For as much as I love to cook, there are still plenty of days when I’m too tired, don’t have any groceries, or have ran out of time. In these situations, my boyfriend and I order Thai food from a tiny, hole-in-the-wall restaurant around the corner. He loves the chicken curry, and while the flavor is great I wonder about the nutrients, as the only vegetable it has are potatoes. Plus, I don’t really like eating chicken, so the dish just isn’t for me. Enter my Thai curry soup with tofu.I guess I should clarify, this is not a quick, take-out-style dish, but rather a heart-warming soup full of goodies like coconut milk (healthy fats), and bone broth (you can easily sub veggie broth, but if you haven’t hopped on the bone broth train yet, do a google search). As with most of my recipes, these are suggestions, I am a big believer in using what you have in your fridge. So for the veggies, get creative! I happened to have a bag of mini bell peppers, onions, carrots, and a few potatoes. A couple other options that I think would taste great: sweet potatoes, butternut squash—or other squash variations, broccoli, cauliflower, or dark leafy greens like chard or kale. The same rule applies for the protein, I’m calling this recipe Thai curry soup with tofu, but it can easily be served with chicken, or even salmon.
Thai Curry Soup with Tofu
1 can coconut milk- full fat
2 cups chicken bone broth- or veggie stock, depending on your preferences
1/2 onion
2 large carrots
1 bell pepper, or 5 mini peppers
2 red potatoes
2 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 t. turmeric
1 t. fresh ginger
1 t. garlic powder
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. curry powder
1 T. rice wine vinegar
1 T. basil
1/2 t. Sriracha
1/2 t. honey
Baked Tofu
1 lb. firm tofu
1 T. olive oil
1/2 t. soy sauce
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. turmeric
1. Place a large sauce pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Dice the onion and sauté until it becomes translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. While the onion cooks, peel and dice the carrots, peppers, and potatoes. Add the veggies to the pot and give it a good stir. Mince the garlic and fresh ginger (a microplane or the small side of a cheese grater works great for this too). Toss in these as well as the other spices and allow to cook for a few minutes. This will bring out the flavors.
A word about basil: if you’ve got fresh–amazing. If not, Trader Joes sells a little red box of basil, frozen into convenient squares. I always keep it on hand for when I’m out of fresh herbs. For this recipe, I pop in three or four squares.
2. Next comes the soy sauce, honey, Sriracha, and rice wine vinegar. And finally the coconut milk and bone broth. Increase the heat until the soup comes to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook, partially covered for about two hours.
3. For the tofu: preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Drain and press out as much of the water as possible from the tofu, then cut into small squares. Line a baking dish with parchment paper or foil, then add the tofu, olive oil, and spices. I toss everything around with my hands. Bake for about 20 minutes, then add into the soup for the last hour or so of cook time.
I typically pour the soup over brown rice, quinoa, or enjoy as is!
