Red Curry Tofu with Fall Vegetables
Photo: Annabelle Breakey; Styling: Randy Mon
Red curry paste–a flavorful mix of chiles, lemongrass, ground shrimp, and more–is one of the great creations of the Thai kitchen. And it’s available in jars, making it possible to cook this complex-tasting dish in just a half-hour.
This recipe, and others like it, originally appeared in “The Fall Recipes We Guarantee You’ll Be Making on Repeat This Season.”
How to Make It
Step 1
1
Wrap tofu in a towel, place a cutting board and a few cans or other weights on top, and weight 10 minutes to squeeze out excess water. Cut tofu into thick strips.
Step 2
2
Heat oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add tofu and sprinkle with brown sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tofu begins to brown, 3 minutes. Add shallot and cook until tofu and shallot are browned, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl.
Step 3
3
Reserve 1/4 cup coconut milk; add the rest to pan, along with curry paste, lime leaves, bell pepper, and squash. Stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until squash is tender, about 10 minutes.
Step 4
4
Add bok choy, cover loosely, and cook until bok choy is crisp-tender, 3 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together reserved 1/4 cup coconut milk, the fish sauce, lime juice, and tapioca flour. Stir into pan, then add tofu-shallot mixture; simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve over rice.
Step 5
5
*Find curry paste, fish sauce, and tapioca powder in the Asian-food aisle of well-stocked grocery stores; find lime leaves in the produce section.
Step 6
6
Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving without rice.
Ingredients
1 pkg. (about 14 oz.) firm tofu, drained
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar or demerara sugar
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallot
1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk, divided
1 to 2 tbsp. Thai red curry paste*, such as Mae Ploy brand
6 kaffir lime (also called makrut or wild lime) leaves* or 2 tsp. lime zest
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
8 ounces peeled butternut squash chunks
3 heads baby bok choy (about 12 oz. total), leaves separated
1 tablespoon Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce*
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon tapioca flour* or cornstarch
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
Steamed rice
Directions
Step 1
1
Wrap tofu in a towel, place a cutting board and a few cans or other weights on top, and weight 10 minutes to squeeze out excess water. Cut tofu into thick strips.
Step 2
2
Heat oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add tofu and sprinkle with brown sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tofu begins to brown, 3 minutes. Add shallot and cook until tofu and shallot are browned, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl.
Step 3
3
Reserve 1/4 cup coconut milk; add the rest to pan, along with curry paste, lime leaves, bell pepper, and squash. Stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until squash is tender, about 10 minutes.
Step 4
4
Add bok choy, cover loosely, and cook until bok choy is crisp-tender, 3 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together reserved 1/4 cup coconut milk, the fish sauce, lime juice, and tapioca flour. Stir into pan, then add tofu-shallot mixture; simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve over rice.
Step 5
5
*Find curry paste, fish sauce, and tapioca powder in the Asian-food aisle of well-stocked grocery stores; find lime leaves in the produce section.
Step 6
6
Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving without rice.
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