Coconut Curried Tofu with Green Jasmine Rice

Name: Coconut Curried Tofu with Green Jasmine Rice
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1/4 cup unsweetened dried shredded coconut; 1 3/4 cups water; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 cup jasmine rice or 1 cup basmati rice; 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (packed); 3/4 cup unsweetened light coconut milk; 4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger; 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 16 ounces extra firm tofu, drained,patted dry,cut into 1/2 inch cubes; 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion; 2 teaspoons curry powder; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/8 teaspoon dry crushed red pepper; 1 cup whole small cherry tomatoes; 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts

Editors' Pick

Submitted by Rita1652

"This is a vegetarian dish from Bon Appetit January 2003"

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photo by Prose

Ready In:: 40mins
Ingredients:: 17
Serves:: 4

ingredients

¹⁄₄ cup unsweetened dried shredded coconut
1 ³⁄₄ cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup jasmine rice or 1 cup basmati rice
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (packed)
³⁄₄ cup unsweetened light coconut milk
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
16 ounces extra firm tofu, drained,patted dry,cut into 1/2 inch cubes
¹⁄₂ cup thinly sliced green onion
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¹⁄₈ teaspoon dry crushed red pepper
1 cup whole small cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts

directions

Stir shredded coconut in small nonstick skillet over medium heat until light golden, about 5 minutes.
Transfer to bowl.
Bring 1 3/4 cups water and salt to boil in heavy medium saucepan.
Stir in rice; bring to boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until water is absorbed and rice is tender, about 18 minutes.
Meanwhile, puree cilantro, 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 teaspoon ginger, lime juice, and half of garlic in blender.
Mix puree and coconut into rice.
Set aside.
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat.
Add tofu; stir-fry until golden, about 6 minutes.
Add onions, curry, cumin, red pepper, remaining ginger, and remaining garlic.
Stir-fry 1 minute.
Stir in tomatoes and remaining coconut milk.
Season with salt and pepper.
Divide rice among 4 plates.
Top with tofu mixture.
Sprinkle with peanuts.
*Availableat specialty foods stores and natural foods stores.
**Availableat Asian markets and in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets.

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Reviews

This recipe is so flavorful! The last review was over 8 years ago so IMO it is also very underrated lol. I have very little experience with tofu so I was nervous that I wouldn’t like the taste or texture but I was not disappointed at all. I did press/pat the water out of the tofu very well and I browned mine quite a bit longer, maybe 10 minutes total. I will absolutely make it again.

Natalie C.
The star of this recipe is the amazingly flavorful rice! I will probably be making that rice to go with other dishes. The curry, as written, by itself, probably would have been 4 (or maybe even 3) stars. However, it's a really good "base" to which I added other things for more interest. I knew that, like Roosie, I would want more vegetables, so I added some mushrooms and spinach. I also added a fresh sliced jalapeno and used a whole teaspoon of crushed red pepper. It still wasn't spicy, but we added Sri Racha sauce upon serving. Also, I added extra coconut milk (went ahead and used up the rest of the can) and added soy sauce at the table. Oh, I also added a little salt to the rice flavoring mixture after tasting, and I used basmati brown rice. Thank you for posting this fresh, fun recipe! Made for Veg*an Swap, January 2011.

Prose
Fabulous!! I am so full! I could eat this all day long. The rice IS unbelievably good, but the whole dish is first rate in my opinion! And beautiful too. I wasn't sure about this when I picked it, but I would definitely make it again just as is (with the small adjustment of adding some salt to the tofu!) Thank you Rita! Even tofu newbie Fiance thought it was great.

Nikoma
Pretty! The rice was a gorgeous emrald and the tofu a nice golden yellow. I, like Cookgirl, didn't add the tomatoes... neither BF nor I care much for cherry tomatoes and I don't like the flavor of raw tomatoes at all. However, I recently had a dish in a Thai restaurant with lightly cooked cherry tomatoes in it, and, honestly, I think they would have complimented the flavors of this recipe very well. I would have liked to see a bit more vegetation in the dish- maybe a bell pepper or an onion? I just felt that the texture/mouth-feel was a little "blah" - the rice was kind of damp and the tofu had the semi-squishy texture of tofu and it all sort of mushed together to me. The peanuts were a nice touch, but I was craving a bit more texture. I didn't have any lime juice on-hand so I simmered a Keffir lime leaf with the rice and used lemon in the puree. Worked well. All-in-all it made a pretty good dinner. We make Asian food frequently, and this was an interesting change from our usual fare. It worked just as directed- I prepared the tofu in my cast-iron wok and it worked quite well. Thanks Rita!

Roosie
great recipe all around! I changed a few things as well: I like to fry my tofu in peanut oil first before adding to a recipe. This gives it a nice golden color and firm texture on the skin. In addition, I had loads of Thai basil in my garden but no cilantro, so i used the Thai basil instead. I also added 2/3 of a grated jalapeno to the blended mixture for the rice. My husband hates tomatoes, so I sauteed some orange peppers (thinly sliced) to mix with the tofu. My husband and I loved the contrast of colors and vibrant flavors of this dish!!

Lady Indigo

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Tweaks

great recipe all around! I changed a few things as well: I like to fry my tofu in peanut oil first before adding to a recipe. This gives it a nice golden color and firm texture on the skin. In addition, I had loads of Thai basil in my garden but no cilantro, so i used the Thai basil instead. I also added 2/3 of a grated jalapeno to the blended mixture for the rice. My husband hates tomatoes, so I sauteed some orange peppers (thinly sliced) to mix with the tofu. My husband and I loved the contrast of colors and vibrant flavors of this dish!!

Lady Indigo
Wonderful variety of spices and flavorful but not too overpowering of a coconut taste even with that amount of coconut milk. Thai food is all about balance;-the spicy, the sweet, the exotic. Isn't it? When I cooked the jasmine rice I forgot to add in the cilantro so I garnish the finished dish with chopped cilantro and lime wedges. To the tofu mixture I substituted one half of a red jalapeno for the red pepper flakes and added about 1 heaping tablespoon of squeeze bottle lemon grass puree. For the vegetable oil I used a bit of peanut oil mixed in for added flavor. I also forgot to add the tomatoes which would have added nice color. Asian food is the most difficult and frustrating cuisine for me to prepare- more hits than misses. This was a big hit. Thanks for sharing. CG

COOKGIRl