You all know by now we crush hard on Thai curry paste. With busy cold winter nights, a spicy fragrant curry hits the spot just right delivering all of those herby, vivacious Thai flavors you love in a major way. Elevate your midweek dinner routine with this delectable yet wholesome meal. Packed with the luscious richness of coconut milk, a perfectly spiced curry, lightly golden tofu cubes, and a medley of crisp, colorful vegetables, all in a velvety butternut red curry sauce—this dinner is a guaranteed winner.
When it comes to cool-weather dinners, we often find ourselves gravitating towards nutritious curries, particularly of the Indian variety. However, for the past few years, I’ve turned to my beloved Thai curry paste. One of the main reasons is its sheer convenience; this recipe comes together in a single pot, which makes cleanup a breeze. No need for sautéing, elaborate prepping, or side dishes—everything, from protein to veggies and herbs, harmoniously simmers in one pot, resulting in a beautifully balanced meal. It’s a straightforward recipe with bold, soul-warming flavors that envelop you from the inside out.
Ingredients Highlights
- Pumpkin, (we love butternut/ kabocha). To make life simpler I used pre cut butternut.
- Firm or Extra firm tofu. we love firm or extra firm for it’s texture and denser protein content. If chicken is prefered- boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs will work perfectly.
- Red curry paste. Or your choice of color, they all work, choose based on your heat threshold. Green being the hottest, followed by red and yellow in my experience.
- Turmeric-this is optional, but I like it for its healing properties specially in the winter.
- Coconut milk—regular works just beautifully, but light coconut milk is OK in a pinch. NOTE: the curry won’t be as creamy as it would be with regular. Look for brands without gums and additives.
- Aromatics to bump up the flavor I add a few aromatics— we love a couple extra cloves of garlic/ ginger/ lemongrass/galangal/ kaffir lime leaves. HACK: If you want to go easy on the store bought curry paste, which tends to be spicy, cut back on the curry paste and throw some aromatics to elevate the flavor without the heat!
Golden Pumpkin Curry with Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz block extra firm or firm tofu, organic preferably cubed and patted dry with paper towels until perfectly dry.
- 1 lb butternut or winter quashes of you choice, peeled and diced kabocha also works well. 1 lb is the net weight after peeling and deseeding.
- 1 red bell pepper deseeded and cubed
- 2-3 cups baby spinach
- 2-3 tbsp Thai curry paste, red green or yellow(use more for spicier curry) see notes for details
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch piece ginger, minced
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 14 oz can full fat coconut. milk for extra sauce/curry use another ½-1 can of coconut milk
- 1 tbsp any neutral oil or virgin coconut oil
- lemongrass/kaffir lime leaves/thai basil(optional) a few Thai herbs to bump up the flavor
- 1-1½ tbsp fish sauce or vegan fish sauce or low sodium soy sauce
- ½-1 tsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1-2 tbsp lime juice
- 1-2 green onions chopped
- cilantro to garnish
- Rice to serve
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, working in batches, add the tofu cubes.Pan fry each side 4-5 minutes on medium heat or until the cubes start to brown. Flip and cook on both sides. Transfer and set aside one a plate.
- Add the garlic, ginger and herbs if using to the pan. Cook until fragrant, about 1 more minute. Stir in the curry paste and turmeric. Add the coconut milk and stir well until the paste is dissolved into the milk and fully incorporated into. a sauce. Add the cubed tofu and butternut, cover and cook for 5-8 minutes until the butternut is cooked but still firm. (cooking time may vary due to the size of the butternut cubes)
- Add the red bell pepper and tofu and cook for couple of minutes. Add the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Add the spinach leaves and take it off the heat. The spinach will cook in the residual heat.
- Taste and adjust as needed. Serve garnished with chopped green onions, cilantro and steaming rice.
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