Coconut Red Curry With Tofu

Name: Coconut Red Curry With Tofu
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: thai
Ingredients: 14 ounces extra-firm tofu; 1 tablespoon peanut or safflower oil; 1-inch ginger root, peeled and minced; 2 shallots or 1 small onion, minced; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 Thai chile or 2 serrano peppers, seeded and thinly sliced; 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro stems; 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, more to taste; 3 tablespoons prepared red curry paste; 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk; 2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce; Zest and juice of 1 lime; 1 cup snow peas; Basil and/or cilantro leaves, for garnish; Brown or white rice, for serving

By Melissa Clark

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 5(4,274)
Notes: Read community notes

This simple weeknight red curry relies on jarred or canned red curry paste for flavor, which you can find at larger supermarkets and specialty markets. Transfer leftover canned curry paste to a jar, top it with a little oil and store in the refrigerator for up to a month. Or freeze for longer storage. Feel free to substitute other vegetables for the mushrooms and snow peas, though you might have to increase the cooking time slightly if using something dense like carrot or cubed winter squash.

Featured in: Curry and Coconut Milk Fire Up a Weeknight Basic

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 4

14ounces extra-firm tofu
1tablespoon peanut or safflower oil
1-inch ginger root, peeled and minced
2shallots or 1 small onion, minced
2garlic cloves, minced
1Thai chile or 2 serrano peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
2tablespoons chopped cilantro stems
8ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
½teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
3tablespoons prepared red curry paste
1cup unsweetened coconut milk
2teaspoons Asian fish sauce
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1cup snow peas
Basil and/or cilantro leaves, for garnish
Brown or white rice, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Cut tofu into 1-inch slabs and place on paper towel-lined baking sheet. Cover with another layer of paper towels and place another baking sheet on top. Let sit for 20 minutes. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
Step 2
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ginger, shallots, garlic, chile and cilantro stems, and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté until golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Stir in curry paste and cook 2 minutes. Pour in coconut milk, scraping up any curry paste with a wooden spoon. Add fish sauce, lime zest and juice. Add tofu cubes and snow peas. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the snow peas are tender, 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and add more salt and/or fish sauce if needed.
Step 3
Serve warm with brown rice and a scattering of torn basil and/or cilantro leaves on top.

Ratings

5 out of 5

4,274 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Luke7 years ago

I dried the tofu by sandwiching between cutting boards and paper towels with a weight on top. Then coated in olive oil and spices. Baked at 400 for 30 minutes while turning / stirring once in the middle. This makes a firmer tofu cube and allows it stay conisistent while reheating.

Autumncook7 years ago

CAUTION--apparently all red curry pastes are not the same. I made this and added the 3 T red curry paste as called for. It was super hot--my advice--try adding 1T at a time to get it to the level you want. Will try again as I think it would be delicious with the right level of spiciness.

Dana7 years ago

This was excellent. I am vegetarian and we substituted 1 tsp of soy sauce + 1 tsp of warm water for the fish sauce. We also used a little extra coconut milk, thinned with water, to increase the volume of the sauce. I suggest doing a careful mis en place with this dish -- chop and have all ingredients ready in small bowls by the pan -- because it goes fast once you get started.

Karen1 week ago

This was delicious. Only change was that I added the whole can of coconut milk, and a dash or two of curry powder for more curry flavor. I can't wait to make this again--next time more sauce!

Neetika2 weeks ago

Take pace with the red curry paste. Perhaps use one serrano pepper to start. Almost killed my poor spice-intolerant husband.

rfh3 weeks ago

Made with cooked chicken breast, but otherwise the same. Delicious!

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