Recipe: Vegan Tofu Curry

Since I have done time both as a vegetarian & a vegan, I wanted to share with you a recipe that my roommate and I used to eat all the time back in university -- and by all the time, I pretty much mean EVERYDAY. We never got sick of it & I still make this recipe fairly often for Ryan & I. It’s always a hit & is completely vegan friendly. I dare you to try it out & I’ll bet even your meat loving friends won’t question your cooking prowess! Bon appetit!

What’s in it?
1 block of firm or extra firm tofu, cut into ½ inch slices
1 can of whole/stewing tomatoes
1 yellow onion, diced
As many cloves of garlic as you like
1-2 tablespoons of curry paste*
A dollop of olive oil
1-2 red or yellow peppers, sliced
Snow peas (optional)
Bok choy (optional)
¼ to ½ cup of soy milk**
2 cups of cooked rice

*My favourite curry paste to use is Patak’s brand & since I love spicy food I usually reach for the hottest one I can find. However, there are several brands and intensities of curry paste that you can find at any grocery store.

**If you’re not trying to make this meal vegan, then you can use cow’s milk too -- this just adds a bit of a creamier texture to the sauce. How much you add depends on how creamy you’d like it. You really just want the reddish tinge of the sauce to lighten a tiny bit.

What else do I need?
A WOK! Now, I know not everyone has a A WOK! But my suggestion is to find one & fall in love. I’m fairly certain that almost all meals can be cooked fully if not partially in A WOK! and they are so easy to clean afterward. Mine was a gift from a previous lover who once melted my other WOK! in my oven. Now my WOK! lives on top of my stove & is used daily, if not more. However, if you don’t have A WOK! handy right now, then a big frying pan will do just fine. You will also need something to cook the rice in -- pot, rice cooker -- your choice.

How do I do it?
First fry up the onion, garlic & olive oil until the garlic is that nice golden colour & the onions start to soften. Then add in your tofu and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Next add in your curry paste and continue to simmer, while stirring, until all of your tofu is covered in paste -- let cook a few minutes like this to allow the tofu time to soak up the flavour. Next all of your veggies go in -- stir those all up and after about 5 minutes add your tomatoes, sauce and all -- no need to drain the can. Once your concoction is simmering again, add in your milk, give it about 5 minutes & there you have it! Take it off the heat, let it cool a little & serve over rice -- enjoy!

This recipe makes me think of being in my old apartment, with my lime green kitchen, surrounded by friends & talking until two in the morning. It makes me feel so comfortable & lovely, not to mention full! I hope you’ll all enjoy.