Red Curry with Tofu and Vegetables

I love Thai cuisine and crave red curry, green curry, and anything made with lemongrass all the time! Many Thai dishes just happen to be vegan – which is why Thai food is my go-to food while traveling. I never get tired of the taste of coconut milk combined with red curry or green curry. There’s just something really comforting and invigorating about spicy Thai cuisine. I love going to Thai restaurants but surprisingly there aren’t too many in my neighborhood. I prefer making it at home instead of ordering in because this allows me to control the amount of richness in it. Some of the dishes made in Thai restaurants can be high in calories and fat because they contain full fat coconut milk. I’ve also noticed that sometimes restaurants skimp on vegetables in their dishes and add a lot of bamboo shoots instead. I’m not a huge fan of bamboo shoots so I left them out of this recipe. Instead, this recipe is loaded with bright, healthy vegetables. I like to use baked tofu instead of fried. Baking it gives it the same crispy texture on the outside with minimal oil. It’s also a lot quicker and easier than frying in my opinion. If you want your red curry to be super spicy, you can add an entire jalapeno. I’m not a big fan of super spicy food so I only used a little jalapeno. (The red curry paste alone added plenty of spice for me!) I also prefer more red curry paste vs. coconut milk in my dish. Feel free to cut back on the red curry paste or add more coconut milk if you prefer – this will give your dish a lighter red color. You can also vary the vegetables depending on what you have at home. This dish is easy to make on short notice and is always a hit. I typically keep a bottle of red curry paste and green curry paste in my fridge as well as coconut milk in my house at all times. You can use sauteed seitan or baked tempeh as your protein in this dish as well. As always, let me know how it turns out by taking a picture and tagging @thefriendlyepicurean on Instagram.

Red Curry with Tofu and Vegetables

Servings: 6
Time: 45min
Difficulty: easy
Print

Ingredients

1 (14 oz) package of extra firm tofu, excess water drained and cut into 1″ cubes
2 cups light coconut milk
1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and julienned
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup green peas (frozen or fresh)
1 cup green beans, chopped into 1″ pieces
2 cups diced onion
2 tbs freshly squeezed lime juice
4 tbs red curry paste
1/2 tbs ginger paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno, seeds removed and finely chopped (optional)
2 tbs olive oil
olive oil spray
1/4 tsp salt plus more to taste
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or Thai basil, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. Rinse tofu and wrap in a clean towel for 10 minutes to drain excess water. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Once excess water is drained from tofu, cut tofu into 1″ cubes. Spread tofu cubes evenly on baking sheet and spray tofu with olive oil spray. Bake tofu for 20-25 minutes (will appear golden brown). Remove tofu from oven and set aside. Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large saucepan on low-medium heat. Cook onions for 8 minutes until golden brown. Add garlic, jalapeno, cauliflower, green beans, and bell pepper and cook for another 7-8 minutes. Add coconut milk, red curry paste, ginger paste, and salt. Stir to combine and simmer for about 7-8 minutes. Add peas, basil (or cilantro), and lime juice and more salt to taste. Simmer for 2-3 more minutes until peas are cooked through. Top with basil (or cilantro) for garnish. Serve alone or with rice noodles, quinoa, or rice. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Information: