There’s nothing more comforting than a delicious bowl of Massaman curry. This meat-free meal has crispy pan-fried tofu, soft sweet potato chunks and cauliflower, all simmered in a peanutty Massamann curry sauce. Choosing to cook meat-free meals is a great way to break up your weekly menu and this vegan curry is so flavourful, you will be left wanting more!
You can use all kinds of vegetable combinations in your vegan Massaman curry, cooking with potatoes and onions will keep this dish fairly traditional. You would normally find white potatoes in a Massaman curry but I opted for sweet potato for this dish to add more of an orangery hue, this helps to give the curry a richer overall colour. As sweet potatoes are already sweet, there is no need to add palm sugar to this recipe.
I like to use the 'Tofoo' brand for when I’m cooking with tofu as it comes pre-pressed and this saves me a lot of time and I can get straight into cooking! If you are using other brands, you will need to set more time aside to drain and press the tofu for at least 20 minutes. To do this you could use a tofu press or simply placing the tofu on a plate with another plate on top of it and then piling some heavy things on top, such as a heavy pot or some cooking books!
Once the tofu has been pressed, chop into small chunks and fry in some coconut oil until golden brown on all sides and set to one side. In a separate wok or saucepan, fry massaman curry paste in coconut oil for 2 minutes before adding the thicker layer of coconut milk (coconut cream) and light soya sauce and tamarind. Bring to a light boil and simmer for 10 minutes to let all the oils rise to the surface.
Add the remaining coconut milk to the wok with water, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, onions and peanuts and simmer with a lid for 12-15 minutes. Next add tomatoes, chillies and pan-fried tofu chunks, gentle stir in and allow the tomatoes and tofu to warm up in the sauce. Make sure you are tasting the sauce as you are cooking, if you are finding it too sweet, try adding a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of tamarind juice/puree.
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Tofu and Cauliflower Massaman Curry
A hearty vegan dish with authentic Massaman flavours
- 280 g Extra Firm Tofu (Drained and pressed)
- 250 g Cauliflower
- 200 g Sweet potato
- 400 ml Coconut Milk (Full Fat)
- 35 g Mae Jum Thai Massaman Curry Paste
- 100 g Plum Tomatoes
- 2 White Onions (Small)
- 100 g Roasted Peanuts
- 3 tbsp Light Soya Sauce
- 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
- 100 ml Water
- 2 tbsp Taramind Juice/Puree (Optional)
- 2 Red Chilli (Optional)
- Salt (Season To Taste)
- Coriander leaves or Spring Onion (Garnish)
Preparation
Depending on the tofu brand, prepare the tofu as instructed. Then cut into bite-size pieces
Gently toast peanuts in a pan until golden
Peel and chop sweet potatoes in half and then into chunks (8-10 pieces per half)
Cut cauliflower into florets, plum tomatoes in half and onion into quarters
Cooking Method
On high/medium heat, fry the curry paste in 1 tbsp of coconut oil for 2-3 minutes until broken down
Add the thick layer of coconut milk to the wok with light soya sauce, peanuts and tamarind juice (optional) and blend together well. Bring to a light boil for 10 minutes to allow the oils to rise to the surface.
In a separate pan, fry tofu chunks in 1 tbsp of coconut oil until golden brown on all sides
Add sweet potato, cauliflower, onions, remaining coconut milk and water to the wok, gentle mix and simmer for 12-15 minutes. If you see the sauce reducing too fast, you can cover with a lid or add more water.
Next add tomatoes, red chilli (optional) and tofu chunks. Make sure to taste the sauce, if it is too sweet, add a pinch of salt.
Once the sauce has reduced to a thicker consistency, serve up with freshly made Thai jasmine rice and garnish with coriander leaves, red chilli or spring onions. Enjoy!
