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If you’ve been frequenting this recipe for a while, don’t be alarmed by the change in photos. It’s the same recipe—just with a much-needed makeover in the photo + styling department ;)
Of course, in order to re-photograph this recipe, I had to make it again and gosh, I’m so glad I did. I forgot just how flippin’ delicious this creamy and punchy curry is!
This recipe came to fruition a few years ago when I went pescetarian. Initially, we thought that cooking for both pescetarian and omnivore (for my husband) diets would pose an interesting challenge. Fortunately, a lot of dishes we enjoy are flexible and welcome tofu or shrimp instead of chicken, beef, or pork.
This Easy Thai Red Curry With Tofu is a perfect example of that.
Now that I’ve phased poultry back into my diet things have definitely gotten easier—but when we make this curry, it’s always with crispy tofu. That’s how good it is; nothing beats the way that crispy tofu soaks up all of that yummy and tangy sauce.
I know there are a lot of tofu skeptics out there, but if you cook it properly, it’s magical. Nobody wants to eat a watery sponge, which is essentially what tofu is when you initially unpack it. But taking the right steps to bring it to a golden crisp is life-changing.
And I’m going to tell you how to do it.
How to get crispy tofu.
For years I was pressing my tofu an hour before starting meal prep. It seemed like a legit method — and with a quick toss in some starch and a trip through the air fryer, I always ended up with crispy tofu.
But there’s a new method in town, and it’s chill AF.
Freeze your tofu overnight, then boil it. (Whut?) Yes. Ready for a science lesson?
Freezing tofu is fabulous for three reasons: it gives tofu a chewier, meatier texture; it helps tofu suck up marinades; and it stays in good shape if you happen to forget about it after buying it. (Guilty.)
And instead of leaving it out to thaw on its own, just carefully give it a swim in some boiling salted water.
I know that boiling tofu sounds counterproductive when what we’re trying to do is remove the liquid from it. But boiling tofu in salted water pulls the moisture from it, leaving you with the same result from pressing in a fraction of the time. BOOM.
Easy Thai Red Curry With Tofu.
Or not with tofu. If you’re reading this and thinking, “Damn, this would be great with this protein… then DO IT. This recipe is super flexible. You can also swap the veggies I’ve used for veggies you’d prefer. I’ve made his with broccoli before and it. was. dynamite.
If you do come up with your own alterations, let me know about it in the comments.
If you make this dish, snap a photo and tag me on the Insta @killing__thyme! I love seeing your creations, and you could be featured in my monthly newsletter <3
If curries are your jam, you need this Thai Coconut Fish Curry With Kabocha Squash and this Vegetarian Chickpea Curry With Coconut Milk in your life. OR. Bring your sandwich game up a few notches with this Healthy Curry Chicken Salad With Grapes!
Here are some other fab recipes for curry lovers…
- One-Pot Curry Cashew Chicken and Rice from Nourish and Fete
- Shrimp Curry Noodle from Dishes Delish
- Spicy Peanut Chickpea Curry from Carmy – Eat, Run, Travel
If you try this recipe or create your own variation, let me know in the comments! I love connecting with you.
Also, snap a photo and tag me on the Insta @killing__thyme and be featured in our newsletter.
Easy Thai Red Curry With Tofu
Ingredients
- 16 oz extra firm tofu, cubed and fried to a golden crisp *See instructions below
Optional Tofu Marinade.
- 1 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 TBSP tamari or soy sauce
- 2 TBSP sesame oil
- 1 TBSP honey or brown sugar
- 3 TBSP rice vinegar
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
The Curry.
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, Green bell peppers don't carry the same sweetness as the aforementioned, so it isn't recommended
- 1 cup thinly sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 3 TBSP red Thai curry paste
- 13 oz coconut milk
- 1 TBSP fish sauce, (optional; leave out to make this dish vegetarian)
- 1 TBSP sambal oelek chili sauce, More or less, depending on how much heat you want.
- 1 lime, zest and juice, Zest the lime before juicing it.
Garnishes.
- Ribboned Thai basil
- Thinly sliced scallions
Instructions
Optional Tofu Marinade.
- Toss all of the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Place your tofu in a large freezer bag or sealable container and pour the marinade over top. Cover, give it a light shake, and place in the fridge to marinade for 30-40 minutes.
Crispy Tofu.
- Slice an opening in tofu packet, drain, and seal in a plastic bag. Place the tofu in the freezer overnight. About 30 minutes before you want to start dinner, remove the tofu from the freezer and bring a pot of salted water to a boil. (Make sure the pot is large enough so that the tofu brick can be fully submerged.) When the water is boiling, carefully place the tofu in the water and let it boil for 15 minutes. When done, carefully remove the tofu from the water with tongs and place on a plate or cutting board lined with paper towels. Lightly squeeze the block of tofu with paper towels to rid of excess water. Set aside to cool. (If you're marinating the tofu, do this about an hour earlier so you can get a solid 30-40 minutes of marinating time in before cooking.)
- Once the tofu has cooled, cut it into 1/2 x 1/2-inch cubes.
- Heat a skillet over moderate heat and add 1 TBSP of olive oil. Add the cubed tofu and sear for about five minutes on one side. Give the tofu a few splashed of tamari or soy sauce if you'd like, for extra flavor. (You can add other aromatics to the pan, but add them closer to the end of cooking time. Especially garlic, since garlic will burn and just become bitter.) After five minutes or once the tofu has developed a golden crisp, carefully flip over and crisp up the other side. All in all, this should take about 10 minutes. When your tofu is done, remove from heat, cover to keep warm, and set aside. Then start your curry.
