Winter Vegetable Curry with Rice Noodles + Crispy Tofu
This vegan coconut curry noodle soup has a creamy, spiced golden broth, loads of veggies, and oodles of noodles. A nourishing one-dish meal that's naturally gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan, plus it's made with easy to find ingredients. Thai Kitchen curry paste is usually fairly mild, but spice levels will differ, so taste yours to determine how much spice you want in your curry, adding more or less to taste. This recipe is adapted loosely from Super Natural Cooking.
Prep Time: 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 30 minutesminutes
Total: 1 hourhour
Servings: 8servings
Ingredients
Broth:
2tablespoonsextra-virgin coconut oil or sunflower oil
1large yellow onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
4clovesgarlic, peeled and finely chopped
1tablespoonplus 1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
1(13.5 ounce) can light coconut milk
1(13.5 ounce) can regular coconut milk
4-5cupsmild vegetable stock (I use 2 cubes vegetable bouillon and 4-5 cups water)
1tablespoonplus 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2tablespoonssugar
tamari or soy sauce to taste
Vegetables:
8ouncescarrots, scrubbed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
8ouncescauliflower, in bite-sized florets
8ouncesbroccolini (left whole) or broccoli florets (in bite-sized florets)
8ouncessmall baby bok choy, halved lengthwise and cleaned
Tofu:
12ouncesfirm or extra-firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes or triangles
2tablespoonsvegetable oil such as sunflower
For serving:
lime wedges
8ouncesrice noodles (such as black rice ramen noodles)
a bit of vegetable oil for tossing the noodles (such as sunflower)
slivered scallions or cilantro
Sriracha or togarashi, for extra heat (optional)
Instructions
In a large wok, dutch oven, or soup pot, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until translucent and softened.
Add the curry paste and cook for a few more minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
Add the coconut milks, stock, turmeric and sugar.
Add the carrots and cauliflower.
You can optionally add the broccolini and bok choy now too. Or to keep their color vibrant, cook them separately in boiling water and remove when bright green and crisp tender. Rinse with cool water to stop the cooking.
Increase the heat to bring the curry to a simmer, then lower the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes.
Taste, adding as much tamari as you need to make the broth salty to your taste.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a wide skillet over medium heat (preferably nonstick) until it shimmers. Add the tofu in a single layer and cook until golden on the bottom, 2-4 minutes. Flip each piece and cook on a second side until golden. Alternatively, add the raw tofu to the curry when it’s nearly done, and cook for 2-3 minutes until flavorful and tender.
Cook the noodles according to the package instructions, drain, rinse with cool water to prevent sticking, and toss with a bit of vegetable oil.
To serve, place a nest of noodles in a bowl and top with the veggies and broth, tofu, a good squeeze of lime, and a sprinkling of scallions or cilantro.
Serve with extra lime wedges and Sriracha, if desired, and both chopsticks and soup spoons for easy eating.
Notes
If storing this soup for later, keep the noodles apart from the rest of the curry so that they don't disintegrate.Nutritional values are based on one of eight servings.