This easy vegan Thai Red Tofu and Sweet Potato Curry is packed with delicious spices and healthy vegetables and can be on the table in under 30 minutes. Perfect for a busy weeknight!
Happy New Year!!! How has this year been for you so far? I am enjoying a rather slower pace of life than the end of last year which was totally manic!! It was all my fault for trying to cram too much in – I counted back…a whopping 21 blog posts in December! No wonder I’m feeling tired.
The period after Christmas was quieter, but then I had the juggling act that was trying to keep up with the blogging (the demands of a blog never really go away, even at Christmas!) whilst simultaneously doing all the Christmassy things, spending time with family and friends and keeping the kids occupied and not feeling neglected – let’s just say there wasn’t much time for ‘me time’! So I am rather hoping perhaps January will be a little quieter (a girl can hope right?).
I did find a little bit of time towards the end of December and before the madness of Christmas descended, to get into the kitchen and start creating some fab new recipe ideas for this coming year. One of my favourites was this simple Thai Red Tofu and Sweet Potato Curry, which just so happens to be vegan and vegetarian friendly as well as gluten and dairy free…and totally delicious!!
Packed with healthy ingredients, this would be a great meal idea if you are trying to be a little healthier this January after the excesses of Christmas and perfect if you are doing #Veganuary this year, but even if those things don’t apply, this is quite frankly a delicious meal in its own right! And best of all, my kids really liked it – in fact they wolfed it down. Something I really wasn’t expecting!!
If tofu is not something you’ve cooked before, then I really recommend you try it – it’s totally wonderful and had me wondering why I don’t cook with it more often. To get a firmer texture, press the tofu for a bit before cooking – you can do this by covering it with kitchen roll and sandwiching it between a couple of boards… but if you are in a hurry you can miss this step out – the tofu will just be a bit more squidgy!!
To save time I used a ready-made red Thai curry paste – I really like the one from Thai Taste as, not only does it taste great, but I can recognise all the ingredients (no weird sounding additives!) and it is also gluten and dairy free as well as vegetarian and vegan friendly.
You may of course be doing #DryJanuary this year, but if not, this Thai Red Tofu and Sweet Potato Curry would go beautifully with a Gewurztraminer or a Riesling.
If you like this recipe…
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Thai Red Tofu and Sweet Potato Curry (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 400 g firm tofu (I used Cauldron Foods)
- 200 g jasmine rice
- 400 ml boiling water
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon wok oil, olive oil or coconut oil
- 300 g sweet potato peeled and cut into 1 cm / ½inch cubes
- 1 red or yellow (bell) pepper diced
- 100 g baby sweetcorn sliced
- 3 tablespoons red Thai curry paste (I used Thai Taste)
- 400 ml tin of coconut milk (See Note 1)
- 100 g mangetouts
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Start by pressing your tofu – place a chopping board down on your work surface and place a double layer of kitchen roll on top. Place the block of tofu on the kitchen roll and then place another double layer of kitchen roll on top, followed by a second chopping board and then 4 tin cans to weigh it down. Leave to drain for 10 minutes, then chop into bitesized pieces. (See Note 2.)
- Meanwhile place the jasmine rice in a saucepan and add 400ml (2 cups) boiling water and a pinch of salt, cover with a lid and bring to the boil, then turn down to a low simmer and cook for 8 minutes. Take the rice off the heat, but leave the lid on. Leave for a further 5 minutes or until you need it.
- While the rice is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or large frying pan, then add the tofu and stir fry for 3 minutes until brown. Add the sweet potato, red pepper and sweetcorn and stir fry for a further 1 minute.
- Next add the red curry paste and stir fry for 1 more minute.
- Add 200ml (7oz) coconut milk and bring to the boil, cover with a lid of some sort (I used a baking tray!) and allow to simmer 7-8 minutes until the sweet potato is soft. Add extra coconut milk if you want the curry to be a bit more saucy.
- Finally add the mangetouts, a pinch of salt and the lime juice and cook for one more minute.
- Serve the curry with the cooked rice and a sprinkling of coriander if you fancy it.
Notes
- Depending on how much sauce you like, you may only need 200-300ml (7-10oz) coconut milk for this recipe.
- If you are short of time, you can skip pressing the tofu.
- Not suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Cliona Keane says
This looks delicious! I’ve not cooked much with Tofu but actually bought some the other day for a Miso soup, however having seen this now I may keep a bit aside to do this too! #CookBlogShare
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Cliona. I used to cook loads with tofu, but stopped for some reason…this recipe has rekindled my love of tofu. Definitely going to be dreaming up some more recipes with it very soon! Miso soup sounds lovely too – I look forward to seeing that recipe! Eb x
Monika Dabrowski says
This is a lovely recipe, light and delicious (as I am sure it is), full of veggies, great for January when most of us want to eat leaner. I always wonder at this time of year if I could actually become vegetarian, but then as time goes by I get greedy and the idea of putting restrictions on my diet doesn’t seem as appealing.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Monika. I know how you feel – after a month stuffed with rich food, eating lighter food is definitely what I need – but by February I am back into comfort eating mode!! Thanks for your kind comments 🙂 Eb x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
Perfect! This meal is just the sort of dinners that I am craving after Christmas! This looks and sounds perfect for a cold winters night! Happy new year Eb and I hope you all had a lovely break xx
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Kirsty! Isn’t it just? After all that indulgence I want something healthy, easy but that tastes good! This ticks all those boxes for me 🙂 Happy New Year to you too. I did have a lovely break but I’m happy to be back to normality now! Hope you had a fab break too 🙂 Eb x
Mandy says
This sounds delicious – absolutely must try it! Pretty sure the kids won’t try it though but you never know… I still can’t believe how you managed to do 21 blog posts in December! You really are Wonder Woman. Thanks for linking up with #CookBlogShare
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Mandy 🙂 Definitely worth trying it on the kids – I thought mine wouldn’t like it and have avoided doing any tofu recipes for that very reason and it turns out they love it! No I have no idea I had even done 21 posts in December until I counted up, let alone quite how I managed it!! I think maybe someone very kindly gave me a few extra days!?! No definitely not Wonder Woman – Workaholic Woman maybe!! 😀 Eb x
Inci @ Bellasapron.com says
Never been big into Tofu but really trying to make it part of a meal at least once a week in 2017 and this looks amazing and inspiring to do just that.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Inci 🙂 Tofu is so great once you get into it. Pressing it and then stir frying it, as per this recipe, gives it such a nice texture and adding flavours such as Thai red curry paste helps stop it being too bland. Do let me know how you get on if you try this recipe and good luck with your 2017 challenge!! Eb x
Nico @ yumsome says
What a lovely recipe, Eb – it looks so light, yet full of flavour and very filling. Plus it’s vegan too – yay!
