East Asian Recipes

Thai Red Curry with Tofu & Vegetables

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I will be completely honest with you. As a vegetarian (and a paranoid one at that), I haven’t been the most comfortable ordering Thai curry from restaurants. I didn’t trust the ingredients they use. For that reason, I have stayed away from Thai food for most of my life.

However, my husband loves Thai food! So, I decided to try making it at home where I could control the ingredients and ensure that they were 100% vegetarian. I did a decent amount of research to identify what ingredients and vegetables are authentic to Thai cuisine. With a bit of trial and error, I came up with this veggie loaded, protein packed, completely Vegan Thai Red Curry! And guess what? My husband LOVED it. He said it tasted than any restaurant he had ever been to.

I hope you all love my version too! Keep scrolling for my step by step recipe. VIDEO TUTORIAL included as well! 🙂

Thai Red Curry with Tofu & Vegetables
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Thai Red Curry with Tofu & Vegetables

Recipe by Chaitra’s CreationsCuisine: Thai
Servings

4

servings
Prep Time

15

minutes
Cooking Time

25

minutes
Calories per Serving

300

kcal

Pan fried tofu and vegetables simmered in a Thai style Red Curry

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil

  • 1/2 block firm Tofu (cubed)

  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)

  • 1 inch ginger (minced)

  • 1 Thai green chili (sliced into circles)

  • 1 scallion (thinly sliced and separated into white bulbs and scallion greens)

  • 1 medium yellow onion (thinly sliced)

  • 1 medium carrot (julienne)

  • 1/2 medium broccoli (separated into small florets)

  • 1/2 red bell pepper (julienne)

  • 1/2 green bell pepper (julienne)

  • 1 cup sugar snap peas (remove the stringy seams)

  • 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste

  • 1 cup coconut milk

  • 1/2 cup water (or as required)

  • 1 tsp coriander powder

  • Salt to taste

  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

  • 1 cup spinach leaves

  • A handful of Thai basil leaves

  • A handful of cilantro (finely chopped)

  • 1/4 lime

Instructions

  • Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a sauté pan at a medium flame.
  • Add 1/2 block firm Tofu (cut into medium sized cubes). Pan fry tofu cubes until golden brown. Then, take off flame and keep aside.
  • In the same pan, add 2 tbsp more olive oil.
  • Add 2 cloves garlic (minced) , 1 inch ginger (minced), and 1 Thai green chili (sliced into thin circles). Sauté till aromatic.
  • Then, add the white part of 1 scallion (sliced into thin circles) and 1 medium yellow onion (thinly sliced). Sauté till translucent.
  • Next, add your vegetables. I used: 1 medium carrot (julienne), 1/2 medium broccoli (separated into medium florets), 1/2 red bell pepper (julienne), 1/2 green bell pepper (julienne), and 1 cup sugar snap peas (make sure you remove the stringy seams first). Note: Leafy greens are added later.
  • Let the vegetables cook covered for a few minutes. Note: You can increase to a higher flame to speed up the process, if you would like.
  • Once the vegetables are mostly cooked, add 2 tbsp red curry paste.
  • Add 1 cup of coconut milk. Also add some water if required to achieve your desired consistency. I added 1/2 cup water to get a creamy, yet flowy consistency.
  • Sprinkle in 1 tsp coriander powder, salt to taste, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Mix well and let the curry simmer.
  • Once the curry comes to a low boil, stir in 1 cup spinach leaves and a handful of Thai basil leaves.
  • Then, add cooked tofu cubes and cook for a few more minutes.
  • Finally, garnish with a handful of finely chopped cilantro and scallion greens.
  • Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a lime. Serve Thai Red Curry hot with a side of Basmati or Jasmine Rice! 🙂

Notes

  • You could use coconut oil instead of olive oil.
  • If you don’t like tofu, you could replace it with paneer or omit it from this recipe. This curry would taste delicious with just vegetables as well!
  • Firm or extra firm tofu is best to easily cut into cubes. If your tofu doesn’t come pre-cubed, strain the water and let sit for a few minutes before you cut it. You don’t need to press the tofu for this recipe, but you can for good measure, if you would like.
  • Instead of minced garlic and ginger, you could use a pre-made ginger garlic paste.
  • Thai green chili adds to the authentic Thai flavor of this recipe. However, you could substitute with Indian green chili or even serrano peppers. Feel free to add more chilis for extra heat.
  • Feel free to modify the vegetables as you wish. For the most part, I chose veggies commonly used in Thai cuisine. However, there are more that you could add. You could also omit a few veggie if you prefer.
  • Thai basil adds to the authentic Thai flavor of this recipe. However, you could use Italian basil if needed.
  • There are many versions of this recipe. This is my tried and true version that I came up with.  I hope you love it!
  • Vegan Option: This recipe is Vegan! 🙂

Did you make this recipe?

I hope you all try this recipe out! I would love to see your own adventures in cooking! Please take a pic and share them with me on Instagram/Facebook @chaitrascreations.

 

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