Thai Red Curry Celebration

I absolutely love Thai Red Curry with Tofu and I finally found a way to make it that I really enjoyed. I did lots of research on the red curry and found lots of different ways to make this dish. Some called for ingredients like lemongrass and shrimp paste (available at Asian markets). After reading a bunch of different recipes, I decided to trust my instincts with modifying what I had done before. I always have my curry with tofu and so I added that component and finished the dish with simple white rice. I am really happy with the way that this came out tonight. This is a keeper for me that I will go back to again and again. YEAH!!!

Thai Red Curry with Tofu

16 oz. extra-firm tofu (I prefer organic)
Grapeseed oil
1/2 medium onion, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons Thai Red Curry Paste
1 can coconut milk (I used lite coconut milk)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
salt and pepper to taste
6-8 fresh basil leaves, cut in chiffonade (Thai basil preferably, however I used fresh basil from my herb garden)

Drain tofu and place between layers of paper towels between plates and weigh top plate down. Rotate tofu and replace paper towels to remove as much liquid as possible. Cube drained tofu into 1-inch pieces.

Start curry sauce by sauteing sliced onion in a tablespoon or so of hot grapeseed oil over medium-high heat until translucent. Add minced garlic and red bell pepper slices and saute, stirring frequently for a couple of minutes. Add 1-2 tablespoons of Thai red curry paste (I added a heaping tablespoon) and stir constantly for 30 seconds. Whisk in 1 can of coconut milk (do not use coconut cream) and stir well. Add the brown sugar and Fish Sauce and stir to combine. Allow sauce to come to the simmer and cook for a couple of minutes. At this point, I added a little more curry paste to enhance the color of the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, and taste to adjust seasonings.

Meanwhile season the tofu cubes with salt and pepper and brown the cubes in a separate skillet in a little grapeseed oil until browned on all sides.

Gently stir the browned tofu cubes into the the curry sauce and allow to combine or a minute or two. Stir in the basil just after turning the heat off.

Ladle some of the curry mixture into a bowl with the tofu and vegetables and top with some of the rice.


Gerry and I disagree on the rating for tonight's dinner, so I will post both of them.

Gerry gives this

I give this dish