This Vegan Coconut Curry with crispy tofu, sweet potato, and broccoli is quick and easy to make, filling, and the ideal weekday meal. It’s best served with basmati rice.
I’m a sucker for curries. Especially when there is broccoli, sweet potato, and tofu involved. There is something about this combination…the sweetness of the coconut milk and sweet potato, the crispiness of the tofu, the broccoli, and basmati rice soaking up all the flavors… I just love it.
I’ve had a very similar curry almost 10 years ago in Berlin, and whenever I make this curry, this reminds me of the trip. So the curry is comfort food for my belly and for my mind. And I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.
Fun fact: I haven’t cooked rice in a pot for at least a year thanks to my Instant Pot but I just moved and I’ve left the Instant Pot at the old place, so I still have to get one for the new apartment. So this rice was cooked totally old-school in a pot. I was kind of nervous, I was afraid I would mess it up after such a long time but it turned out perfect. Lucky! This is such a stupid thing to worry. But yep, that’s me.
The Ingredients for the Coconut Curry
You will not need a ton of ingredients for this curry. They are pretty basic, actually!
all-purpose flour (or if you want to keep it gluten-free, use cornstarch)
salt
canola oil
For the curry itself you will need:
broccoli
sweet potato
fresh spinach
coconut milk
red curry paste
and salt
Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, it is!
Of course, you can mix and match the veggies! For variations, use potatoes instead of sweet potatoes. Cauliflower instead of broccoli. Add carrot slices. Green curry paste instead of red one. You see how this works. Anything goes!
More vegan curry recipes with tofu:
Tofu Cashew Curry (This curry consists of crispy tofu in homemade, creamy cashew sauce; so, so good, I make this one a lot!)
Vegan Palak Tofu Paneer (Tofu is the perfect alternative to the Indian cheese, paneer. The sauce is made out of blended spinach.)
Vegan Peanut Butter Curry (Tofu and veggies in a creamy sauce consisting of coconut milk and peanut butter.)
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Cheers, Bianca
Vegan Coconut Curry with Crispy Tofu
Elephantastic Vegan
This Vegan Coconut Curry with crispy tofu, sweet potato, and broccoli is quick and easy to make, filling and the ideal weekday meal. It’s best served with basmati rice.
4.10 from 21 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutesmins
Cook Time 30 minutesmins
Total Time 40 minutesmins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Vegan
Servings 2people
Calories 632kcal
Ingredients
Ingredients for the curry
3cupsbroccoli florets
1 1/2cupssweet potato(cubed)
14ozfull-fat coconut milk
1teaspoonred curry paste(you can start with a smaller amount of curry paste and add more until you reach your preferred spiciness level)
1handfulfresh spinach
salt to taste
Crispy Tofu
12ozfirm tofu
3tablespoonsall-purpose flour(or cornstarch for a gf variation)
1/4teaspoonsalt
1tablespooncanola oil
Instructions
For the crispy tofu: Cut the tofu in cubes. Add the all-purpose flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the tofu to the bowl and toss carefully until all the tofu cubes are coated. Bring a large pan with canola oil to high heat, toss in the tofu. Let it cook on each side until browned and crispy. Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside.
Wash and cut the broccoli. Peel and cube the sweet potato.
In a small pot add water, cook the sweet potato until soft. Steam the broccoli on top.
Add the drained sweet potato, broccoli, and fresh spinach to a large pan on medium heat. Leave it to cook on medium heat until the spinach has wilted. Then lower the heat and add in the coconut milk and curry paste. Mix well so that the curry paste dissolves. Heat until all warmed up. Add salt to taste and the crispy tofu.
The curry is best served with a side of basmati rice.
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To begin with, first you will get rid of the excess moisture from the tofu and marinate it with spices and herbs for a short time until the curry is ready. It is then pan-fried and then added to the delicious curry sauce. So the Tofu in the Curry is full-flavored with a excellent texture!
There are a few tricks to perfect tofu. First, tossing cubed tofu with cornstarch will help you get a crispier exterior when baking or stir-frying. Pressing the block of tofu to eliminate excess moisture also helps. And you'll want to make sure you're using high enough heat.
