Vegan MoFo # 25: Thai Red and Green Curry

Thanks for going along with me on the sentimental journey of yesterday's post; I feel confident that my Nan would share my feelings (to say nothing of Dr. Carrot!). To mark the occasion, and because it was the Friday of a punishingly long week, I made what I'm going to say straight up was a really amazing meal; so good, in fact, that it's now the menu for our next dinner party. And the funny thing is, it was...a lowly stir fry!

Okay. I know it, you know it, and the American people have a right to know it, too: despite those hackneyed stereotypes of chopstick-wielding hippies slurping up brown rice and tofu out of wooden bowls, vegans do not subsist entirely on stir-fries. But we do sometimes want them, and when that happens, my next thought is often "Thai curry paste": I love the red kind, I love the green kind, but most of all I love them mixed together! Like many (all right, most) things I cook, the marinade/sauce below is the result of messing about with whatever was in the kitchen, hence the "cupboard staple" character of the ingredients. It's very good, though, and extremely simple; as ever, the secret to yummy marinated, baked tofu is pressing it for at least 30 minutes, which prepares it to suck up the maximum quantity of flavor. Once the tofu is baked, just stir-fry whatever vegetables you have on hand, then use the leftover marinade to make an easy sauce. I've described what I used this time, because it turned out to be a particularly nice combination, but pretty much anything will do, as you know. Mix it all together and serve over steamed rice, with some sauteed onions and rainbow chard on the side, et voila: a healthy dinner that's a far cry from what Food for Love was dishing up at Woodstock (which actually turns out to have been burgers and hot dogs: another stereotype bites the dust)!

Thai Red and Green Curry

Ingredients:
~ 1 tbsp. chopped garlic
~ 1 tbsp. grated ginger
~ 1 tbsp. tamari
~ 1 tbsp. vegan bouillon (I used Better Than Bouillon)
~ 1-2 tsp. Thai red curry paste
~ 1 tbsp. Thai green curry paste
~ 1 tbsp. dried basil
~ 1 tsp. dried lemongrass
~ 1 15 oz. can lite coconut milk
~ 1/4 cup peanut butter
~ A few grinds of black pepper
~ 1 lb. extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed

Directions:
~ In a bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, bouillon and red and green curry pastes; stir until thoroughly combined.
~ Add the coconut milk, dried seasonings and peanut butter. Mix with a whisk until smooth.
~ Place pressed, cubed tofu in the marinade, stir once to make sure it's all submerged, and leave to marinate for at least two hours; the longer it sits, the better it will taste.
~ Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
~ Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray, arrange the marinated tofu cubes (save the marinade for the sauce!), and bake for about 15-20 minutes, checking frequently and turning once during the process. Remove from the oven and set aside.

The Sauce (sooo easy!)

Ingredients
~ 1 tbsp. corn starch or arrowroot powder
~ 1/2 cup vegetable broth
~ Reserved tofu marinade

Directions:
~ Pour the reserved marinade into a mid-sized saucepan and heat on medium.
~ In a small bowl, mix the corn starch with the broth; whisk until thoroughly combined.
~ Add to the marinade, lower the heat and simmer about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened.
~ Remove from heat and combine with...

The Stir Fry

Ingredients
~ 1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
~ 1 cup celery, thinly sliced
~ 2 cups chopped red bell pepper
~ 3 cups sliced mushrooms
~ 1 tbsp. tamari
~ 2 cups baby corn (1 15 oz. can)
~ 1 cup scallions, thinly sliced
~ 2 cups diced sweet potatoes, roasted at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (this will keep them from turning to mush)
~ The baked tofu from above
~ 1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews

Directions:
~ In a wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add the celery.
~ Add the bell pepper, mushrooms, tamari and baby corn; cook another few minutes.
~ Add the scallions, sweet potatoes and cook another minute or two, until the scallions are bright green.
~ Pour in the sauce, baked tofu and cashews. Stir to combine, and raise the heat to high until everything is heated through.
~ Serve over steamed brown basmati or jasmine rice; some lovely sauteed rainbow chard on the side will only make things better.