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Massaman Curry with Tofu

Massaman Curry with Tofu

Is anyone craving Thai curry for dinner? We are! So we are putting together a delicious Vegan Massaman. But this time we are giving the store-bought stuff a break and we are making our own vegan curry paste from scratch. 

We are mega-fans of Thai food at home and curry is a frequent meal here. It's really easy to grab a bunch of veggies, give them a quick stir and let them simmer in a flavourful curry while all the aromas invade your home. 

Massaman Curry with Tofu ingredients

This time I wanted to make it extra special. So, I went to my local spice shop and went a bit crazy. I bought all sorts of different spices. When I got home I was eager to put them all to good use in a home made vegan curry paste. 

Surprisingly, some curry paste recipes are easier to make than what we think. They might seem a bit daunting. For this recipe, we only needed to find the right combination of spices, toast them for a little while and add them to a food processor. How easy is that?

We are making a vegan Massaman curry paste but we can make all sorts of different curries following the same process. I'll work on some other recipes and share them with you. Everyone needs to have a little taste of this delight! 

Massaman Curry mix

I love exploring all sorts of cuisines and all the hidden treasures of different cultures. And ,until recently, Massaman is one of the best-kept secrets of both Indian and Thai cuisine. This beauty is not as famous as other kinds of curries and I don't know why!

We usually give credit to Thai cuisine for this delicious concoction. But in reality, it is a fusion of both Indian and Thai cuisine. So you will find a lot of elements of both which is not all that common. For example, we have cardamom pods and fennels seed which is more of Indian influence. But we also have bay leaf and lemongrass, super typical of Thai cuisine. 

The vegan curry paste is ready in no time! You can also make a batch and keep it in the fridge for a couple of days. I've even used it as a present for my friends. I put it in a small mason jar and tie a cute note with quick instructions. Everyone loves it! 

Massaman Curry mix in the pan

The rest of the recipe is a breeze! We need to pan-fry the paste, add the liquids, the bay leaves, and the cinnamon stick. We also need to add one fo the most characteristic ingredients of Massaman curry, peanuts! 

For this recipe, we added chunky peanut butter to the sauce. We want our curry to be on the creamier side but we still want to have some little chunks of peanuts in every bite. And last but not least, add the veggies! First, the potatoes since they take longer to cook. 

We now have a truckload of flavour and a delicious meal to stuff our faces with. Serve it while it's warm and steamy with some quinoa on the side.  

Massaman Curry with Tofu single

Ingredients
15
Prep time
20 minutes
Total time
Category: Lunch, Dinner
Serves: 4
Allergens: Cilantro, Coconut, Quinoa, Soy

Ingredients

US Metric

For the massaman curry paste

  • 1 tsp black pepper corn
  • 1 chili dried
  • ½ tbsp cloves whole
  • 1 tbsp dried coriander seed
  • ½ tbsp fennel seeds
  • 1 inch galangal
  • 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
  • 1 tbsp green cardamon pods
  • 1 lemon grass (thinly slice the 2 inch of the thick bottom )
  • 1 medium red onion (sliced)

For the spices

  • 1 leaves bay leaf
  • 1 stick cinnamon stick

For the veggies

  • 1 bunch broccoli (florets)
  • ¼ cup chunky peanut butter
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 7 oz firm tofu (cut into cubes)
  • 1 lb potato (cleaned and chopped)
  • 2 tbsps soy sauce
  • 1½ cups water

For the quinoa

  • 2 cups quinoa
  • 2 cups water

Directions

  1. Cook the quinoa in water until soft for about 15-20 minutes.
  2. Toast the spices for the curry paste, open the cardamon pods and add the inside together with the garlic to a food processor.
  3. Use the same pan and roast the onion in a bit of coconut milk (~ 2 TBS) until fragrant.
  4. Use a food processor to make a thick curry paste.
  5. Add the curry paste and fry until fragrant for 2-3 minutes then add the tofu and stir fry for about 5 minutes.
  6. Add the bay leaf and the cinnamon stick together with the rest of the liquids and the peanut butter.
  7. Add the potatoes and simmer until soft depending on size for about 5-8 minutes.
  8. Add the soy sauce and broccoli, give it a good stir, make sure the broccoli doesn't over cook.
  9. Adjust taste and serve the massaman curry with some quinoa on the side, enjoy!
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