The result is a veggie-loaded, super flavorful, Thai-spiced “curry”, a stewy, comforting not-quite-one-pot wonder of a dish. Here, the curry materializes stovetop, while tofu cubes bake briefly in the oven, just long enough to lightly crisp the edges, a measure that ensures the cubes won’t dissolve while simmering, but not so long to render them tough, incapable of absorbing the sauce. Inspired by this one-pot chicken curry, a dish I learned from Thien Ngo at Fork, this dish is flavored with Thai curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, and coconut milk. I love serving it with rice — this (no-rinse!) Instant Pot brown rice is a favorite — and, of course, naan. If you’ve made any of the curries mentioned above, the process here will feel familiar. This is the formula:
Vegetable Curry Notes
Thai Curry Paste:
Using a ready-made curry paste is a serious time saver. It’s a concentrated mix of aromatics, often shallots, garlic, ginger, and lemongrass, along with spices such as coriander, cumin, and cardamom. Using a few tablespoons of such a paste almost renders additional aromatics (such as onions as here) or spices (such as turmeric and curry powder as here) unnecessary (though I do find their inclusion here worthwhile). Maesri was Thien’s favorite brand. My Asian market carries it, but I also order it online. I’ve used both red and green curry pastes in this recipe.Heat Level: Thai curry paste is spicy. Start with a tablespoon if you are sensitive to heat; add more to taste.
Vegetables:
Cauliflower: Look for a head of cauliflower with lots of greens still intact — discard only the tough stem and leaves.Greens: Folding in something like kale, spinach or Swiss chard at the very end of the cooking process not only gives the curry an extra boost of vegetables, it also provides color and flavor. Other vegetables: If you are not yet tired of winter squash season, roasted delicata, Kabocha, or butternut squash would work well here. Sweet potatoes would be nice, too.
Here’s the play-by-play: Gather your ingredients.
If time permits, drain the tofu. Here’s one way to do it (but place the colander in the sink):
Cut the tofu up into 1-inch cubes, roughly:
Spread on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, and transfer to a 425ºF oven for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Meanwhile, slice up an onion.
Then, cook it covered over low heat with a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Add spices: turmeric, curry powder, and curry paste (see recipe for notes.)
Cook for a minute or two or until the onions are nicely coated and the spices are beginning to toast and stick to the pan.
Add a can of coconut milk and some water to the pan, and bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, chop up a head of cauliflower. Much of the greens can be used — remove the tough stem and the tough outer leaves; use everything else.
Add the cauliflower to the pot along with the tofu, and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is knife tender.
Meanwhile, chop up some kale (spinach or Swiss chard is fine here, too).
Add to the pan and stir gently to incorporate. Cook for another 5 minutes.
Serve with rice — I love this Instant Pot brown rice (no rinsing necessary!) — and/or naan.
4.9 from 7 reviews
lentils + kale chickpea + cauliflower chicken + spinach
A few notes:
Spices: To keep things simple, I’m using turmeric and Madras curry powder here. You can, of course, make the effort to toast and crush whole spices such as (such as cumin, coriander, and mustard seeds as here) but if you aren’t up for it, the combination of curry powder, turmeric and Thai curry paste will be plenty flavorful. Curry paste. Maesri is the brand of Thai curry paste I buy at the Asian market. You can buy it online, too: I most often use the green for this recipe, but the red is great, too. Both are spicy. If you are sensitive to heat, start with a tablespoon and adjust the sauce with more at the end. Coconut Milk. I’ve gotten in the habit of ordering it online because I love this brand, and I can’t always find it. Plus it’s cheaper.
