Thai Green Curry with Tofu
Time: 1 hour | Serves: 4 Nature: Warm | Flavor: Sour, Acrid
Ingredients
- 3 cans (1600 ml) coconut milk, full fat and unsweetened
- 3 TBL green curry paste*
- 5 kaffir lime leaves, very finely sliced
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1 TBL tamarind concentrate*
- 2 TBL fish sauce*
- 1 TBL palm sugar* (white sugar is ok too)
- 1 block (400g) firm tofu, cut into 3/4 in cubes
- 1 zucchini, quartered, seeds removed, and cut into 2 in pieces
- 1/2 cup seasonal pea like sugar snap or shelled edamame
- 1 cup broccolini, trimmed, cut into 2 in pieces
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
*These ingredients are best found at an Asian grocery store. We like Thai brands for Thai cooking, so Mae Ploy is our favorite curry paste, Dragon Fly for tamarind concentrate and palm sugar, and Lucky brand for fish sauce. But use what you can find. Don't let product obscurity keep you from trying out this recipe.
Directions
Open a can of coconut milk and scoop 2–3 TBL of the solid coconut fat that has risen to the top. Add it to a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste and stir together, frying in the coconut fat until very fragrant and starting to separate, about 2 minutes.
Pour in the remaining coconut milk from all three cans. Add lime leaves and bring to a boil. Cook at a low boil until reduced by 1/3 and thick enough to coat a spoon, about 20–30 minutes.
Add onion, tamarind, fish sauce, sugar, and 1/2 cup cilantro. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium low and cook until onions are soft, about 10 minutes.
Add tofu and vegetables and cook until the vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes.
Once veggies are cooked, add the other 1/2 cup of cilantro, stir to combine, and serve over freshly cooked jasmine rice.
Modifications and Notes
- Substitute 2 pounds of chicken or pork instead of tofu.
- Removing the soft seeds from the zucchini makes for a firmer vegetable in the final product.
- Garnish with lime for folks who want a little more sour flavor.