Thai Green Curry with Sprouted Tofu

There is something amazingly fun and freeing about creating a recipe for a food that you know very little about. Anything involving chili peppers, I know very little about. That’s why I was intrigued to try a green curry recipe. When I was 11 or 12 years old, on holidays with my family in Jamaica, we were visiting friends who were staying in a villa nearby. Out in their backyard was a tree with the cutest little red peppers I had ever seen. What did I do? Of course, I plucked it from the tree. I took a bite, then scratched my face, maybe rubbed my eye in the process – and the next thing I knew, I was in tears begging to have my head removed from my body as I was sure it was on the verge of complete explosion. I had never felt such a searing discomfort before in my life. Lessons learned! The little red peppers are not sweet like the big ones. Simple enough. But I was ready to brave these hot chilis again. I had started introducing cayenne into recipes a few years ago and my partner sprinkles cayenne on just about everything. I also instruct “a pinch of cayenne” in many recipes as more than salt even, spicy is a personal preference. I have always loved the idea of a spicy green curry using full fat (always use full fat!) coconut milk in it. It’s almost like building a fire and having the bucket of water built in. The coconut milk in green curry works with the spice to maintain the flavour but remove the mouth searing pain.

Making green curry paste

When I started researching green curries, and making my own green curry paste, it was clear that I was going to need some green chilis. This was the pepper listed in every recipe I looked at. But do you know how many kinds of green chilis there are? Likely about the same as the number of tears I shed when I burnt my head off biting into that chili many moons ago. As it turns out, there is a chili pepper commonly referred as a Green Chili. It looks like this. Green curry pasteThe spicy heat of chiles is rated on something called the “Scoville Scale”. According to Wiki: “The number of Scoville heat units indicates the amount of capsaicin present. Capsaicin is a chemical compound that stimulates chemoreceptor nerve endings in the skin, especially the mucous membranes”. Sounds painful right? The Green Chile or Chili Verde I used for this green curry dish are certainly not the hottest kids on the block (or peppers on the vine) but they were perfect for me. Use this handy dandy chart to decide what you want to venture into. (Source) Now because I was traumatized for life by my first hot chili eating contest where I was the only one participating, I donned latex gloves to slice, dice and deseed my chilies. Perhaps not necessary but be sure you wash your hands really, really well and keep them away from eyes and private spots! Also remember – the seeds are like little spice bombs so if you are uncertain of how much heat you can handle, deseed your peppers or start with just a few. Learn more about chili peppers here.

Health Benefits of Chili Peppers

Now, aside from adding a delightfully delicious kick to your dish, chilis also add a delightfully delicious kick to your health. Chili peppers:
  • Fight migraines and sinus pain
  • Help prevent Sinusitis and relieve congestion
  • Help lower high blood pressure
  • Fight inflammation
  • Soothe the intestines (contrary to popular belief that they make digestive stuff worse – moderation my friends)
  • Give a boost to metabolism
  • Power packed with vitamin C
  • Warm your feet and hands by promoting circulation, which also means they can give an extra firmness to gentleman (wink, wink)
So now that you had your lesson on hot chili peppers, I now feel it is time for you to cook. Ready, set, Green Curry Magic! Green Curry Print
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Curry Paste


  • Author: Meghan Telpner
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: About 1 cup 1x

Description

Homemade curry paste with a good amount of spiciness.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 small green chillies,seeded and chopped (wear gloves and keep hands away from eyes)
  • 2 cups fresh cilantro – leaves and stalks
  • 1/4 cup shallots, chopped
  • 3 Tbsp garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp grated lime rind
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds, ground
  • 1 tsp turmeric, ground
  • 1 tsp cumin, ground
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
  2. Will keep in fridge for 2 weeks, or freeze in ice cube trays for single servings.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Category: Entree

Keywords: chili, green chili, green curry, curry paste, green curry paste, homemade chili paste

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Thai Green Curry with Sprouted Tofu


  • Author: Meghan Telpner
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Description

A tasty green curry using sprouted tofu. Swap in beans or your animal protein of choice.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 23 Tbsp Thai Green Curry Paste
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup water, homemade vegetable stock or water from steaming the veggies
  • 1 cup bite-sized broccoli florets
  • 1 cup bite-sized cauliflower florets
  • 1 cup green beans, chopped to 2 inches in length
  • 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised (this means break them up by hand or banging with the back side of a chef’s knife)
  • 1 package organic firm tofu, drained, rinsed and cubed
  • 1 red pepper pepper, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 cup spinach, chard or kale, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup cashews, raw (reserve 1/4 cup for garnish)
  • Small bunch of cilantro (reserve 1/4 cup for garnish)
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil
  • 2 Tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp sea salt or more to taste
  • Brown rice or rice noodles, for serving

Instructions

  1. In a medium sized pot, sauté the onions in coconut oil just until translucent.
  2. Add the curry paste and garlic and lightly fry for a couple of minutes.
  3. In a separate pot, steam broccoli, green beans and cauliflower just until tender, but not too soft. You just want to get them half cooked.
  4. Add the water/vegetable stock and bruised lemongrass to the pot.
  5. Add the cooked broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, red pepper, and tofu and simmer for 15 minutes until veggies are tender.
  6. Add the coconut milk, greens, and cashews and simmer another 5-8 minutes. Nice to keep them still a little crunchy.
  7. Add the chopped cilantro leaves, basil and the lime juice to taste.
  8. Add salt to taste.
  9. Turn stove off and allow to sit for about 10 minutes to mix flavours together.
  10. Remove stalks of lemongrass.
  11. Serve in a large bowl, with the noodles or brown rice at the bottom, and the curry and vegetables on top, garnish with fresh cilantro and cashews.
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Entree

Keywords: curry, green curry, green curry with tofu, vegan curry, dairy-free, plant-based, curry recipe

What is a food or ingredient that you’ve been afraid to try?
 

9 Comments

  1. I am a HUGE fan of hot peppers. HUGE. The spicier the better. I use fresh scotch bonnets a lot in cooking and I also like the canned chipotles in adobo for Mexican dishes.
    Does eating spicy foods aggrevate your Crohn’s? My brother-in-law has Crohn’s and has a tough time eating spicy foods (among other things).

  2. Awesome! Curry is one of my favorite things ever!! I haven’t made green curry in a long time though, so this sounds fantastic!!

    I’m pretty adventurous with foods, so there isn’t much out there that I’m scared to try!! Maybe Durian Fruit, because I have only smelled how bad it smells! haha

  3. Hmmm… I thought we had green curry at Balenbouche one night.

    Curry paste is usually something I buy in jars (with a non-scary ingredient list), but maybe I’ll have to try making it.

  4. Green curry is one of my faves–and yours looks amazing! I’ve never made my own curry paste, always lazed out a bought a jar. Might have to try it soon!

  5. looks good! but where does the “sprouted” part of “sprouted tofu” come from? Do you mean tempeh?

  6. Mild salsa is about as spicy as I get. ;-) It’s unfortunate, my mouth just can’t handle any spice!

    Looks delish though! I’m glad you had fun creating this recipe. :)

  7. Oh and about the QOTD – fiddleheads. I know I shouldn’t be afraid, but they look so strange to me. Of course now I am seeing them everywhere since they are in season and you posted about them in your blog. :)

  8. Ahh, the search for green chiles! This one is SO good, totally worth the sting ;)

    xo

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