Description
This Massaman Curry is bursting with warm spices, tender veggies, and hearty tofu, all simmered in a velvety coconut milk sauce. Serve over fluffy white rice with crushed peanuts and cilantro for the ultimate cozy dinner.
Ingredients
Tofu
- 1 block (16 oz) extra-firm tofu, pressed
- 3 tablespoons oil, for frying
Curry
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 white onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3–4 tablespoons massaman curry paste
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cans full-fat coconut milk
- Optional: ½ cup water
- 1 lb yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1” pieces
- 2 large carrots, sliced
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon Thai tamarind paste
- Optional; 2 kaffir lime leaves
- Juice of 1 lime
For serving
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- Chopped cilantro
- White rice
Equipment
Instructions
- Fry the tofu. Press the tofu for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Once pressed, cut into 1-inch cubes. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of a high heat oil and fry the tofu on all sides until golden brown and crispy. You may need to flip the tofu every 3-4 minutes until golden. Set aside.
- Sauté the onions. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to soften.
- Sauté the curry paste and spices. Add the curry paste and sauté for another 2-3 minutes until very fragrant. Add the spices and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add remaining ingredients (except lime juice). Add the coconut milk, water (if using), potatoes, carrots, brown sugar, soy sauce, peanut butter, tamarind paste, optional kaffir lime leaves, and cooked tofu. Stir until everything is combined. If the potatoes and carrots aren’t completely submerged in liquid, add additional water.
- Simmer until potatoes are tender. Bring the curry to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
- Add lime juice. Once the potatoes are tender, mix in the lime juice. Taste and add additional soy sauce or sugar to taste. If the curry is too thick for your liking, mix in additional water as needed.
- Serve. Serve massaman curry over rice and top with chopped peanuts and cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes
- Tofu: If you prefer soft tofu over fried, you can skip frying of the tofu, and just add in 1-inch cubed pieces of extra-firm tofu in step 4.
- Water: We prefer to add in ½ cup of water to thin out the curry a bit. If this is your first time preparingthis recipe, we suggest skipping the water and adding it at the end as desired, to be sure that the curry is your desired consistency.
- Massaman curry paste: Be sure to check the ingredients of the massaman curry paste to be sure that it is vegan. If you cannot find massaman curry paste, red curry paste will work in its place, but keep in mind that it will be quite a bit spicier.
- Tamarind Paste: Make sure that you purchase Thai tamarind paste vs. Indian!
- Freezing: We do not recommend freezing the massaman curry as freezing will change the texture of the tofu and cause the potatoes to be grainy and overly soft.
- Storage: The curry will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. We recommend storing the rice separately and combining right before eating.