Peanut Curry with Tofu and Veggies

Creamy peanut butter teams up with delicately spiced coconut milk, marinated sticky tofu, and veggies. The result is a hearty and delicate flavor and texture profile that is also gluten free.

As mentioned above, in addition to being vegan, this recipe is 100% gluten free. On this front no added substitutions are needed. Although, this recipe totally could use Tofu Knots instead of block tofu. I considered it but am currently running low on them.

I broke up the recipe into different sub-sections to hopefully make it easier to both prep and cook this meal. The directions also simply refer to these sections in the recipe below. They should be self-explanatory and the ingredients can be commonly found at your local grocery store or through an online retailer. I’ve added our affiliate links in this post if the later is required. There is no added cost to you for using our links but it does help to support our website.

For this recipe I selected to use super firm tofu. But firm tofu would also work as well. To start, I like to cube the tofu into small blocks. Then create and add the marinade to the tofu. This will give the tofu time to absorb the flavors.

For the marinade itself I added spicy, sweet, and tangy ingredients. This is noted by the garlic chili sauce, agave nectar, and rice vinegar. Using my Zyliss garlic press I added one pressed clove of garlic in addition to a half teaspoon of garlic powder.

The sesame seed oil is also added at this step. As the saying goes, a little goes a long way and the flavor marries nicely with the peanut butter. Although, it isn’t added directly to the curry the flavor carries though via both the tofu and the sauce reduction. This occurs because we will use the same skillet to cook the veggies.

When you add the tofu to the skillet also add all of the marinade. The liquid will take 5-10 minutes to cook down. Once most of the tofu marinade evaporates, I like to add a little olive oil to prevent sticking. Folding the mixture with a silicone spatula helps to ensure everything is cooked evenly, as well as, not breaking the tofu.

Once the tofu is cooked remove it from the skillet by placing in a big bowl. Add some more olive oil to the skillet and the veggies. Cooking for about 10 minutes or until everything starts to soften.

At this stage it is good to start the rice. Nothing fancy or special here, just follow the instructions on the packaging. I used jasmine rice for this recipe but you could easily substitute in your favorite grain.

Once the veggies are starting to become tender, but still have some crunch to them, that is when I like to add the curry ingredients. They will continue to cook once we add the coconut milk, spices, and the star of the show, peanut butter!

Bring everything to a low simmer and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Then add the tofu back into the curry. When everything comes back up to temperature, and a slow simmer is restored, that is when I know to dish out.

To serve add the rice, or your grain of choice, to the bottom of a bowl. Then using a serving spoon add the curry to the top of the rice. From here you get to choose your own adventure. This curry is really good own its own but I opted to add some toppings to my meal.

The toppings I reached for were peanuts, sesame seeds, and Sriracha. But you may optionally consider soy sauce, hemp seeds, seaweed, or cashews. Fresh squeezed lime or a garnish of green onions might also be enjoyable. Or maybe a couple chopped up pieces of fresh Thai basil.

If there are leftovers, I like to store the in glass food containers. Usually, I put the rice on one side and the curry on the other. This will help the rice hold up in the refrigerator. Plus, once you microwave or reheat this dish and mix everything together it often tastes a little more flavorful. Which I sum up to the tofu having more time to absorb the flavors around it.

If you liked this recipe be sure to check out:

• Coconut Curry Tofu Knots
• Tofu Knots with Kale and Bell Pepper
• Sticky Orange Tofu Knots with Veggies