Brothy Thai Curry with Silken Tofu
Herb oil, spicy broth, and tofu that melts like butter.
Timing: 30 min
Brothy Thai Curry with Silken Tofu
Herb oil, spicy broth, and tofu that melts like butter.
Timing: 30 min
Key move
Silken tofu is a nightmare to work with. It breaks if you look at it wrong. The trick here is to build the flavorful broth first, then slide the tofu in at the very end just to warm it through. Do not stir. Shake the pot.
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The Setup
- Medium Pot
- Blender
The Mise en Place
4Your prep station before cooking begins
garnish (0/1)
main (0/3)
Tofu disintegrated.
You boiled the soup too hard or stirred it with a spoon. Gentle swirl only.
Broth is thin.
It's supposed to be! This is a "brothy" curry, closer to consommé than a stew.
Chef's Notes
Toast curry paste in oil for 1-2 mins to bloom spices & deepen flavor before adding liquid.
Add silken tofu gently at the end to prevent it from breaking apart during cooking.
Serve hot over jasmine rice, garnished with fresh cilantro, Thai basil, and a lime wedge.
Chop all vegetables and aromatics ahead of time for quicker assembly.
Watch the Technique
Video source: YouTube
The Method
BASE
FRY curry paste, garlic, and ginger until aromatic.
Curry paste is fragrant and slightly darkened.
BROTH
Add coconut water (4 cups) and vegetable stock. Simmer for 10 minutes to marry flavors. Why Coconut Water? It adds sweetness and electrolytes without the heavy fat of coconut milk.
Broth is simmering and flavors have melded.
SLIDE
Use a spoon to scoop large shards of tofu into the broth. Pitfall: Do not use a knife to cube it perfectly. Rustic scoops hold together better.
Tofu shards are gently placed into the simmering broth.
WARM
Simmer gently for 3 minutes.
The tofu should jiggle. Top with the herb oil and lime.
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