Some like it HOT and those who do will love this spicy vegan thai coconut red curry stuffed with crispy tofu cubes and bell peppers, and served atop a bed of coconut-saffron rice
I feel like I will have won at motherhood when my child declares thai curry as her favorite food in life.
I mean, I’d also be pretty darn happy if it was kale, but I think I need to be realistic here. This honeymoon period of eating where she’ll inhale anything I put in front of her is almost certainly going to come to an end when the toddler stage hits and I don’t think there’s any hope for the dark leafy greens when it does.
So, Team Thai Curry! FTW!
So far…I think we’re on the right track.
Helped in part by the fact that my child thinks bell peppers are the world’s best everything and will slurp them up like they’re spaghetti.
(It’s so many kinds of cute.)
(And so many kinds of messy.)
(I’m still finding pepper strips in weird places and we ate this two weekends ago. <– Don’t judge me.)
Thai curry is something I can never get enough of and while, as written, this recipe is a little on the hot side, you can totally downplay the heat by omitting or halving the amount of jalapeno pepper to make it more baby taste bud friendly.
Although, judging by the way Miss R slurped it across our whole apartment…I’m thinking it might also be just fine as is.
I served it with a saffron-coconut rice that is just the right amount of creamy to soak up the spice perfectly and just happens to be the most brilliant yellow hue, making it a feast for your eyes and for your taste buds.
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp grapeseed oil or peanut oil
- 1 lb extra firm tofu, drained and cut into large cubes
- 1 lime
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 scant cup coconut milk
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp thai red curry paste
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1½ cups basmati rice
- 1 scant cup coconut milk
- 2 pinches saffron
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 red thai chili pepper, to garnish
- For the curry, heat oven to 375.
- Stir together the sugar and soy sauce. Set aside.
- Spread the tofu cubes on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the garlic, shallots, and jalapeno. Saute until shallots are tender, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper slices and cook until slightly softened, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce mixture, coconut milk, turmeric, and curry paste. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the roasted tofu and saute for a minute to heat through. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and lime juice.
- For the rice, bring 2 cups of water and the coconut milk to a boil with the saffron and turmeric. Add the rice and ¾ tsp salt. Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until rice is done and water has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork and serving.
- Divide curry and rice among 5 bowls and serve warm.
Pinning this because I have tofu in my fridge and am in need of something fab to do with it. Also because I’m on a quest to get my husband to like tofu and I think this could do the trick!
Yes, I definitely like it hot! This looks incredible, and that rice looks amazing as a side dish. Yum!
Try frozen bell pepper strips. Less messy, and good for teething gums.
Remy has great taste, just like her mom. The curry looks incredible, but I’ll be honest, the beautiful coconut safron rice has me drooling. Bookmarked.
Yummy!