TURMERIC DRY TOFU CURRY

This is such a flavoursome, fresh zingy dish. I love these flavours, especially at this time of year, I love to have that brightness in the food I'm eating. If you have an Asian grocery store near you’ll be able to get all of these ingredients, but major supermarkets are also selling lime leaves and Thai basil now, so you should be able to source everything without too much trouble. If you can't find fresh kaffir lime leaves I’d opt for frozen over dried. Just make sure you keep them frozen and defrost only what you need. The fragrant rice goes so well with this, but I think it would work really well with rice noodles too. I love using red rice, it’s got a delicious nutty flavour and looks great, but it’s also a whole grain, high in fibre and antioxidants, amongst other benefits. 

This dish comes together fairly easily and is definitely worth a try. You make the spice paste in advance to save time when you’re ready to eat too. 

TURMERIC DRY TOFU CURRY 

Serves 4 

For the paste 

180g whole / 150g peeled shallot

120g dutch red chilli - deseed for less heat 

4 cloves /25g peeled garlic

30g turmeric, fresh - washed (I don’t peel)

4 lemongrass, woody ends trimmed, and sliced

5 kaffir lime, destemed 

1.5 tsp  white pepper 

35g oil - I used rapeseed 

1/2 tsp salt 

For the curry 

60g rapeseed or coconut oil

1 portions curry paste

1 tablespoon coconut sugar 

600g tofu 

50g corn flour

1 teaspoon salt 

1.5 teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon  white pepper 

300g sprouting broccoli, cut into ½ cm pieces 

4 kaffir lime leaves, destemmed and finely sliced

Juice ½ - 1 lime 

40g coriander 

20g picked Thai basil 

Fragrant red rice 
300g/ 325ml red rice

600g/ 750ml Water

½ teaspoon salt

3 kaffir lime leaves., whole 

1 tablespoon coconut oil, or rapeseed oil

1 lemongrass, bruised - lightly crushing the end, using the back of the knife or a rolling pin

For the fragrant rice. Rinse the rice well with fresh water. Place in a medium pan with a lid, along with the rest of the ingredients, cover,  bring to the boil, turn down and steam for 30 minutes. Once it’s ready, turn off the heat and leave the lid on for a further 10 minutes. 

Prepare and blend spice paste ingredients, in a blender blend until smooth. 

In a wide-based pan, on medium heat, heat the pan, add 30g or (3 tablespoons) of the oil to the pan, then add the curry paste, cook for 15  minutes, stirring every few minutes to stop it sticking and so it cooks evenly. Add the sugar and cook for another 5 minutes until darkened. Remove the paste from the pan, clean the pan and prepare the tofu. 

Cut the tofu into inch pieces cubes. Mix the corn flour, turmeric, white pepper and salt medium bowl. Heat the pan on medium heat, and add the remaining oil. Shake the tofu in the mixing bowl to coat in the cornflour turmeric mix. When the pan is hot, using tongs shake off any excessive flour and cook the tofu pieces, turning to crispen all sides of the tofu. You may need to do this in batches if your pan isn’t big enough to fit them without overcrowding. When they’re ready, remove and place on a plate lined with kitchen roll to drain excess oil. 

Add the broccoli to the pan, with a splash of water, cook for 3-4 minutes, until tender. Add the paste back in, with a splash of water to loosen if needed then add the tofu and kaffir lime,  mix well and heat through. Finish with the fresh lime, coriander and Thai basil, if using. 

Serve with your fragrant rice.