Thai Tofu Bowl

Thai Tofu Bowl

This Thai Tofu Bowl is one we keep coming back to, honestly it's in our regular rotation and has been for ages. There's something about that creamy coconut red curry sauce with crispy golden tofu that just hits every time, it's rich and fragrant and a little bit spicy in the best way. It comes together in 35 minutes which means it's totally doable on a weeknight, even when you're tired and tempted to order a takeaway. Serve it over rice and you've got a proper, satisfying dinner that tastes like way more effort than it actually was. Make it tonight, you won't regret it.

Cook: 35 min
Serves 3

Before You Start

  • Steamer basket (or metal colander as alternative)
  • Large frying pan
  • Saucepan with lid

Ingredients

  • 1 large shallot
  • 3 tsp garlic purée
  • 3 tsp ginger paste
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 tbsp red curry paste
  • 1 400g tin of coconut milk
  • 1 lime
  • 1 block of firm tofu
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • ½ head of broccoli
  • 200g mangetout
  • 100g frozen peas
  • 1 bag of microwave rice
  • crushed peanuts
  • handful of fresh coriander

Method

1

For the curry sauce

  • Peel and finely chop the shallot
  • Peel and finely chop the ginger and garlic, if using fresh
  • Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the shallot, garlic and ginger. Gently cook for 4-5 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add the red curry paste and fry for 1 minute, before adding the coconut milk. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes whilst you prepare the tofu and vegetables
2

For the tofu

  • Cut the tofu into bite size pieces
  • Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Once hot, fry the tofu for 8-10 minutes, turning them so that each side is golden brown and crispy. Remove from the heat and keep warm
3

For the vegetables

  • Cut the broccoli into florets
  • To set up the steamer, fill the pot with about 1-2 inches of water. Insert the steamer basket into the pot and place the broccoli, mangetout and peas into the steamer basket. Cover the pot with a lid and steam the greens for about 3 minutes. If you don't have a steamer basket, you can use a metal colander and saucepan lid. Alternatively, you can blanch the vegetables for a couple of minutes until cooked through
4

Assemble the bowl

  • Heat the rice in the microwave
  • Arrange rice, veggies and tofu in bowl and pour over the creamy curry sauce

Tips & Variations

  • Press your tofu properly: We know it feels like an extra step but wrapping the tofu in a clean tea towel and pressing it for even 10 minutes makes a huge difference to how crispy it gets. Trust us on this one.
  • Swap the protein: Ian loves this with chickpeas instead of tofu if he's in a rush, just drain and rinse a tin, toss them in the same seasoning and roast until crispy. Works brilliantly.
  • Dial up the heat: Henry always adds a little extra red curry paste when he wants more of a kick. Start with the recipe amount and taste as you go, everyone's curry paste is a bit different in strength.

Why This Works

The trick here is giving the curry paste a proper minute in the pan with the shallot, garlic and ginger before you add the coconut milk. That little bit of frying wakes everything up and makes the sauce taste so much deeper and more complex. We find that pressing the tofu well before cooking is the other thing that makes a real difference, it helps it go properly golden and crispy rather than soft and sad.