Vegan Thai Green Curry Tofu
Delicious, rich, creamy, filled with all kinds of bold flavors and a little kick of heat, this Vegan Thai Green Curry Tofu is a hearty, comforting meal that’s as good for your body as it is pleasing to the palate.
I recently attended a well-needed 6 day silent meditation retreat and well, usually, in those kinds of events, the food is kinda meh... I mean let’s face it, sometimes when cooking for larger groups of people, the overall quality of the food inevitably has to suffer. But wow, seriously? NOT that time! Every single day, we were treated to the most amazing and delicious vegan meals! As luck would have it, Tammy, the cook at the Samadhi Center, is a very good chef with years of experience in vegan cooking, and she did a fantastic job feeding us. Man oh man, I just never wanted to leave her side…
Of all the fantastic dishes she whipped up for us, my ultimate favorite was her Thai Green Curry Tofu. And apparently, I was not the only one: at the end of the retreat, after the silence had been lifted, we all agreed to say that this curry was THE ABSOLUTE BOMB!!
And although Tammy swore that she would send me her recipe as soon as she’d typed it — she’d only scribbled it onto a piece of paper when she’d created it, that day — I just didn’t have the patience to wait and proceeded to recreate it from memory – both from what I had tasted and from what I’d seen on said piece of paper when Tammy quickly showed it to me. While it’s not exactly the same (besides, even if I’d had her exact recipe, it still wouldn’t have been exactly the same) it’s just as crazy tasty, rich, creamy, filled with all kinds of bold flavors and a good little kick of heat!
Do yourselves a favor, make this. Make this today. I can guarantee you that it won’t be the last time!
Before you even think of cooking anything — well, besides your rice or noodles or whatever grain it is that you will be serving this with, which you should totally do now! — be sure that all your ingredients are prepped and ready to go. Also make the sauce right away by simply mixing all the ingredients together in a large measuring cup. Don’t worry if your sauce has a tendency to separate (coconut milk will sometimes do that) and looks totally unappetizing at this point; it’ll all come together perfectly smooth once it heats up.
Also too, I strongly recommend pressing the tofu for at least an hour before you start, to remove some of the excess moisture from it. That step is entirely optional though; If there’s no time for that, you can simply skip it altogether. And if you don’t have a tofu press, you can totally rig one up with simple kitchen gear that you already have at home. Check out this post to see how I do it!
It’s interesting to know that many curry pastes contain shrimp paste or fish sauce, so check your label carefully to be sure it’s vegan. Also, some brands are much spicier than others, so if you’re intolerant to heat, you might want to start by adding a little less and work your way up as needed to suit your own preference. Tammy strongly recommended Aroy-D. She says it’s the best and the only one they used at the Thai restaurant where she used to work.
Once you’re all good and ready to go, heat some avocado oil in a large wok or skillet set over high heat. Once hot, add the tofu cubes and cook them on each side for 1 or 2 minutes, until they get crispy and golden brown.
Transfer the tofu to a bowl, then add the onion and mushrooms to the wok and cook them for about 2 minutes, until softened and fragrant.
Next, add the garlic, bok choy, zucchini and bell pepper and continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes, until softened but still slightly crunchy.
Finally, return the tofu to the pan then add the sauce and mix well.
See what I mean by the sauce separating and not looking very appetizing at all?? I even hesitated to take pictures of this greenish, lumpy thing… but I thought it was necessary, and that besides, it would help ease your mind if yours also looked like this!
Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about a minute, until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened.
Aaaaaw. Now that’s better! See how beautiful and rich and creamy that sauce looks now? Yummy stuff!!
Remove from heat and allow to sit for a few minutes before serving, to finish cooking the veggies and let them soak up some of those crazy amazing flavors.
Serve with a side of basmati rice, or your favorite noodles, or any other grain of your choice.
Vegan Thai Green Curry Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 - 14oz block firm or extra-firm tofu, pressed* and cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 10 mushrooms, quartered
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4-5 baby bok choy, chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
For the sauce
- 1 - 14oz can full fat coconut milk
- 3 tbsp green curry paste, **
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp tamari sauce
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp corn starch
To serve (optional)
- Cooked basmati rice, or rice noodles, or other grain of your choice
Instructions
- Before you start, be sure that all your ingredients are prepped and ready to go and make the sauce by mixing all the ingredients together in a large measuring cup. Don't worry if your sauce has a tendency to separate (coconut milk will sometimes do that) it'll all come together perfectly smooth once it heats up.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large wok or skillet set over high heat. Once hot, add the tofu cubes and cook them on each side for 1 or 2 minutes, until they get crispy and golden brown.
- Transfer the tofu to a bowl, then add the onion and mushrooms to the wok and cook them for about 2 minutes, until softened and fragrant.
- Next, add the garlic, bok choy, zucchini and bell pepper and continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes, until softened but still slightly crunchy.
- Return the tofu to the pan then add the sauce and mix well. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about a minute, until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened.
- Remove from heat and allow to sit for a few minutes before serving, with a side of basmati rice, or your favorite noodles or grain.
Notes
Nutrition
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5 Comments on “Vegan Thai Green Curry Tofu”
I haven’t decided to turn Vegan but I can give this a try
You should have a go as I am not a vegan too and still love meat but the tofu makes it so yummy
My son loves thai food so this will be great to make him thanks and good luck and god bless.
I have a question…I need a new recipe for my church potluck. Can this be made ahead and refrigerated, re-warmed and served the next day? Just wondering how the tofu and veggies with the coconut cream will hold up.
I’m afraid not… this dish doesn’t reheat very well and is better served fresh!