Coconut Red Curry With Tofu

By Melissa Clark

Updated Aug. 18, 2022

Coconut Red Curry With Tofu
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(4,752)
Comments
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This simple weeknight red curry relies on jarred or canned red curry paste for flavor, which you can find at larger supermarkets and specialty markets. Transfer leftover canned curry paste to a jar, top it with a little oil and store in the refrigerator for up to a month. Or freeze for longer storage. Feel free to substitute other vegetables for the mushrooms and snow peas, though you might have to increase the cooking time slightly if using something dense like carrot or cubed winter squash.

Featured in: Curry and Coconut Milk Fire Up a Weeknight Basic

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 4
  • 14ounces extra-firm tofu
  • 1tablespoon peanut or safflower oil
  • 1-inch ginger root, peeled and minced
  • 2shallots or 1 small onion, minced
  • 2garlic cloves, minced
  • 1Thai chile or 2 serrano peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
  • 2tablespoons chopped cilantro stems
  • 8ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
  • ½teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
  • 3tablespoons prepared red curry paste
  • 1cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • 2teaspoons Asian fish sauce
  • Zest and juice of 1 lime
  • 1cup snow peas
  • Basil and/or cilantro leaves, for garnish
  • Brown or white rice, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

377 calories; 21 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 16 grams protein; 561 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cut tofu into 1-inch slabs and place on paper towel-lined baking sheet. Cover with another layer of paper towels and place another baking sheet on top. Let sit for 20 minutes. Cut into 1-inch cubes.

  2. Step 2

    Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ginger, shallots, garlic, chile and cilantro stems, and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté until golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Stir in curry paste and cook 2 minutes. Pour in coconut milk, scraping up any curry paste with a wooden spoon. Add fish sauce, lime zest and juice. Add tofu cubes and snow peas. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the snow peas are tender, 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and add more salt and/or fish sauce if needed.

  3. Step 3

    Serve warm with brown rice and a scattering of torn basil and/or cilantro leaves on top.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
4,752 user ratings
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Comments

Luke

I dried the tofu by sandwiching between cutting boards and paper towels with a weight on top. Then coated in olive oil and spices. Baked at 400 for 30 minutes while turning / stirring once in the middle. This makes a firmer tofu cube and allows it stay conisistent while reheating.

Autumncook

CAUTION--apparently all red curry pastes are not the same. I made this and added the 3 T red curry paste as called for. It was super hot--my advice--try adding 1T at a time to get it to the level you want. Will try again as I think it would be delicious with the right level of spiciness.

Dana

This was excellent. I am vegetarian and we substituted 1 tsp of soy sauce + 1 tsp of warm water for the fish sauce. We also used a little extra coconut milk, thinned with water, to increase the volume of the sauce. I suggest doing a careful mis en place with this dish -- chop and have all ingredients ready in small bowls by the pan -- because it goes fast once you get started.

Britt

Swapped snow peas for green beans. Lightly coated in cornstarch the tofu and fried it before adding it, gave it some nice texture but not sure how much it blocked flavor absorbtion. I think my curry paste was quite one-note (european grocery store option has very little spice) but that was the only drawback. Other flavors were good!

Take 2 was better

I made sure to get serrano peppers this time and although it didnt add more heat i think the flavor notes were better. I used the cilantro stems, which i didnt last time because my partner dislikes cilantro and that married the flavors together better. I slice the snow peas on the bias because last time they just seemed too big and intrusive. Kept with light coconut milk. Thai Kitchen red curry paste is not really that hot but i took extra time cooking it down before adding the coconut milk and i think achieved a rich flavour. I am going to look for an alternative probably on Amazon if i cannot get to an asian grocer. Last time i used fresh baby ginger and this time i used ginger from the grocer which i think is just aged to turn the outer peel brown so it stores better. So yeah, basically i fiollowed the recipe better this time and got better results. Lol

LJ

For an even faster prep, buy a bag of fried tofu puffs from an Asian grocery store.

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