Crisp tofu green curry with rainbow đcolorful veggies
Servings: 6-8 | Time: 40-60 minute cook time, 15 mins prep, 10min frying tofu, 15min simmer
Description: Zoomed in photo of plated Tofu Green curry with colorful veggies from Kitchen Confetti đ
Inspired by: Thai Kitchen in Austin
While reading/watching: Sohlaâs Rules for chicken soup
Description
Cozy, spicy, fresh! I almost want to say crazy, sexy, cool, but i wonât heh. Curries are my favorite batch meals, that get better over a few days and are also gluten-free and lactose-free! Love the sweet addition of pineapple, cute little crunch of the baby corn, beautiful color and texture of the eggplant. This curry is more soupy than thick but you can always adjust the amount of water and coconut milk you put in. Less water and more coconut milk will make it thicker. If you do use less water, watch the salty-ness and spicy-ness by tasting as you go.
Make it your own!
âą For quicker prep: use baby carrots and prepared fried tofu from asian market and cut into 1inch cubes
âą Make it vegan by swapping out the chicken broth or veggie broth
âą Make rice, egg noodles, rice noodles, or french bread to have with this lovely soupy curry.
⹠Instead of Thai chilis you can use spicy or mild jalapeños
⹠Swap the tofu for sautéed chicken pieces
âą Swap or add diced onions after cooking the carrots and baby corn
âą Omit baby corn, I know there are people out there that are not a fan!
âą Garnish with pickled red onions
"Love the sweet addition of pineapple, cute little crunch of the baby corn, beautiful color and texture of the eggplant.â
Ingredients to gather
Liquids
3 cups of chicken broth, Better than Bouillon chicken
1/2 can of Unsweetened coconut milk by Thai Kitchen or any other brand you trust (not light coconut milk, full fat with cream and milk)
Veggies and plant protein
3 Chinese Eggplant
1 Firm tofu (1tsp Mortons kosher salt)
3 Medium Carrots (slices, whole moons or coins)
1 can of Baby corn (washed)
1 Shallot
1/4 cup of pineapple triangles or chunks
1 Lime
Seasoning and herbs
1 can of Green Thai curry paste by MAESRI
1/2 bunch of cilantro
2 Green onions
2 Pickled red Thai chiliâs
Kosher salt to taste
Instructions to follow
Prep your ingredients or âMise en placeâ
Youâll need a Dutch oven with lid or medium to large stew pot with lid that can hold about 5 quarts.
Put on an apron and get armed with a mesh grease guard!
Make some Jasmine, Basmati or white rice in the instant pot while you make the curry.
Cut eggplant in long almost rectangular pieces. Chop carrots and baby corn into 1.5-2â fairy equal pieces
Cube tofu ~1â inch, salt and gently turn/toss, set aside for 15min.
Dice Shallot
Slice up 2-3 pineapple rings or gather a few pineapple triangles (handful).
Rinse, Roll and chop half a bunch of cilantro.
Slice green onion separate greens (garnish) and whites (cook).
Roll, then Slice lime into quarters.
2 whole pickled red Thai chiliâs optional
Mix 1.5 or heaping tablespoon of better than bouillon chicken with 3 cups of warm water. I like to throw it into my bullet blender to do the mixing.
Side by side. Cooking tofu in frying pan, a mesh grease lid nearby. A round red dutch oven around 5quarts for preparing the curry.
Sauté the Eggplant & Veggies
You should have the eggplant already chopped, if not, look above and Chop eggplant accordingly, do not salt until after cooked.
In dutch oven or medium soup pot, heat over medium, then add enough oil to lightly coat pan (~1 tsp), pick up the pan and rotate to coat evenly.
After oil has started to shimmer, add chopped eggplant, let sit and brown on one side first, then stir or flip each individually.\
Sauté until lightly browned.
Place in bowl or on sheet-pan, leave room for tofu, Set aside.
After removing eggplant, in same pot sauté carrots and baby corn together over medium heat. Cook until slightly tender not squishy but enough to pierce with fork.
Fry the tofu
Sometimes the water in the tofu will make the oil pop! I recommend wearing an Apron and having a mesh grease guard! While cooking veggies or after, or if youâre lucky enough to have a kitchen party partner fry up the tofu.
Prepare baking tray or with paper towels to place the fried tofu.
In a wide pan, heat pan then add oil to coat pan. Allow oil to get warm (shimmering) then carefully add enough tofu to fill pan while maintaining space between tofu so it doesnât steam, make sure there is space between your tofu as it fries. Fry in batches if necessary.
Let tofu sit and fry, donât touch until you see the bottom of the tofu getting crispy and changes texture also gets a bit browned, not burn though! This might take some practice.
Then turn over carefully to fry the other side. Only need to fry two sides, til properly crisp. Donât overcook or tofu wonât be able to âsponge-upâ the curry liquids!
Set aside.
Bring it all together đ
Carrots and Baby corn in a dutch oven
In dutch oven heat over medium to low, a small splash of oil, then 1/2 the can of green curry paste, stir!
Add in whites of green onion and chopped shallot. Stir.
Add in carrots, baby corn, tofu. Add the eggplant in the last 5-7 minutes, so it doesnât get overcooked. Cover with Chicken broth, and coconut milk and let simmer for 15minutes with lid on.
Open, Stir and check for doneness and taste with a tiny spoon to make sure there is enough salt. If you add a little salt, let cook for a couple more minutes while stirring and taste again.
Plate up! You can simply scoop rice into a bowl then pour over curry. You could have the curry in its own bowl with rice on the side, my partner is a big fan of this plating. Or you could do something fancy like the photo above, mold the rice into a small bowl, turn out onto a big flat plate and gently place pieces from the curry on top and sauce it with the curry broth. Garnish with cilantro, green onions, pickled redonions, a single pickled thai chili, your choice! Suggestions above in âMake it your ownâ section.
Tofu Green Curry with colorful veggies, Ready to eat!
Plated Tofu Green Curry with colorful veggies from Kitchen Confetti
