This Thai Red Curry with asparagus and tofu is simply amazing and is so easy to make. Better still, you can serve it with rice noodles or over rice. It’s terrific with both white rice (we recommend a nice jasmine rice for this dish) or brown rice. You really can’t go wrong.
Thai Red Curry with Asparagus and Tofu
A vegetarian red curry adapted from Everyday Food’s Beef-and-Asparagus Curry.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp peanut oil (canola or vegetable oil works too)
- 14 oz extra-firm tofu, pressed for 30 minutes (you can use a tofu press), cut into triangles
- 1 (13.5 oz) can light unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/4 cup red curry paste
- 3/4 cup vegetable broth
- 2 tsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 lb asparagus, tough ends removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
- cooked rice or rice noodles
- lime wedges
- cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Heat peanut oil in large wok or skillet over medium high heat. Add tofu triangles and cook for 5 minutes; flip tofu over and cook 5 minutes more on other side. Place tofu on a plate lined with paper towels (to soak up excess oil) and wipe out skillet (carefully!).
- Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup of coconut milk and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens (about 2 minutes). Stir in red curry paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add remaining coconut milk, broth, soy sauce, and sugar. Once sauce comes to a simmer, add red pepper; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in asparagus and cook 3 minutes more.
- Return tofu to skillet and stir until coated with curry sauce.
- Remove from heat and serve over noodles or rice; garnish with lime wedges and cilantro.
58 Comments
Adrienne @ How to Ice a Cake
April 9, 2012 at 8:06 amMan I love good Thai food. I’ve never bought red curry paste before. Any recommendations on brand?
The Type A Housewife
April 9, 2012 at 11:10 amThe only brand my grocery store sells is Thai Kitchen, so that’s always the brand I use! 🙂 (And it’s good too.)
Lori Popkewitz Alper
April 9, 2012 at 10:55 amCan’t wait to try this. I love anything with curry. Do you think the recipe would work without the brown sugar? Any replacements you would suggest?
The Type A Housewife
April 9, 2012 at 11:09 amI think it would be fine without brown sugar. It gives it a subtle sweet flavor, but if you don’t mind omitting that, I don’t think it would be a problem. Otherwise, I think agave nectar would work…
The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh
April 9, 2012 at 11:32 amWe’re not Thai food people but I like everything in this so I’m gonna make it! 🙂
The Type A Housewife
April 10, 2012 at 8:15 amReally?! Oh man, Thai food is one of my favorite things ever. 😀
Genevieve
April 9, 2012 at 5:31 pmI love red curry, and I think asparagus would work really well in it, even if its not particularly authentic. It’s the taste that matters, so if you managed to create a good Thai recipe that you love, then I think that’s impressive!
The Type A Housewife
April 10, 2012 at 8:14 amAsparagus is good in just about anything, I think. 🙂
Julie
April 9, 2012 at 5:45 pmI love Thai food! We were so spoiled in NYC with amazing Thai restaurants on every corner, but now I’m left to making it on my own. I’m looking forward to trying this one and agree rice with curry is a home run. 🙂
The Type A Housewife
April 10, 2012 at 8:12 amLet me know if you ever find a good, authentic tasting pad Thai recipe. Because I would LOVE to be able to make that, but every recipe I’ve tried tastes nothing like pad Thai at all. And yes, curry is made for rice! The noodles were okay, but they don’t soak up the sauce very well.
Connie
April 9, 2012 at 6:04 pmYum! I love Thai food but have only tried to make it at home once. I need to try again.
The Type A Housewife
April 10, 2012 at 8:09 amThis is a good recipe to make if you try again–it tastes pretty authentic and, even better, it’s really easy. 🙂
gem
April 9, 2012 at 6:13 pmLove tofu – this would be a great recipe to try!
Thanks for sharing!
The Type A Housewife
April 10, 2012 at 8:08 amI’m not crazy about tofu in general, but I LOVE tofu when it’s cooked in a little bit of oil like in this recipe. 😀
Natalie
April 9, 2012 at 6:32 pmI need to find a cheaper version of curry paste so I can try Thai recipes at home! Those little tiny jars are so expensive, but I think I’ve seen bigger tubs at Asian markets for half the price .. I’m definitely searching for them next time I go, I can’t wait to make my own curries!
The Type A Housewife
April 10, 2012 at 8:07 amWe just went to the Asian market over the weekend–I should have looked for curry paste! I buy those tiny jars, but one of them tends to last a while for us, so I don’t mind too much. 🙂
Rachel R.
April 10, 2012 at 2:35 pmI find that prices at Asian markets are substantially cheaper than shopping in the ‘ethnic aisle’ of a major grocery store, and there’s more selection.
Matt @ FaveHealthyRecipes
April 9, 2012 at 6:51 pmThis looks so good! I’ve never made Thai food at home before, so I will definitely have to save this recipe for later.
The Type A Housewife
April 10, 2012 at 8:03 amI’m always scared to cook Thai (and Indian) at home, but this recipe is totally doable and it tastes just like takeout–but healthier, I’m sure. 🙂
BusyWorkingMama
April 9, 2012 at 9:29 pmI so much prefer rice to rice noodles. It looks colorful and delicious!
The Type A Housewife
April 10, 2012 at 8:02 amI should have gone with my gut and used rice in the first place! But at least this gave me the chance to try out those new brown rice noodles…
CulinarilyCourtney
April 9, 2012 at 10:33 pmOoooh, this also looks like a great way to make tofu. I have never tried making my own curry, but I definitely love eating it when I go out. Such a colorful and tasty looking recipe!
