Red Curry Tofu (A Vegan Recipe Not Just for Vegans!) - The Woks of Life (2024)

This red curry tofu recipe was born of 1. conversations I have with people in my everyday life who tell me that when they look at our blog, they go directly to the “Quick and Easy” section and 2. theresponse to our recent roundup of Traditional Chinese Vegan Recipes, which told me that y’all definitely want more vegan recipes!

A Vegetarian Thai Red Curry

So I was perusing our local Asian market the other day, throwing things into the cart as I am wont to do, and I was restocking our supply of Thai curry pastes, when I realized that I’ve never done a vegetarian or vegan red curry dish!

Sure, we have red curry chicken, and red curry coconut noodle soup, but nothing that vegans and vegetarians alike could enjoy.

So I moseyed on over to the tofu section, and picked up a couple packs of these:

Fried tofu triangles, which are great at soaking up whatever sauce you put them in! You could also use soy puffs, firm tofu, or really any other tofu you like in this dish. If you’re new to the bean curd arts, check out our tofu ingredients page for more info on the different types available.

I kept the triangles whole for this recipe, but you can cut them in half if you’d like smaller pieces. Cutting them will also help them soak up more sauce!

This dish also has all the hallmarks of our Quick and Easy recipes. Not many ingredients, but tons of flavor. I used Maesri Thai red curry paste, which is flavored with chilies, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, kaffir lime, galangal, and other spices.

Just a few tablespoons of the stuff mixed with coconut milk make for a delicious sauce, soaked up by the tofu and vegetables. Vegans rejoice! Carnivores, give it a try. You won’t miss the meat. :)

Red Curry Tofu Recipe Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and chopped tomatoes, and fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add the Thai red curry paste and fry for another minute.

Add the coconut milk and water (or stock), and bring to a boil.

Add the tofu puffs, turn the heat down to medium low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the snap peas and bell peppers…

And simmer for another 3-4 minutes.

Season with salt to taste, and serve.

I prefer to serve this red curry tofu on a bed of steamed jasmine rice!