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+ 3/4 cups good-quality vegetable stock OR faux chicken stock
- 1/2 to 2/3 can good-quality coconut milk
- 6 lime leaves (purchase frozen at Asian/Chinese food stores)
- 1/2 cooking onion, diced or roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic,minced
- 2 thumb-size pieces galangal OR ginger, thinly sliced into matchstick-like pieces
- 1-3 tsp. [vegetarian] Thai chili sauce OR 1/2 to 1 tsp. dried crushed chili or cayenne pepper, to taste
- 3 Tbsp. vegetarian fish sauce (or regular fish sauce if non-vegetarian) - OR substitute gluten-free soy sauce
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
- 1 small sweet potato or yam, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup cauliflower, cut into florets
- 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
- 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 stove. 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.
- Turn heat up to high. Add stock plus lime leaves, chili sauce, and most of the toasted coconut (reserve 1 to 1+1/2 Tbsp. for garnish). Stir everything together.
- Add the sweet potato (or yam) and cauliflower. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Simmer 2-3 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms, eggplant (if using), and tofu, stirring to incorporate. Cover and simmer 2 more minutes.
- Add the bell pepper, snow peas, and tomaotes, 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. The curry will thin out once you add the coconut milk in the next step.
- Turn heat down to low and add the coconut milk plus the [veg] fish sauce or soy sauce, stirring to dissolve. Add up to 2/3 of the can of coconut milk or more, depending on how creamy or how much sauce you want with your curry.
- Remove from heat and do a taste-test for salt and spice, adding more [veg.] fish sauce, soy sauce or salt. Add more chili if you prefer it spicer. If you'd like it sweeter, add more brown sugar.
- To serve, scoop the curry onto individual plates or into 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. ENJOY!
