This warming and super flavorful Thai Red Curry with Tofu makes a delicious, vegetable-packed meal that’s simple too! Bring the flavors of your favorite Thai restaurant home with this easy dish.
This Thai Red Curry with Tofu is so good and made with simple ingredients, including store bought Thai red curry paste plus some additional pantry staples. I love to keep these ingredients on hand, for when the craving for delicious Thai flavors hits. It’s way better than ordering out, and even faster too!
You can use your choice of protein, and even switch out some vegetables as well. The sauce ingredients, including the onion, garlic, and ginger paste, provide a perfect base for the vegetable and protein.
I served this dish with jasmine rice, but you can also serve it with noodles, brown rice, or even quinoa.
favorite pantry ingredients for dishes like this
These yummy Thai flavors bring the best of your favorite Thai restaurant home to your table. There’s no need to order out, when you can use some staple pantry ingredients to create an amazing dish.
- Thai red curry paste
- Coconut milk (canned)
- Onions and garlic
- Lemon or lime
- Sambal oelek
Having these ingredients handy makes it easy to put together really delicious dishes with minimal ingredients, as they all complement each other well and pack a ton of flavor. The onions and garlic add tremendous amount of flavor, and the sambal oelek adds spicy heat and depth of flavor.
Sambal oelek is available in many grocery stores, but you can easily substitute chili garlic sauce (another spicy chili sauce found in the international aisle), sriracha, or your favorite hot sauce.
Lemon or lime juice in dishes like this one will add a fantastic freshness and tanginess. Perfect for adding further complexity of flavor!
I try to have a couple cans of coconut milk on hand, as it provides a perfect base for Thai dishes like this one. Or, use it to create an endless variety of curry dishes like this Chickpea Curry with Spinach & Tomatoes or this Black Bean Curry. Coconut milk is also a great add-in for a creamy vegan pasta.
I love using Thai red curry paste for a variety of dishes, like this super comforting and hearty Thai Red Curry Rice and Potatoes and this Thai Noodle and Vegetable Soup.
I hope you can try these cozy dishes the next time you’re looking for a quick and easy meal that’s also amazingly flavorful!
helpful items for dishes like this Thai Red Curry with Tofu
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This is a favorite vegan-friendly Thai red curry paste that’s so versatile and delicious for dishes like this one.
Thai Kitchen Gluten Free Red Curry Paste, 4 Oz (Pack of 6)
We have this rice cooker at home, which makes it so easy to cook rice without watching your water boil or making sure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. It’s so simple to use, even I can do it! (I’m not the biggest kitchen gadget guru on the block.)
Thai Red Curry with Tofu
Ingredients
- 3 tsp oil divided
- 1 16 oz. package super firm tofu cut into 2 cm cubes or similar amount extra firm tofu, pressed with kitchen towel to remove water
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 carrots diced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups napa cabbage thinly sliced
- 2 bell peppers diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tbsp red curry paste
- 1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp ginger paste
- 1 15 oz. can coconut milk
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1-2 tsp sambal oelek
- Juice of 1 lime or lemon
- Fresh basil optional
Instructions
- In large pan, add 1 tsp of the oil and the tofu cubes. Season with some garlic powder and salt.
- Cook until browned on a few sides as desired (the longer cooked, firmer tofu will be). Remove from pan.
- Back in pan, add 2 tsp oil, carrots, onions. Cook for 5 min, stir occasionally.
- Add cabbage and bell peppers, cook another 5 min, stir occasionally.
- Add garlic, red curry paste, ginger paste. Stir, cook 1 min.
- Add coconut milk, garlic powder, sambal oelek, and tofu cubes. Stir, cook at gentle simmer for 5 min.
- Stir in juice of lime or lemon and serve with more sambal oelek and fresh basil.