Tofu Thai Red Curry
If you like Thai red curry, then you’ve got to try this tofu Thai red curry recipe. An incredibly hearty and satisfying meal served with rice.
I love curry anything. My slow cooker potato curry recipe is one of my favorite recipes and I just reposted my summer vegetale curry bowls with tomatoes, zucchini and chickpeas.
And now– crispy tofu cubes tossed in a creamy red Thai curry sauce.
I can’t explain how good this one is. The sauce is so incredibly flavorful– with red Thai curry paste and plenty of spice. The tofu is chewy, slightly crispy and perfect in this curry bowl with rice.
See below for more details or scroll down for the full recipe.
Ingredient Notes
- Tofu: You’ll want extra-firm or firm tofu for this recipe, though I prefer extra-firm as it keeps it shape as it cooks. I prefer one and a half blocks to make enough for 4.
- Potato Starch: I prefer potato starch over cornstarch as it doesn’t have a floury taste like cornstarch does. You’ll want to make sure you really coat each of the tofu pieces well with the starch to get a nice crispy exterior.
- Coconut Milk: I prefer full-fat coconut milk as I don’t think that reduced-fat coconut milk tastes the same. You’ll want the canned coconut milk and not coconut milk beverage.
- Red Thai Curry Paste: You can find several Thai curry pastes that are vegan. I prefer this one that I grab at the grocery store, but you can use any brand that you like the flavor of.
How to Make This Tofu Thai Red Curry
Toss the Tofu
Tear the tofu into large cubes, then toss with olive oil, potato starch and salt. Make sure the tofu is really well coated.
Prep the Tofu
Place a cooling rack over a baking sheet. This will help each piece of the tofu get nice and crispy! Add the tofu and bake.
Flip halfway through
Flip halfway through and bake until crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
Make the Sauce
Saute the Shallots and Ginger until softened.
Make the Paste
Add the Thai red curry paste along with the spices and cook until just toasted.
Add the coconut milk
Add the coconut milk, soy sauce, lime juice and sugar. This helps to balance the sauceu002du002d don’t skip it!
Add the tofu
Add the crispy tofu to the red curry sauce and garnish with scallions and chopped cilantro. Serve over rice
Tips for Success
This sauce is so incredibly good! You can easily double it if you like a very saucy bowl– especially if you make two blocks of tofu.
You can add in additional veggies to this tofu thai red curry recipe if you’d like. Broccoli, carrots, red bell pepper, snow peas, any vegetables will work. I’d recommend blanching them and then add to the sauce with the crispy tofu.
The sugar really helps to balance the sauce and helps to make the sauce more complex. I don’t recommend skipping it! You can use coconut sugar if you’d like. Same with the lime juice. Since there isn’t any fish sauce in the recipe, the lime juice gives this a nice sour zest.
Serve over cooked white rice– I like basmati rice or jasmine rice for flavor.
To keep these bowls gluten-free, use tamari instead of soy sauce.
If you make this recipe, make sure to come back to leave a rating and a comment. Your feedback helps other readers and seeing you make my recipes makes my day.
Tofu Thai Red Curry
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 14 ounce blocks extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed*
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons potato starch, or arrowroot starch
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 3 tablespoons red curry paste
- 2 teaspoons each ground cumin and ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon each: paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper (less for less spicy version)
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 15 ounce can coconut milk, full fat preferred
- Sliced scallions and chopped cilantro, for garnish
- Cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a rimmed cooling rack. This helps all sides of the tofu get nice and crispy!
- Tear the tofu into bite-size nugget pieces. Toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and starch, tossing well until coated but taking care not to crumble the tofu. Alternatively, you can cube the tofu. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then flip and cook another 10 minutes.
- In a large skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the shallot and ginger and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add the curry paste and the spices (cumin, ginger, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper) and cook another minute, stirring constantly to toast. Add the soy sauce, lime, sugar, and coconut milk. Whisk together until very smooth, then reduce heat to low and cook until thick and slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.
- Add the cooked tofu to the sauce and stir to coat. Cook another minute or two until heated through. Serve with cooked rice and garnish with scallions and cilantro.Â