I made this with a recipe from the World of Vegan website by Michelle Cehn & Toni Okamoto.
I am not a rabid fan of tofu but over the years I’ve come to appreciate healthier eating and plant based foods certainly seem to be the answer to at least some of the food scarcity issues our world is facing. So I’ve been experimenting with different ways of cooking with tofu.
At first I simply pressed the tofu for a half hour before cooking, weighing it down with a cast iron pan or other heavy kitchen item. I found that even extra-firm tofu disintegrated no matter how delicately I handled it plus the pressing process itself often left me with a deconstructed mess. Then a friend told me about freezing the tofu then thawing and pressing it and although that produced a better result, the tofu still crumbled. Plus it required advanced planning and I often forgot to remove the tofu from the freezer for thawing. So I decided to try a tofu press.
I bought the Tofuture Tofu Press for $26 on Amazon and it was a revelation. You put your block of tofu in and let it sit in your fridge for at least 30 minutes although I usually leave it overnight if I remember or in the morning when I think about what I’m making for dinner. The tofu comes through the process firmer, denser, and still in its signature block form and most importantly, much easier to work with.
So back to the recipe…I made my curry with extra carrots and no broccoli because I detest it and it was delicious, spicy but well-balanced with the sweetness of the coconut milk. You can easily moderate the spice by reducing the red pepper flakes or omitting them altogether. The recipe also works with other vegetables like peas and asparagus. You can also use chicken or other meat instead of tofu, of course, and just simmer longer to ensure your meat cooks to your desired temperature.
Musings of a Dragon 