Thai style coconut tofu- tofu and peppers in a delicious, creamy, Thai-style coconut sauce with lemongrass and peanut butter.
This meal is very quick and easy to make using jars of ingredient pastes to save on prep time so it's perfect for any day of the week!
This tofu in an easy Thai coconut sauce is ready in about half an hour and is very low effort but big on flavour.
The reason it is so easy to make is because I used jarred ingredient pastes to make the sauce. Rather than having to chop/peel/grate/puree the garlic, ginger, lemongrass and chilli you simply spoon them out of a jar- instant flavour!
I always keep some in the fridge for quick, easy, hassle-free meals as they are so convenient and make it easy to cook good food fast. They are also super versatile; you can use them in soups, marinades, salad dressings, curries, stir fries, dips and even smoothies!
Here I used them to make an easy version of a Thai style coconut sauce; it is rich and creamy from the coconut milk, very flavourful, and works wonderfully with the tofu and peppers.
Because I used the ingredient pastes there is very little prep involved - just some tofu, onion, peppers and herbs to chop then a bit of frying, so it is a perfect meal for days where you don't want to cook or are short on time.
Served with white rice it makes a delicious, satisfying meal that feels like it took a lot more effort than it actually did!
Ingredient Details:
Tofu: I use two 280g packs of Tofoo brand extra firm tofu. You can use any brand of firm or extra firm tofu you like, around 560 - 600g
Bell peppers: I use a range of colours but you can use any you like. You can also swap in basically any veg you like as long as it is fairly quick cooking - things like mushrooms, green beans, sugarsnaps, mangetout, sweetcorn or tenderstem broccoli would work well. You could also roast sweet potato or butternut squash and stir it in at the end of cooking.
Coconut milk: Use tinned coconut milk, not coconut drinking milk. Either full fat or light is fine, though I prefer full fat.
Peanut butter: I like to use a creamy one rather than a natural but any kind you like is fine, either smooth or crunchy.
Garlic, ginger, lemongrass and chilli pastes: I use either jarred or frozen pastes to save time. You can of course use fresh ingredients instead if you want; for the lemongrass, use two sticks of fresh and give them a bash first to release the flavour.
Soy sauce: Adds rich umami flavour.
Lime: A squeeze of fresh lime juice cuts through the richness of the coconut and peanut butter and really helps elevate the flavour.
Coriander and Thai basil: The fresh herbs really boost the flavour though the Thai basil is optional if you don't have any.
Top Tips:
You can use fresh, frozen or jarred pastes for the garlic, ginger, lemongrass and chilli. If using fresh lemongrass use two stalks and bash them up a bit before adding them to the pan so that they release their flavour better.
The tofu can either be pan fried or cooked in an air fryer at 180C for about 8 minutes.
Swap the peppers for any veg you like as long as it is fairly quick cooking - things like mushrooms, green beans, sugarsnaps, mangetout, sweetcorn or tenderstem broccoli would work well. You could also roast sweet potato or butternut squash and stir it in at the end of cooking.
Instead of the tofu you could use pan fried shredded seitan chicken or chicken style pieces - cook them according to the instructions on the packet first.
