Thai Red Curry Tofu with Mushrooms Recipe
This Thai red curry tofu recipe is simple to make, and packed with bold flavors! Add mushrooms for vegetables, or try peppers, broccoli, asparagus - whatever is in season! Whatever you do, serve it over steamed basmati or jasmine rice to soak up the tasty coconut curry sauce!
This red curry tofu recipe is everything my body wants right now. We got back from New York City last night and our last 24 hours in the city turned into a bit of a cheese fest. Not cheesy as in tacky in a goofy kind of way, but cheese as in my favorite food. It’s basically all we ate for an entire day. We had cheese stuffed soft pretzels, fried saloumi and cheese croquettes, a bagel piled high with smoked fish and dill cream cheese, late night pizza dolloped with giant scoop of fresh ricotta cheese. We ate dinner at AN ACTUAL CHEESE BAR. Yes, this thing exists outside of heaven and it’s called Murray’s Cheese Café. And because we apparently hadn’t enough dairy, there was a stop at The Big Gay Ice Cream Shop for a soft cone dipped in dark chocolate pretzels and hot fudge, because what’s better than soft serve ice cream on a 107 degree day in a concrete jungle.
So yeah, I see some bright, fresh, herby, spicy, vegetable-laden, cheese-free dishes in my future. Not because I’m trying to detox the cheese out of my system (FYI that’s not a thing), but because that’s what I want. Bodies crave variety.
This Thai red curry tofu recipe fits the bill. The coconut red curry sauce is creamy, yet bright and fresh from lime juice and fresh herbs, and packed with spice and complex flavor from the red curry paste and tons of aromatics. The tofu soaks up all the delicious sauce too! For a meatless meal, it’s also packed with umami from the fish sauce and mushrooms.
How to Make this Thai Red Curry Tofu Recipe
This Thai red curry tofu recipe is pretty simple to make, thanks to the magic of red curry paste. Red curry paste is a premade blend of chili peppers with flavoring ingredients like ginger, garlic, onion, and fish sauce. Mixed with coconut milk and a bit of broth, it creates an easy Thai curry - although you can always flavor it up more like I did, with additional garlic, onions and ginger. I usually get Thai Kitchen brand.
To make this Thai red curry tofu recipe, first pan fry cubed tofu in coconut oil, which gives it a little extra texture. Then, saute the aromatics (garlic, ginger, onion) and the mushrooms. Add canned coconut milk (regular not lite! And don’t think about getting coconut beverage!) and flavor it with red curry paste and fish sauce, along with a bit of lime juice before serving. For a vegan/vegetarian version, use vegan fish sauce. I like mine topped with plenty of chopped fresh cilantro!
What Mushrooms to Use in This Thai Red Curry Tofu Recipe
For veggies, I used a mixture of mushrooms in this Thai red curry tofu recipe, which soak up all the delicious curry sauce. If you can get your hands on a variety of wild mushrooms, that’s definitely what I would recommend. I used shiitakes, which has a chewy texture that makes it my favorite mushroom, oyster mushrooms, and cremini mushrooms, which are baby portobellos. I like to have lots of different mushroom flavors and textures going on, so if you can get your hand on enokis or porcinis, throw them on in too!
Thai Red Curry Tofu Recipe Adaptions
Feel free to make this Thai red curry tofu recipe with different vegetables. It would be delish with sliced bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, or asparagus too! You might have to adjust the cooking time, but as long as it’s cooked crisp-tender, you’re good to go.
While I prefer red curry to green curry, you can also use green curry paste in this recipe, which is made with fresh green chiles and cilantro, and has a sweeter, fresher flavor.
This Thai red curry tofu recipe has been updated to give you the best possible content.
Thai Red Curry Tofu with Mushrooms Recipe
Serves: Depends on how hungry you are!
Ingredients:
Curry:
1 lb firm tofu
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
4 ounces shiitakes, sliced
4 ounces oyster mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk
4 teaspoons red curry paste
4 teaspoons fish sauce
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
For serving:
Warm cooked jasmine or basmati rice
Lime wedges
Chopped fresh cilantro
Chopped fresh green onions
Red chili flakes
Instructions
Wrap tofu with paper towels. Top with a heavy skillet or can to drain for 15 minutes.
Cut tofu into cubes. Season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large sided skillet on medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook until golden on all sides. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Add remaining tablespoon oil to the skillet where the tofu was cooked and set on medium-high. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and saute 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and saute until tender, 7 minutes. Add coconut milk, curry paste, and fish sauce. Stir in tofu. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in peas and cook another minute to warm through. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Serve over rice with lime wedges, cilantro, green onions and a pinch of red chili flakes.
If you like this Thai red curry tofu recipe, you might also like:
Green Curry Avocado Noodles
Chickpea Dumplings in Red Curry Spinach Sauce
Vegan Red Curry
