Skip to main content

Thai Tofu with Red Curry Sauce with Coconut-Scallion Rice

Make this dish, and you will have your family running out from whatever computer or book they are hiding behind. Your neighbors, following the wafting odors of this dish as it cooks, may even pop over round dinnertime!

There are some difficult ingredients to find. I've made a few suggestions for alternate ingredients. But if you can, find the original ingredients. Kaffir lime leaves are worth the search. In the south, I grow my own because the dried version is so hard to find.

Thai Tofu with Red Curry Sauce over Coconut-Scallion Rice
Vegetarian Planet

10 dried kaffir lime leaves (if you can't find it, use 1 1/2 tsp grated lime rind)
1 1/4 c coconut milk
2 3/4 c water
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c jasmine rice
1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped (2/3 c for the sauce, and the rest for garnish)
2 cloves garlic, cut in half
1/4 c dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts
1 T fish sauce (if you can't find it, use a dash of salt)
1/4 c canola oil
2 T chile paste
1 16-oz package firm tofu, patted dry and cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 bunch broccoli, cut into small pieces (about 4 c)
1 c scallions, minced, both green and white parts

Soak the kaffir leaves in 1 quart very hot water for 30 minutes.

While the leaves soak, bring the coconut milk, 2 1/4 c of the water, and the 1 tsp salt to a boil. Then, add the rice. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Let the rice cook, covered, for 25 minutes.

Drain the lime leaves, and, with a very sharp knife, chop them into pea-sized pieces. In a food processor or blender, combine the lime leaves (or lime rind), 2/3 c chopped cilantro, the garlic cloves, and the peanuts. Run the machine in spurts until the lime leaves are pulverized, pushing them down with a rubber spatula if necessary. Slowly, with the machine, add the fish sauce and 3 T of the oil. Then, add the chile paste. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl.

Into a wok or non-stick skillet, over high heat, pour the remaining 1 T oil. Add the tofu, and cook until the pieces from a golden crust on the bottom. Then turn them with a spatula, and let the tofu form more golden crust on the other side. Transfer the tofu to the plate.


Into the same wok or skillet, put the broccoli and the remaining 1/2 c water. Cover and steam the broccoli for 2 minutes. Stir in the lime leaf-peanut paste, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more.

Add the tofu, and toss.
Stir the scallions into the rice. Mound the rice on plates, and spoon the tofu and sauce around it. Sprinkle with 2 T chopped cilantro and serve.

Note - I was not a big fan of this rice. I love the idea of it! Coconut milk in rice, flavored with scallions. But, the way this recipe calls for the rice to be prepared, it just came out as thick and gloppy. It tasted great, but the texture was not the best.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chicken Traybake with Roasted Poblano and Tomato Salsa

  This dish is delicious! Easy! And, beautiful to look at! The original recipe calls for you to process all the cooked vegetables together into a chunky salsa, but I recommend serving it as is so you have an automatic side dish. The original also calls for cooking chicken bone-in, but, the more I cook traybakes, the more I advocate for slicing chicken into tenders and cooking boneless. Just a safer bake that way because everything comes to the same temperature at the same time. Chicken Traybake with Roasted Poblano and Tomato Salsa  Milk Street 1 T chili powder 2 poblano, stemmed, seeded, chopped 1 yellow onion, root end intact, in 8 wedges 1 pint cherry tomatoes 1/4 c olive oil 1 T brown sugar 1 T oregano, dried 3 lb chicken, bone-in, skin-on, trimmed 10 cloves garlic, peeled 1 T vinegar 1/4 c cilantro, chopped Heat oven to 450. In small bowl, stir together chili powder and 2 tsp salt. In large bowl, toss together pobloanos, onion wedges, tomatoes, and 1 T of the chili-power...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles

I love this dish so much that I can barely stand it. Delicious the night it was made, and fantastic as leftovers throughout the week. Mayocoba beans are easily replaced -- try pintos, if you can't find mayocobas. Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles Baptism of Fire 3-4 green chiles, roasted and chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 T lard or olive oil 1/2 tsp oregano 1 tsp cumin pepper 1 c mayocoba beans, dry 3 c water 1 tsp salt Cook the green chiles, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and black pepper in the fat until the onions begin to caramelize. Add the water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the beans sit, uncovered, for an hour. You may drain the water to remove some of the slightly indigestible sugars that cause gassiness. If you decide to drain them, add enough water back into the pot to cover the beans with about 2" of water above the beans for cooking.  Bring the beans back to a boil and cook, until tender. This will take...
1 comment
Read more

Crustless Couscous and Spinach Quiche

This "quiche" is so simple to make - you can prepare everything the night before, assemble it in the morning, and have it ready to go soon after waking up. An ideal dish to serve company, too. Crustless Couscous and Spinach Quiche The Garden of Earthly Delights 1 1/2 c water 3/4 c couscous, uncooked 3 eggs, beaten 1 bunch spinach 3/4 c cottage cheese 2 c cheddar cheese, shredded 3 T salsa 1 tsp chile powder 1 clove garlic, crushed 1/2 tsp oregano, dried 1/2 tsp coarse salt 1/2 tsp pepper Preheat oven to 375. Lightly coat a 9" pie plate with vegetable oil and set aside. In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Add couscous. Stir once, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer couscous to a large bowl and add remaining ingredients. Spread couscous evenly in the bottom of the pie plate. Placein oven and bake until a knife comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Remove quiche from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
2 comments
Read more