There’s No Place Like Home

Normally when I cook for myself, I try to make one vegetarian and one carnivore dinner a week. I do this not only because it’s cheaper but also because I really love vegetarian options like tofu, beans, seitan, and tempeh. After cooking for my parents for a little over two weeks while I was “home” for the holidays and having to figure out ways to incorporate meat into every meal, I figured that for my first meal back at school, I should get back into the swing of things with some tofu. I also wanted something that would be quick and easy since I was exhausted from all of the anxiety that flying on a bad weather day induces (my flight was delayed three times!!). After perusing my list of potential recipes, I decided to go with something Thai, as I’ve never cooked anything in this style before. Specifically, I decided to make a red curry coconut sauce based on a recipe I found a while ago on The Spiced Life. I made it with brown rice and broccoli. The sauce was a really good balance of sweet and spicy, although for my taste buds I think it could have been a tad bit spicier. Also, there’s nothing that I love more than perfectly fried tofu and this definitely satisfied that craving. Now I get to sit back, relax, watch some tv and, of course, unpack – possibly one of the things that I like to do least.

Tofu in a Thai Red Curry Sauce
Serves 2

1/2 cup lite coconut milk
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp red curry paste (I used Taste of Thai brand)
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp sugar
1 package of lite firm tofu
3/4 cup brown rice
4 cups broccoli florets
1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp EVOO
2 tbsp peanuts

Before I did anything else, I got the brown rice cooking since it takes FOREVER (I guess that’s the price you pay for choosing a whole grain over its refined counterpart). Next, I mixed together the coconut milk, broth, red curry paste, lime juice, sugar, and soy sauce, and set the mixture aside.

I heated up the EVOO in a non-stick pan (two turns of the pan), pressed my tofu, cut it into 8 slices, and placed it on the pan. I cooked one side of the tofu for 6 minutes, then flipped it and cooked it for another 5 minutes. When this was done, I poured the milk mixture into the pan, brought it to a boil, and then let it simmer until the rice was done, turning the tofu every few minutes. In the meantime, I microwaved the broccoli until it was crisp-tender. When all the components were done, I mixed the broccoli and rice together and poured the sauce from the tofu pan on top.

Finally, I sprinkled the whole mixture with the peanuts and sat down to eat.