We eat a good bit of tofu in our house, at least one meal a week, & I’m always looking for new ways to serve it that don’t go too far into the make-it-taste-like-meat realm. If we wanted to eat meat… we’d eat it, you know? This is one of my favorite dinners for late winter, when the nights can still be raw & local spring veggies aren’t yet in the market. It’s quick to make, nice & filling, & a satisfying burst of color & flavor on a grey day. It’s adapted from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, my be-all-end-all cookbook for many, many years.
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Tofu & Butternut Squash Curry, Thai-Style
Serves 4-6
2 decent-sized leeks, about an inch in diameter
2 T oil (veg or olive)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T minced fresh ginger OR 1 t ground ginger
1 T Oriental-style or sweet curry powder
1 t brown or turbinado sugar
3 T soy sauce
1 can coconut milk (we use light/lite style)
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded & cut into 1/2 inch cubes (see this post on how to manage it without taking off a thumb)
1 block firm/extra firm tofu, silken or traditional, drained & cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 c fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces, OR 1 c frozen peas, OR 1 c thinly sliced red/green bell peppers
Sriracha, lime juice, salt & chopped fresh cilantro to taste
1 c cooked basmati/jasmine rice per person
Start by prepping your vegetables & tofu… I handle leeks a bit differently than I was taught in culinary school, where we used only the white parts to add flavor & a delicate texture to a dish. Leeks can get spendy, & there’s no way I’m tossing what amounts to half the weight & most of the nutrients for the sake of a bit of snobbery. Look for leeks that are firm & reasonably clean – they’re grown in mounds of earth to get those long, pale legs, so expect at least a little dirt. Chop off the root end & the straggly ends of the leaves, then slice them in quarters lengthwise. Chop into small strips about 1/4 inch wide, toss them into a sieve & rinse really well under cold running water. This step washes out the inevitable sand pockets & dirt that lurk between the leek’s translucent layers. You can rinse the quarters whole before chopping, but I find I inevitably lose half of it into the sink when I do it that way.
Drain your tofu & slice it into 1/2 inch slabs. Press the slabs between several layers of paper towel with a cutting board on top while you get the curry started. This step helps force out some of the water, allowing the tofu to absorb more of the flavorful sauce once it gets added to the pot.
Dismember your butternut squash, as detailed here.
Get your rice fired up, if you don’t have any pre-cooked. I soak & free-boil my rice, a process I detail in this post.
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, add your oil & the leeks, stirring often until they collapse & start to go slightly translucent. You can add a pinch of salt to the pot to help this stage go a bit faster, if you like. Add your garlic, ginger & curry powder, & stir for a minute or two til fragrant.
(On the topic of curry powder, look for a light, sweet curry for this recipe. If you have access to an Asian grocer, S&B is my favorite brand. If not, use a plain, sweet yellow curry powder, preferably not too heavy on the cumin if you can manage it.)
Add your prepared squash to the pot, & stir for a few minutes to coat it evenly with the spice & leek mixture. Add your coconut milk, sugar & soy sauce, plus enough water to just cover the squash (3-4 cups is usually about right). Stir well & bump the heat up a bit to bring the whole pot just to the boil. Back the heat off til you have a nice, gentle simmer, & let things bubble away for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the squash is quite tender, turn off the heat & give the pot a few pulses with your immersion blender – this helps emulsify the mixture into a rich, silky sauce. If you don’t have an immersion blender or like a more rustic texture, you can totally skip this step.
Turn the heat back to medium/low, & add your tofu, green beans/peas/peppers. Simmer away for a few minutes til the veggies are just done but still crisp, & taste for seasoning – you’ll probably want to add about 1/2 t salt at this stage. Stir in the optional lime juice & cilantro, & dinner’s ready.
Serve over hot rice with a few shakes of sriracha, & have a happy belly.