve, scoop the curry onto individual plates or serving bowls. Top with fresh coriander and a sprinkling of the reserved toasted coconut. Accompany with plenty of Thai jasmine rice, or for an extra treat, with my Easy Thai Coconut Rice OR Brown Coconut Rice, and ENJOY!
