← Nouns Cooking · Thai

Ingredients

• 400 ml full-fat coconut milk, unshaken
• 3 tbsp vegetarian green curry paste (no shrimp paste)
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 300 g firm tofu, pressed and cut into 2 cm cubes
• 200 ml water or vegetable stock
• 4 Makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, torn, stems removed
• 200 g Thai or slim aubergines, cut into bite-size pieces
• 100 g long beans or green beans, cut into 4 cm lengths
• 100 g sliced bamboo shoots, drained (optional)
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar
• 1 handful Thai basil leaves
• 300 g jasmine rice, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Spoon the thick cream from the top of the coconut milk into a wok with the oil. Let it bubble over medium heat for 3 min, stirring, until it looks oily and thick.
2. Stir in the curry paste and fry for 2 min, until it smells strongly of lemongrass and chilli. Add a splash of water if it catches.
3. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and the water, add the lime leaves, aubergine and beans, and simmer for 8–10 min until the aubergine is soft.
4. Add the tofu, bamboo shoots and red pepper and simmer for 3 min more, just to heat the tofu through without breaking it up.
5. Season with the soy sauce and sugar, tasting as you go: rich, salty and only gently sweet. Turn off the heat, stir in the basil and serve with rice.

Tips

• Most green curry pastes contain shrimp paste, so read the label; vegan pastes are easy to find in Asian shops. Use tamari instead of soy sauce to make it gluten-free.
• For extra texture, fry the tofu cubes in a little oil until golden before adding them.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Hungry in Thailand Marion's Kitchen ImportFood