Red Thai Curry.
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, bring 1/4 cup of water to a simmer over moderate heat. Add the minced onion, garlic, and fresh ginger. Stir to combine, and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant and the onions are translucent.
- Add the sliced red bell pepper and mushrooms. Stir in the 3 tablespoons of red curry paste and stir until the veggies are evenly coated.
- Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, sambal oelek, lime juice, and lime zest.ย Stir until the curry paste has dissolved into the liquid and there are no clumps. Let the curry simmer for about 15 minutes on low. Don't let it simmer much longer than that, or the liquid will reduce.
- If you're serving rice with your curry, start to prepare that now as per the package's instructions.
- Once the rice is ready, serve in a bowl and spoon the curry over the rice. Top with crispy tofu and garnish with fresh Thai basil ribbons and sliced scallions.
This looks so flavorful and delicious! I can’t wait to try it!
Oooh I need to make this for my husband, the tofu skeptic!! LOVE the flavors in this and can’t wait to introduce him to a delicious way to cook tofu!!
Tofu is such a great ingredient to use, so easy to adapt. The delicious spices are perfect to flavour the tofu, and the overall dish sounds amazing. Also great photos!
HI. Thanks for the recipe, but when do you add the lime and lime zest? It’s in the ingredient list, but not in the directions. Thanks.
Hi Linn! Sorry about that โ and thanks for pointing it out. I’ll have to fix it. Add and stir the lime juice + zest at the very end, right before serving!
Very good, however, the glaze takes much longer than 20 minutes to thicken as directed. I just let it simmmer, simmer and simmer…it finally thickened up. I suspect that perhaps those that tasted too much vinegar did not let it cook off enough. ๏ปฟ
Hi Elias. There is no glaze or vinegar in this recipe…
….i think there is something wrong with this page. i was just following it for a marinade for the tofu which involved rice vinegar and then corn starch to fry the tofu before it is added to the curry. that has disappeared now. im really, really confused because i left this page up as i was taking a break between letting the tofu marinade and making the curry. did you just edit this? if not, there seems to be a very odd glitch in this page.
Hi Ally! This *was* just edited this morning and is still being edited. I’m happy to guide you from here, though. Once your tofu has finished marinating, toss it in a bit of corn starch โ just enough to coat. Shake off any excess. Heat a skillet with 1-2 TBSP olive oil and fry the tofu until golden crisp. This might take about 10 minutes to get each side. Once done, set aside and add to your curry when it’s ready. I’m so sorry this was edited as you were using it โ what are the odds? I’ve had a lot of people contact me about making the tofu bit simpler, which is why I’ve edited that part. I hope you enjoy it!
And yes, you’re right. There is rice vinegar in the marinade. The above comment had me confused with the mention of “glaze” and had me thinking they were using regular ol’ vinegar and perhaps in the wrong recipe all together, since there is no glaze or vinegar to cook. The vinegar is in the marinade. Not the sauce.
I recently tried this recipe again, but decided to bake the drumsticks at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. I used twelve drumsticks, instead of eight, and added some onions (cut into large pieces). The dish was delicious, and the onions became very caramelized! ๏ปฟ
Hey Henry, I’m really glad you enjoyed this dish and I love your adaptation of using chicken drumsticks! What a great idea. It really puts a different spin on the dish overall. Thanks for your feedback!
Made this tonight – it’s delicious!! Very straightforward Thai curry recipe. Thank you for posting this. Sometimes I get carried away with Thai curry and try to add too many ingredients and it comes out a mess. Your recipe kept me on track and was super delicious.
I used pan-fried tofu. I usually press it in a tofu press first, then pan fry on 3-4 sides.
I used only 2 T of curry paste since mine is suuuuper spicy (Maesri red Thai curry paste)
Added 2 T brown sugar to offset the spiciness – probably a little too much in retrospect
I loved this recipe, thank you so much!
Hey Amy, thanks for taking the time to comment with feedback! I’m really glad you enjoyed it. I know all too well what it’s like to get carried away in the kitchen, so I feel ya ;) I really love how straightforward this recipe is, too. It looks and seems complex, but it’s a breeze! I should make it again soon…
A big fan of thai curry right here. I love how easy this recipe is and it looks so bright and vibrant. Love it :-)
Thanks a bunch, Revathi! Thai dishes always look so gorgeous, but this one definitely delivered on the aesthetics. I was pretty jazzed about it!
This looks absolutely outstanding! We love curries here at my house, and this version is just gorgeous! Your tofu and chicken options are so wonderful and add a lot of flexibility, which I really appreciate, too. Definitely pinning!
Thanks so much, Shelley! I’ve definitely forced myself into a position where I have to create dishes that are both pescetarian and omnivore friendly, but it’s kind of fun! I have another coming this week – super excited about it. Stay tuned!
Thanks for stopping by :)
Look at how the colors of your curry POP!!!! Love it! Thanks for sharing this easy yet tasty Thai curry. I’m hungry now!
Thanks, Levan! I’m so glad this recipe got you hungry – hope you can make and enjoy this soon! It really does taste as bright as it looks. Love Thai cuisine! Very intelligent folks.