By the way, I just followed your link to the curry paste to see if it’s vegan – did you know that the ‘gang ped’ on the packaging (แกงเผ็ด – pronounced ‘geng pet’, in case you were wondering!) literally translates to ‘curry hot’?!
When I first moved to Thailand, I always had to ask for my food to be ‘mai phet’ (not hot… still hotter than I was used to though!), then after a few months, ‘phet farang’ (foreigner-hot – a bit hotter), and then, by the time I left, in mid-2014, it was ‘phet nid noi’ (a little hot… which was not-quite-blows-your-face-off hot)! I never built my tolerance up to that of the locals, and was constantly put to shame by the small children I worked with, who were always highly amused that someone as big as me couldn’t handle the amount of chilli they could!
I miss those days!
Eb Gargano says
Haha – yes vegan indeed! Glad you like it 🙂 I did not know what ‘gang ped’ meant so thanks for enlightening me! I don’t think it can quite mean that in this case as this red curry paste is fairly mild – I would have to have ‘mai phet’, if I went to Thailand. Whilst I love spices I’m not good with hot! You made me laugh with the bit about the kids, I can just imagine that! Funny that so often in the UK people avoid giving kids anything spicy, but in other countries small children happily consume lots of hot food. I have given my kids spices from quite an early age, and they are happy with mild to medium food, but moan a bit if I make it too hot! (Which in reality is not very hot at all!) Thanks for your kind comments 🙂 Eb x
honestmum says
That look delicious, love tofu! Have to make this x
Eb Gargano says
Me too! Tofu is lovely. Let me know how you get on if you make it 🙂 Thanks for your kind comments. Eb x
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
This sounds & most definietly looks (those images are gorgeous Eb) so delicious! I must admit I can’t remember the last time I bought some tofu, so I would have very happily suggested this to Mr E for us to try one evening. But sadly given that he doesn’t like coconut at all (heck he’s fussy at times!) I know there wouldn’t be much point. Infact, I may just make it for myself!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Angela, tofu’s wonderful stuff. I love it and I’m really pleased my kids like it too. Shame Mr E doesn’t like coconut. Perhaps you could try something different instead of the coconut milk. Maybe cream? Or stock? Or yeah – just have it when he’s out!! Eb x
Zoe Pickburn says
This looks so yum! I love Thai food, but between fish sauce and soy sauce it can be hard to find a Thai curry I can eat (I’m vegetarian + gluten-free) – Looking forward to making this 🙂
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Zoe – glad you like it and it’s one you can eat! Do let me know how you get on if you make it 🙂 Eb x
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
I’m not surprised you are tired…. 21 posts in a month is crazy!
Nice dish to start the new year though. Tofu is always a healthy option. Hope 2017 brings you happiness and good health xx
Eb Gargano says
Haha – yeah I know. Totally nuts!! Not quite sure how I kept my sanity (answer: quite possibly didn’t have any to start with!) Thanks for your kind comments – I hope 2017 is a good one for you and your family too! Eb x
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Gorgeous recipe as ever. My stomach is grumbling while I look at it again. Thanks for submitting them to Meat Free Mondays. I featured your recipe and the roundup is now live. Right, I off to promote this for you 🙂
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Jac, and thanks so much for featuring my recipe this week 🙂 Eb x
Adam says
Sounds good. I’m trying this tonight. Wil let you know how I get on. Will probably look like the dogs dinner by the time i’m finished. HAHAHA.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Adam 🙂 Hope you enjoy it – do let me know how you get on! Eb
Tony says
Keep on making this one and a mango variant I stumbled across. Really tasty and great for the kids when I make it mild.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Tony! So pleased you like it!! Eb 🙂
Sue Williams says
Hi Eb, thanks so much for this recipe. I’ve been meaning to try it for ages, now I have and it will become one of my regulars. I’m always looking for tasty tofu recipes. Many of your reviews are obviously from the northern hemisphere, I’m from the land Downunder and I can say that it is also a fabulous summer curry, particularly with the mangetouts (or snow peas as we call them) being more of a summer veg for us. I think broccoli will also work really well and I’ll try that in the cooler months. Thanks again.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks so much for this lovely comment – I am delighted that you like it so much. Love the idea of using broccoli too! Eb 🙂