One of our most popular menu items is our Green Curry Shrimp. And it’s easy to see why. It’s rich, creamy, spicy, and full of colorful veggies. I am a firm believer though that vegetarians deserve to get in on the fun too, and that’s how this Green Curry Tofu was born. I kept everything people love about the original, and swapped in crispy tofu for the shrimp. And for this version, I also use a commercial green curry paste which makes this a totally doable weeknight meal. Quick, easy, and delicious. Let’s do this!
Prepping the Green Curry Tofu Veggies
I start by getting the sweet potatoes ready. These soft sweet nuggets are a perfect contrast to the spicy curry sauce.
Then I boil them for 6-8 minutes until tender. You want them tender but not fall apart mush.
While the sweet potatoes are cooking, I get the veggies and tofu ready. I like the contrast of shapes when cutting my veggies so I’m using a couple of different styles. It’s totally not necessary but you should try to keep them roughly the same size.
It’s important to get a nice golden crust on the tofu. It adds a lot of texture and flavor to the dish. Use a non-stick skillet because tofu has a lot of moisture and that moisture loves to grab onto the surface of the skillet. If you use a regular stainless skillet, you will hate yourself as you struggle to keep the crust from adhering to the pan. It’s not impossible, but you will need to heat the pan for a long time and use a lot more oil. Do yourself a favor a use a non-stick skillet or a well seasoned cast iron pan.
Cooking Green Curry Tofu
Now that the veggies are prepped and the tofu has been fried, it comes together really quickly.
The secret to the lusciousness of restaurant curries is coconut cream. Now’s not the time to fall into the low fat trap. At least use full fat coconut milk rather than the watery light versions. Coconut fat is good for you and it is essential to create a rich and creamy curry. If you’re ultra concerned, eat a little less and save some for your next meal!
Because this is a vegetarian (and vegan) dish, we’re not using the traditional fish sauce. However, it’s important to give the dish that deep, salty, earthy flavor that fish sauce imparts. Today we’re mimicking that flavor with soy sauce and miso. Used in combination, you get a similar umami goodness. You can also experiment with coconut aminos and a little salt with good results.
One the veggies are added, lower the heat to medium and cover the pot with a lid. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the eggplant has softened, stirring the pan occasionally.
I like to garnish this with fresh herbs and serve with rice to scoop up all the luscious sauce. A fresh squeeze of lime is nice too!
Can’t get enough curry? Try:
I hope you love this easy, weeknight Green Curry Tofu. Please take a moment to rate and comment on the recipe, and you can show off your food pics by tagging us @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!
Green Curry Tofu
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons Oil
- 1 Block Firm Tofu
- ½ large yellow onion, sliced
- 2 cloves large garlic
- 1 Tablespoon peeled and minced ginger
- 1–2 thai bird chilies (optional for those who really like extra spicy foods)
- 3 ounces baby spinach
- 1 Chinese eggplant, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 small sweet potato
- 1 handful cilantro or basil
Sauce:
- 2 oz green curry paste (I used ½ 4 oz maesri brand can)
- 10 fl oz coconut cream
- ½ Tablespoon Miso
- ½ Tablespoon Soy sauce or Coconut Aminos
- Salt and Ground Black Pepper to Taste
For serving:
- Hot rice
- Limes Wedges
Instructions
- Peel and trim the sweet potatoes.
- Dice the sweet potatoes into 1” pieces.
- Place the sweet potatoes into a small pot and cover with 3 cups of water.
- Place the pot on the stove and bring the water to a boil over high heat.
- Lower the heat to medium and cook for 6-8 minutes until tender but not falling apart. Drain the potatoes and set aside.
- While the sweet potatoes are cooking, open the tofu package and then cut the tofu into small 1 ½“ pieces.
- Set the tofu on a plate lined with a couple pieces of paper towel. Cover the tofu with some more paper towels (you can also use a clean kitchen towel) and gently press down on it to remove excess water.
- Heat a large 12” non-stick frying pan over medium heat for several minutes and then add 3 Tablespoons of the oil.
- Place the tofu in one layer and let it cook undisturbed for 3-5 minutes until the bottom is crisp and browned.
- Using a spatula, flip the pieces of tofu over and cook the other side for another 3-5 minutes until also crispy and browned. Take the tofu out of the pan and set aside.
- Return the unwashed pan to the stove. Turn the heat to medium high.
- Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of oil and the onions. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the ginger, garlic, and curry paste. Stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the eggplant, sweet potatoes, coconut milk, miso paste, and soy sauce to the pan.
- Bring the pan to a simmer, stirring to melt the miso into the sauce. Then, lower heat to medium and cover the pot with a lid. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the eggplant has softened, stirring the pan occasionally.
- Add the tofu, stir and cover. Lower heat to a medium low and cook for an additional 2 minutes until the tofu is hot.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with a little salt and ground pepper as needed.
- Add the spinach and stir to wilt. Garnish with some cilantro or basil sprigs.
- Serve the Green Curry Tofu immediately with hot rice and lime wedges.
Keywords: green curry, tofu, thai, spicy, coconut, sweet potato, vegan