The Type A Housewife
April 10, 2012 at 8:01 amI tried making Thai curry a few times in the past and they were overwhelmingly spicy–so much so that the spiciness drowned out all the other flavors. This one is so much better and super, super easy!
Stephanie @ henry happened
April 9, 2012 at 10:36 pmI’ve never tried making Thai but this looks totally doable! I’m obsessed with spring rolls tho – I craved those big time in my 1st trimester.
P.S. Your blog looks lovely!
The Type A Housewife
April 10, 2012 at 7:59 amNow that I’ve had success with curry, I need to give pad Thai another try. I’ve made so many different recipes and they always turn out so bland and NOT like pad Thai at all. I bet spring rolls would be easy to make!
You’re the first person to mention my redesign, which worries me. I hope it’s not a case of “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all!” 😉
Shirley
April 9, 2012 at 10:52 pmThey serve pizza at Chinese buffets?? lol I hear of fried chicken and french fries, but that’s one I haven’t heard. I know how you feel though, I feel like my Indian dishes never taste like the restaurants’. And I love rice noodles, but rice is always the best gravy-soaker. 🙂 I am a big tofu fan, and I’m definitely trying this one!
The Type A Housewife
April 10, 2012 at 7:56 amYes, they do! I think I’ve been to a Chinese buffet about twice in the past 10 years and both times, I ended up getting pizza to round out my plate because there weren’t many vegetarian options. And both times, I realized that was a bad decision.
I hope you like the recipe if you try it–definitely serve it with rice! I’m not a big tofu fan, but I love it when it’s fried in a little bit of oil to make it chewy. 🙂
Lolo
April 10, 2012 at 2:16 amWow. This looks absolutely amazing!! I am not much of a tofu person, but I would love to try it with chicken!
The Type A Housewife
April 10, 2012 at 7:52 amI think this would be good with just about anything! 🙂 I love red curry!
Rachel R.
April 10, 2012 at 2:36 pmPinning this 🙂 Now I know what veggies to buy at the farmer’s market this week, so I can make this soon. I love Thai food.
The Type A Housewife
April 10, 2012 at 5:15 pmThe best thing about this recipe is that it’s so versatile–you could totally use any vegetables that look good at the market!
April H
April 10, 2012 at 9:57 pmI love red curry! So delicious!
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom
April 11, 2012 at 1:01 pmI love the way you incorporated seasonal veggies into the mix! My Thai food is always a little off too – I don’t know what the deal is. I’ve never tried red curry though or any curry paste – does it end up tasting/smelling differently than curry powder?
The Type A Housewife
April 11, 2012 at 7:55 pmI think curry powder is Indian food and paste is Thai food. The flavor is totally different because I think the curry powder is just ground up curry leaves, but the curry paste has lots of different spices added in. And the curry paste doesn’t have that curry powder smell at all. You like spicy food, so I bet you’d like it!
Elina (Healthy and Sane)
April 12, 2012 at 9:29 amWhat a gorgeous and colorful dish! I’m pinning it right away – I love trying to make ethnic food at home (although just like you, most of the time it’s delicious but not quite like the restaurant).
The Type A Housewife
April 12, 2012 at 7:37 pmThank you! I’m a big believer in home cooking, but when it comes to ethnic foods, not so much. 🙂 But this curry is the best I’ve made by far!
[email protected]
April 12, 2012 at 9:46 pmThai Kitchen red curry paste is what we have, too. I do need to start putting the Asian market into my rounds– I know I can get young coconuts, curry paste, and lots of other things there for less. Pad Thai is never going to be on my menu because I can’t have peanuts, but I have been making Asian-style sauces using almond butter instead (along with the usual Asian type ingredients like sesame, ginger, tamari, and rice vinegar).
The Type A Housewife
April 13, 2012 at 8:59 pmI need to start taking advantage of our local Asian market too. Whenever I go there, I usually go for a few specific things (and the mango smoothies) and forget to look to see what else they have.
Brenda Williams
April 15, 2012 at 4:19 pmI love this recipe. Photos are beautiful.
The Type A Housewife
April 15, 2012 at 5:01 pmThanks! I dropped my old lens, so this is the first set of photos I took with the new one–I was really happy with how they turned out! 🙂
hobbit
December 11, 2012 at 2:55 pmmy first attempt at Thai and what a success! Thank you for the easy and flavor packed recipe.
Kiersten
December 11, 2012 at 7:37 pmI’m glad it turned out well! This is one of the few Thai recipes I can make myself too. 😀
Karen
January 8, 2014 at 11:30 pmOur local Thai restaurant has a black bean curry dish specialty that features asparagus and cashews. I keep trying to duplicate it with no success. I’ve come up with some good dishes but they don’t taste the same. I’m going to try this with chicken and black bean sauce to see…..
Kiersten Frase
January 9, 2014 at 8:09 pmI’m always trying to duplicate restaurant recipes too! Maybe this one will give you a good starting point. 🙂
Lynn @ oh-soyummy
March 20, 2014 at 3:33 amDelicious! Made this tonight with about 90% of the red curry paste listed (for my spice tolerance). I would also cook the red bell pepper for one extra minute since hubby likes veggies a little more cooked! Coconut plus curry = GOOD! Thanks for this recipe!
Kiersten Frase
March 20, 2014 at 7:58 pmI’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! I was just thinking about this one the other day since asparagus is in season again. 🙂
Alex
December 8, 2014 at 4:41 pmAny idea how the sauce (without the tofu) would hold up in the freezer? I’d love to freeze a portion and then just add tofu back in when I reheat.
Rachel
March 4, 2015 at 4:22 pmThis was lovely! Would increasing the amount of red curry paste increase the spice level? I could do with a little more kick.