Tofu with Thai Curry Sauce

Name: Tofu with Thai Curry Sauce
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 cup “lite” coconut milk, (see Ingredient notes); 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro; 1 teaspoon red curry paste, or to taste (see Ingredient notes); ½ teaspoon brown sugar; ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste; 14 ounces extra-firm tofu, preferably water-packed; 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil; 4 cups baby spinach, (6 ounces); 1 medium red bell pepper, sliced (1 1/2 cups)

Rating: 3.73 stars

11 Ratings
11 Reviews

Creamy Thai curry sauce gives tofu a spicy, satisfying kick. You can adjust the amount of curry paste depending on your spice preference. Serve with brown basmati rice and lime wedges.

Stacy Fraser

Source: EatingWell Magazine, February/March 2005

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Recipe Summary

total:

20 mins

Servings:

Nutrition Profile:

Low-Calorie

Low Carbohydrate

Dairy-Free

Gluten-Free

Vegetarian

Vegan

High Calcium

Bone Health

Healthy Aging

Healthy Immunity

Nutrition Info

Ingredients

1 cup “lite” coconut milk, (see Ingredient notes)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon red curry paste, or to taste (see Ingredient notes)
½ teaspoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
14 ounces extra-firm tofu, preferably water-packed
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups baby spinach, (6 ounces)
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced (1 1/2 cups)

Directions

Step 1

To prepare sauce: Whisk coconut milk, cilantro, curry paste, brown sugar and salt in a small bowl.

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Step 2

To prepare tofu: Drain and rinse tofu; pat dry. Slice the block crosswise into eight 1/2-inch-thick slabs. Coarsely crumble each slice into smaller, uneven pieces.
Step 3

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add tofu and cook in a single layer, without stirring, until the pieces begin to turn golden brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Then gently stir and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until all sides are golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes more.
Step 4

Add spinach, bell pepper and the curry sauce and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are just cooked, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Tips

Ingredient Notes: Look for reduced-fat coconut milk (labeled “lite”) in the Asian section of your market.

Red curry paste is a convenient way to add heat and complexity to a recipe. Look for it in small jars in the Asian section of the supermarket.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: generous 3/4 cup

Per Serving:

162 calories; protein 10.6g; carbohydrates 8.1g; dietary fiber 2.6g; sugars 3g; fat 10.7g; saturated fat 4.2g; vitamin a iu 4862.8IU; vitamin c 60.5mg; folate 87.5mcg; calcium 247.9mg; iron 3mg; magnesium 70.7mg; potassium 396.8mg; sodium 371.8mg; thiamin 0.1mg.

Exchanges:

2 vegetable
1 medium-fat meat
1 fat (saturated)

Reviews (11)

Read More Reviews

11 Ratings

5 star values: 3
4 star values: 5
3 star values: 1
2 star values: 1
1 star values: 1

Reviews: Most Helpful

Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest

mjayres

03/23/2012

Needs More! In order to get the taste you expect in a restaurant you would have to add: 1)Atleast 2 Tablespoons of Curry Paste (Plastic Tub is BEST) 2)Fish Sauce 3) Regular Coconut Milk 4) Garlic Pros: Healthier Version Cons: Not enough Flavor Read More

raheli4@yahoo.com

10/29/2011

Just Meh With a bit of added Sriracha this was ok but nothing special. I wouldn't make it again. Pros: Healthy Cons: Tasteless Read More

jsigrist2@gmail.com

10/29/2011

bad This was the first of many eating well recipes that I disliked. It was so disgusting I had to throw out the whole recipe. it was very disheartening because I was really looking forward to this one. I followed the reviewers suggestions by adding more curry paste and by adding onions. It seemed more sweet to me and the whole taste was just off. Needless to say I wouldn't try it again Pros: it was fast to make Cons: flavorless..the taste was horrible Read More

EatingWell User

10/30/2011

I would say this is a solid base of a recipe. The flavor was not powerful enough - next time I'll probably add more red curry paste (or rooster chili sauce) and maybe more cilantro and even some lime juice for that sour contrast usually found in Thai cuisine. Read More

EatingWell User

12/08/2012

I love this stuff. I don't understand why nobody else likes this stuff. I think it's wonderful. I confess I added zucchini the first time I made it and cauliflower the second time because I wanted more vegetables. I also added extra curry paste and used full fat coconut milk (because 'lite' is not available here). I serve it with brown rice. I love the leftovers the next day for lunch. Pros: Easy Cons: None Read More

angie

10/29/2011

Loved it! I loved this dish i felt it tasted similar to what i would get at a restaurant. Traditional thai food is loaded with calories i enjoyed that this is a lighter version of a much loved ethnic food. Wish i had read others posts about this recipe prior it definitely needed some more curry paste. Other than that it was delish! Pros: Easy Fast Delicious Cons: Needs more curry paste Read More

alyssa.bernanke@gmail.com

10/30/2011

Following the advice of the comments on this dish I added more curry paste (I used a tablespoon but next time it will definitely be at least 2 it definitely needed more!) and threw in some stir fry veggies. It came out pretty good especially when I added some sriracha chili sauce to the finished product. My one most important recommendation: don't even think about making this dish without broccoli!!!!! The broccoli soaks up the sauce so well I will definitely be adding more next time. Read More

EatingWell User

12/30/2015

LOVED IT This was wonderful. I actually used green curry instead of red and I added green beans! (Green Thai tofu curry NEEDS green beans in my opinion. ) Also I used orange peppers instead of red. It was so delicious and tasted healthy and light. Served it over brown rice. Yum Yum can't wait to make this in bulk for a dinner party. Pros: So easy to make Read More

tbingham

02/12/2014

Tweaked Recipe Based on reviews and recommendations I added more curry paste and more veggies (mushroom broccoli beans onion) to this recipe and used Fish Sauce. I increased the Curry sauce by 50% to accommodate the additional veggies. I loved it! Next time I might add a little more spice with a hotter curry paste. Pros: Flavorful low calorie Cons: Unable to comment on original recipe as I added to it based on others' reviews Read More

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