More Tofu Recipes:
- Sticky tofu noodle salad
- Hoisin tofu bao
- Sweet and sour tofu
- Basic tofu scramble
- Mexican style tofu scramble
- Vegan palak paneer
- Vegan mushroom and tofu korma
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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Thai Style Coconut Tofu
Ingredients
- approx 560 g (20 oz) extra firm tofu cubed
- 2 Tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
- 1 onion peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 orange bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 Tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 Tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 Tablespoon lemongrass paste
- 1 teaspoon chilli paste (or more to taste)
- one 400 ml (14 oz) can coconut milk (full fat or light)
- 2 Tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 ½ Tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ Tablespoon dark brown sugar or coconut sugar
- small handful fresh coriander (cilantro) finely chopped
- small handful fresh Thai basil finely chopped (optional)
- juice of ½ lime
- salt and pepper
- white rice to serve
- sliced spring onions and red chilli to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the tofu for about five minutes, turning regularly until it is browned on all sides then remove to a bowl and set aside.approx 560 g (20 oz) extra firm tofu, 2 Tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
- Heat the rest of the oil in the same pan and add the onion; cook for about five minutes until softened then add the peppers and fry for five more minutes.1 onion, 1 red bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, 1 orange bell pepper
- Add the garlic, ginger, lemongrass and chilli pastes and cook, stirring, for a minute then add the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce and sugar.1 Tablespoon garlic paste, 1 Tablespoon ginger paste, 1 Tablespoon lemongrass paste, 1 teaspoon chilli paste (or more to taste), one 400 ml (14 oz) can coconut milk (full fat or light), 2 Tablespoons peanut butter, 1 ½ Tablespoons soy sauce, ½ Tablespoon dark brown sugar or coconut sugar
- Allow to simmer for a couple of minutes then add the tofu, coriander, basil, lime juice and some salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a few more minutes until the tofu is warmed through then serve with white rice.small handful fresh coriander (cilantro), small handful fresh Thai basil, juice of ½ lime, salt and pepper
Notes
- The tofu can either be pan fried or cooked in an air fryer at 180C/350F for about 8 minutes.
- You can use fresh, frozen or jarred pastes for the garlic, ginger, lemongrass and chilli. If using fresh lemongrass use two stalks and bash them up a bit before adding them to the pan so that they release their flavour better.
- Swap the peppers for any veg you like as long as it is fairly quick cooking - things like mushrooms, green beans, sugarsnaps, mangetout, sweetcorn or tenderstem broccoli would work well. You could also roast sweet potato or butternut squash and stir it in at the end of cooking.
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
Oh wow - this is so up my street! I love all these flavours and well, together they just sound a little bit awesome!! Really love the idea of the Very Lazy pastes too...I've seen them advertised before, but never actually tried them...they do sound rather fabulous! Eb x
Chris
Cooked with seitan, rather than tofu, but it was delicious!
Katie Bryson
This looks spanking gorgeous!!! Just the kind of mid-week meal I adore and something the boys would eat too. Def making!
kellie@foodtoglow
This is so my kind of midweek supper. I LOVE every ingredient, but most especially the "cheat's" ingredients. Did these used to be only in glass jars? I tend to drop glass things so these lighter plastic tubes are perfect for clumsy me. Thai food on a Tuesday? Yes please!
Michelle @ Greedy Gourmet
Ooooh, what an easy to prepare and delicious dish to chase any cold away!
Cali
This looks like a perfect weeknight treat for dinner! Love the use of the pastes to make prep easier.
Mary
We had this lovely meal for dinner tonight. The only difference to your recipe was that I added some white fish to the mix. Truly delicious dinner. Thankyou for your recipe.
Tony Blanch
Wow I cooked this tonight
The best Thai dish I have had
Recommend to any one and so ease
James
I couldn't find the "pastes" so ended up just using the base ingrediants. Result came out well, my kids ate it. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Great aromas in the kitchen from start to end.
George
This is NOT Vegan?!! Why is this recipe on this Vegan website?
Hannah - you say you are Vegan? These are not imitation prawns and fish sauce?
Hannah
Yes George, I am vegan. However, as explained on my About page, I was not vegan when I first started this blog and as such, my old posts are not vegan. I am working my way through veganising and updating them and have already done many of them, but as I am sure you can appreciate it is not exactly a quick and simple task to rework, re-test (usually multiple times), re-photograph, edit photos and re-write a recipe plus blog post; a process that can take me an entire week to do, as well as creating new recipe content. This particular recipe I have tested as a vegan version with tofu and it is on my list to photograph and update soon.
Anne
I made this Thai curry last week, loved it so much that I made it again shortly after, and now here I am, making it yet again today for family coming over! It's absolutely delicious and incredibly easy to prepare. I did make one slight modification: I tore the tofu into pieces, marinated it, and roasted it in a hot oven. Highly recommend this recipe—it’s a new favorite!