Garden Pea Curry

Garden Pea Curry

This Garden Pea Curry is one we keep coming back to, especially on those evenings when you want something proper and comforting but don't want to spend hours in the kitchen. The tofu soaks up all those beautiful warm spices and the peas give it this lovely sweetness that just works so well with the heat. It's the kind of curry that tastes like it took way longer than 35 minutes, and honestly that's half the reason we love it. Make it tonight, you won't regret it.

Cook: 35 min
Serves 2

Before You Start

  • Food processor
  • High-sided frying pan
  • Microplane or fine grater

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • 280g extra firm tofu
  • 4 spring onions
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 inch piece of ginger
  • 2 tbsp vegan Thai green curry paste
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 300ml vegetable stock
  • 500g frozen peas
  • 100g baby spinach
  • 30g coriander
  • salt, pepper & sugar to taste
  • 100ml full-fat coconut milk
  • chilli flakes
  • crispy onions
  • rice

Method

1

Prepare the ingredients

  • Cut the tofu into 2cm chunks
  • Trim and finely slice the spring onion
  • Peel and grate the garlic and ginger
  • Make the vegetable stock
  • Twist the leaves off the coriander, save the leaves and finely chop the stalks
2

Prepare the Tofu

  • Warm 2 tbsp of coconut oil over medium heat in a high sided frying pan, add the tofu to the pan and fry for 3 minutes and constantly stir
  • Add the spring onions, coriander stalks, garlic and ginger and fry for 3 minutes
  • Transfer the tofu to a plate and set to one side
3

Prepare the sauce

  • Add the curry paste and soy sauce and stir for 1 minute
  • Add the stock, stir and simmer for 1 minute
  • Add the peas to the pan and fold into the sauce
  • Reduce the heat of the hob then add the spinach and coriander (reserving a few leaves for garnish) and fold to wilt
  • Add the contents of the pan to the food processor and blend until smooth
4

Finish and serve

  • Add the remaining 1 tbsp coconut oil to the pan and warm over medium heat Add the tofu, stir to coat and simmer for a further couple of minutes until warmed through
  • Pour the contents of the blender over the tofu and bring to a gentle simmer
  • Taste and season to perfection with salt, pepper and sugar
  • Swirl the coconut milk over the curry, sprinkle over the chilli flakes, crispy onions, garnish with coriander and serve immediately with the grain of your choice (we like rice)

Tips & Variations

  • Swap the protein: We love this with chickpeas if you haven't got tofu. Just drain a tin, pat them dry and fry them the same way. They go gorgeous and slightly crispy.
  • Don't rush the tofu: Give it those full 3 minutes in the pan without fiddling too much. The golden crust is where all the good stuff happens, and it stops it breaking apart later.
  • Make it saucier: If you like a looser curry, just add a splash more vegetable stock at the end. It loosens everything up beautifully and is great for mopping up with naan.

Why This Works

The trick here is getting the tofu properly golden before anything else goes in. That caramelised exterior means it holds its shape through the whole cook and carries the spices in a way that soft tofu just can't. We also find that finely chopping the coriander stalks and cooking them in early, rather than just chucking the leaves on at the end, gives the whole curry a deeper, more layered flavour. Trust us on this one.