A light coating of cornstarch will absorb even more moisture from the tofu's surface and contribute to a distinct coating. Sprinkle over the starch (potato starch, tapioca starch, and arrowroot all work too) a little bit at a time and toss the tofu, pressing gently so the starch adheres.
Crispy Tofu Method: Dredged in Cornstarch and Pan-Fried
You simply cut the tofu into sort of flat squares by cutting the block in half lengthwise, then cutting those halves crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. After quickly dredging the pieces in cornstarch, you pan-fry them in a little oil.
Here's the thing: even though tofu might be labeled firm or extra-firm, it contains a lot of water. This excess water can cause the tofu to crumble when you cook it, and it will also have a hard time crisping up. But when you press tofu, you remove the excess moisture.
The problem with deep frying tofu, besides the considerable mess, is that the tofu will soak up a lot of the oil, making the inside a greasy, spongy mess. Try one of these methods instead: Pan frying with just a little bit of oil, or stir-frying at a high temperature will give you crispy tofu with less fuss.
If you prefer not to cook with cornstarch, you can try a substitute such as potato starch or arrowroot starch. Salt and pepper: You can also add additional seasonings like garlic and onion powder, paprika, nutritional yeast, etc.
First off, you may have not baked your tofu at a high enough temperature. High heat is important for getting your tofu to turn out nice and crispy. Aside from that, I think it's important to coat the tofu in something to help it crisp up.
Step 3: Press the tofu by placing paper towels, and something heavy on top. I usually use a sheet pan, and put heavy cans on top. Press for at least 30 minutes if you want super firm tofu. You should see a pool of water that has come out, and it should look and feel very dense.
When used correctly and in appropriate amounts, cornstarch is translucent and tasteless. Because cornstarch consists of nothing but corn endosperm, cornstarch is indeed vegan.
Press it. Tofu contains a lot of water, and you'll want to squeeze most of it out, especially if you're baking, grilling, or frying it. I recommend using a tofu press to do this, because it gives the tofu a delicious chewy texture and makes cleanup a breeze. But having one isn't necessary.
Coat it in garlic, black pepper, salt (plus more of your favourite seasonings), liquid aminos and some olive oil. Then mix it into some cornstarch and toss it all together, then bake for about 20 minutes. Cornstarch also helps to draw out excess moisture so it really gets the tofu crispy.
Fried tofu is exactly what it sounds like: squares of tofu fried and pre-packaged for your easy consumption. It's not as crispy as you might suspect, nor is it as compact and crumbly as firm tofu, but instead has a spongy, airy texture perfect for absorbing sauces.
Despite the nutritional benefits of tofu, fried tofu is not a healthy food choice. The problem lies in the frying cooking method. Although tofu is naturally low in calories and fat, frying adds tons of fat grams to the tofu and drastically increases the dish's calorie count.
If you want a crispy outer coating for your tofu, flour can be a great substitute for cornstarch. Simply coat the tofu cubes or slices with a dusting of all-purpose flour before frying. The flour helps create a light and crispy texture while ensuring the tofu stays tender on the inside.
Tofu can be eaten raw, and so cooking it is completely optional and is mostly done for texture or to bind the sauce to the tofu. You can pan-sear the sides and add it to a colorful stir-fry or deep-fry it and coat it in a savory and sweet sauce.
If you want the flavor to get all the way inside, you have to get heat involved somehow, whether that's in the form of a dip in boiling salty water, or by pan-frying, baking, or my new favorite pre-marinade technique: Air-frying. Cold, raw tofu rejects marinades because of its high water content and low porosity.
You can put raw tofu in the soup and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes to warm and flavor it. Tofu can be eaten raw, so it's no problem to add it raw to soups.
How do you add paneer to a curry sauce? Prepare the sauce and then add the fried paneer to the bubbling hot curry. Although fried until crisp, it is best to add the paneer fry to a sauce just before serving. It will then retain its shape and become soft and delicious in the center.
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