Thai Coconut Vegetable Tofu Curry
Serves 4
Ah, wonderful Thai flavours! One of my favorite cuisines.
This is a classic Thai coconut curry only you get to decide how spicy or how mild you make it.
You can find the specialty Thai ingredients in a Chinese shop, some grocery stores or natural food shops.
Ingredients:
- medium soft tofu cut in 4cm cubes deep fried until
light golden brown - 1/2 cauliflower - cut in large flowerets about 5cm
- 1-2 onions medium dice 1.5cm
- 1/2 red bell pepper cut in 2cm squares
- 1 sweet potatoe or yam cut in 3cm chuncks
- 2 medium carrots cut in 3cm chunks
Garnishes:
- Fresh Corriander (Cilantro) washed, dried and chopped
- Fresh Thail Basil - remove leaves from stems, wash, dry and chop
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes - dry roasted in a frying pan on med. flame - stir constantly as the coconut burns very easily. When lightly toasted and fragrant remove to a dish.
Curry Sauce:
- Small thumb ginger - peeled and chopped finely
- 2 stalks lemon grass - chop the inner nost tender part
and reserve the rest for the stock - 1-2 cloves garlic - chopped
- 1-2 red chili peppers - seeded and chopped
- 1 onion choped finely
- 1 Tbls tomato paste
- 1tsp palm sugar or 1Tbls rice syrup
- Season with half fish sauce and half shoyu
- 1/2 to 1 Tbls light sesame oil
- 2 Kafir lime leaves
- 2 slices Galanga (Thai ginger root)
- Kuzu root starch to thicken
- 1/2 can organic coconut milk
Stock:
Soak one 3cm piece kombu with 1-2 dried Shiitake
mushrooms for about 10-20min. in 2 cups of water.
Add:
- 2 Kafir lime leaves
- 2 slices of Galanga
- plus all outside pieces of the Lemongrass
Put all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil on med. low flame. When the stock boils remoe the kombu and continue to simmer for 15-20 min. Strain and reserve.
Instructions:
Vegetables:
- In a heavy med. size stew pan saute the onion in a little sesame oil for about 5 min.
- Add the pepper and a few shakes of fish sauce.
- After a few min. add the carrots and continue stirring.
- Place the sweet potatoes on top, add a little of the stock, a pinch of sea salt and cover.
- Turn flame to low.
- After 10-15 min. add the Cauliflower and continue to cook until all veggies are tender but not too soft.
- Remove lid and cook off any excess liquid.
Sauce:
- Heat a thick bottomed sauce pan, add the sesame oil and fry first the lemongrass, ginger, chili and finally the garlic with maybe 10 seconds between each one.
- Now add the onion and some fish sauce, continue to saute for 5 min. add a little stock if necessary to avoid sticking.
- Add the rest of the stock and the tomatoe paste - simmer another 5 min. then blend with a hand blender.
- Now add the Kafir lime leaves, the Galanga, palm sugar and the fried tofu cubes.
- Dilute 2 tsp Kuzu root starch in a little cold water and stir it in.
- Turn flame to very low - the sauce should barley be moving or bubbling.
- Now you can add the coconut milk and shoyu to taste.
Leave another few min. then remove from heat and serve:
First the vegetables then a good sprinkle of toasted coconut then the sauce with the tofu, now the fresh basil and corriander and finally more toasted coconut!
Enjoy!
Serving suggestions:
Pressure cook together 1 cup med grain brown rice and 1 cup black rice-this comes out a beautiful colour and contrasts nicely with the curry or serve with pressure cooked or boiled brown Jasmine rice.

