Thai-Inspired Yellow Curry with Tofu and Vegetables

I have one of those hammered spice tins with everything you need to make delicious, beautiful curries. And I enjoy playing with different combinations of flavors. But for a mid-week dinner, sometimes I cheat and use a pre-blended curry powder. No need to measure tiny amounts of ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger, mustard, black pepper, cinnamon, and cardamom. This is curry in a hurry. Also, because Jake is plant-based during the week, this is a curry made with tofu and vegetables instead of chicken or another meat.

Ingredients

• 1 package extra firm tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 Tablespoon-sized chunks
• 1 large onion, peeled and diced (approximately 1-1/2 cups)
• 1 T grated ginger (you can omit, if you don't have any, but we love the fresh ginger in this)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
• 1 cup sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 cups carrots, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup bell peppers, diced (I used a red and a green bell pepper)
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 2 Tablespoons curry powder, divided
• 3-inch stick cinnamon
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup vegetable stock (you can use chicken stock if you're not trying to be plant-based)
• 1 cup organic coconut milk
• cooked rice for serving
• fresh cilantro for serving

Procedure

Place the tofu in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Drain it and set aside.

In a large pot, add a splash of oil and cook the potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, and bell peppers until the potatoes and sweet potatoes are fork tender, approximately 15 minutes.

In a large, flat-bottom pan, cook the onions, ginger, and garlic in 3 Tablespoons butter until softened and the onions begin to turn translucent. Add in the remaining butter and melt. Stir in the curry powder and add cinnamon stick. Cook until fragrant.

Add the vegetables and tofu to the spiced paste and pour in the tomato sauce and vegetable stock. Whisk to combine. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes - until the sauce is beginning to thicken. Pour in the coconut milk, whisk to combine, and simmer until that it thickened to your liking.

Serve garnished with cilantro over cooked rice. Enjoy!