Peanut Butter Tofu Curry — a plant-based Indian recipe by BOSH!
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Peanut Butter Tofu Curry

This one genuinely gets made in our houses on repeat. Peanut butter and tofu sounds like a strange combo if you haven't tried it, but trust us on this one, the creamy peanut sauce wraps around the crispy roasted tofu in a way that's just completely addictive. You've got that rich, nutty depth from the peanut butter, a gentle heat from the spices, and loads of colour and crunch from the veg. It all comes together in about 20 minutes and it tastes like something you'd order at your favourite restaurant. Make it tonight, seriously.

Cook: 20 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Large baking tray
  • Wok
  • Microplane or fine grater

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tbsp garlic purée
  • 1 tbsp ginger purée
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp plant-based red Thai paste
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp peanut butter
  • 1 x 280g block of firm tofu
  • 4 spring onions
  • 1 x 400g can of coconut milk
  • water (to loosen)
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 100g sugar snap peas
  • 1 lime
  • 4 tbsp peanuts
  • 4 tbsp crispy onions
  • 15g coriander leaves
  • 2 x 250g bag(s) of microwavable basmati rice
  • chilli flakes

Method

1

Prepare the tofu

  • Cut the tofu into 1cm cubes
  • Spread the tofu cubes out on the baking tray, put the tray in the oven and roast for 15 minutes
2

Prepare the vegetables

  • Trim and finely slice the spring onions at an angle
  • Peel and cut the carrots into batons
  • Halve, deseed and slice the pepper
3

Make the curry

  • Halve the lime
  • Warm the coconut oil in the wok over a medium high heat
  • Add the ginger, garlic and spring onion to the pan and stir for 30 seconds
  • Add the soy sauce, red thai paste and sugar and stir for 1 minute
  • Turn up the heat to high, add the coconut milk to the pan and leave to reduce for 3-4 minutes
  • Add a little water to loosen if needs be
  • Add the peanut butter to the wok and stir it into the sauce
  • Add the carrots, red pepper and sugar snap peas to the wok, squeeze the lime into the wok, stir to cover and simmer for 2 minutes
4

Prepare the rice

  • Cook the rice according to packet instructions
5

Finish the curry and serve

  • Roughly chop the peanuts
  • Spoon the rice into the serving bowls
  • Add the tofu to the wok and fold into the curry
  • Spoon the curry into the bowls
  • Garnish with coriander leaves, peanuts, crispy onions, reserved spring onions, chilli flakes and serve immediately

Tips & Variations

  • Press your tofu well: The drier the tofu before it goes in the oven, the crispier it gets. We usually wrap it in a clean tea towel and press it under a heavy pan for 10 minutes. Genuinely worth the effort.
  • Swap the veg: This is a great fridge-clear-out curry. Courgette, broccoli, sugar snap peas, spinach stirred in at the end, it all works brilliantly so use whatever you've got.
  • Make it saucier: If you like a looser, more generous sauce, just splash in a bit of extra coconut milk or a little water at the end and stir it through. Ian always does this and honestly it's the right call.

Why This Works

The trick here is roasting the tofu first. It might feel like an extra step but it makes a huge difference, you get these little golden cubes that actually hold their shape and soak up the sauce instead of going soggy. The peanut butter melts into the coconut base and gives the curry this silky, restaurant-quality richness that you just can't get any other way.