This vibrant Tofu Curry recipe is packed with flavor! Made with fresh turmeric, ginger, coconut milk, and lime, it’s a feast for the senses. Make it in under 30 minutes! Vegan and gluten-free.
There are ways in, journeys to the center of life, through time; through air, matter, dream and thought. The ways are not always mapped or charted, but something being lost, if there is such a thing, is the sweetest place to be. And always, in this search, a person might find that she is already there, at the center of the world. It may be a broken world, but it is glorious nonetheless.
Linda Hogan
The world where I live is covered in a thick blanket of snow. It’s beautiful. Icicles hang down off the eaves of houses, sparkling in the sunlight whilst snowflakes float gently by. Everything is in slow motion. It is profoundly quiet. An invitation to come back to oneself and just be here for a moment, here, where it’s almost impossible not to feel love and gratitude for everything and everyone.
Which brings me to this soup… it’s like a bowl of golden sunshine come winter!
Why You’ll Love This
This soup is warming and soothing: Golden turmeric brightens even the darkest of days. Lemongrass perks up the soul, whispering of warm far off places.
Quick and easy: This recipe for Tofu Curry with Turmeric & Shiitakes comes together in 20 minutes flat!
Serve with whole grains or on its own like a stew: Serve it over brown rice or grains for extra heartiness, or simply have it on its own, like a thick and hearty stew.
Fragrant, colorful turmeric: Fresh grated turmeric gives this its beautiful color, but if fresh turmeric is unavailable, ground turmeric will work fine too. Use the flavorful base to hold your favorite veggies.
A golden bowl of light in the middle of winter. So good for the soul…
Ingredients
- Tofu: Use firm or extra firm tofu.
- Yellow curry powder: For a distinct yellow hue and rich, sweet, and subtly spicy taste. Or sub-ground turmeric.
- Coconut milk: To give this curry its creaminess, while adding a cooling effect.
- Fresh turmeric root: Freshly grated turmeric adds the most incredible color and flavor. You can sub ground turmeric.
- Aromatics: Shallots (or onion), lemongrass, garlic cloves, and ginger root (or ginger paste) add layers of aromatic flavor and depth.
- Veggie stock: Or if you don’t need it to be vegan, you can use chicken broth.
- Vegan fish sauce: Or use regular fish sauce if desired. Soy sauce or gluten-free liquid aminos also work!
- Sugar: Or your favorite alternative.
- Cayenne: For just a little heat!
- Shiitake mushrooms: Feel free to sub with any veggies you have, like broccoli, bok choy, red bell pepper, carrots, cauliflower, or peas. We like shiitake mushrooms for their umami taste. Or add more veggies in addition to the mushrooms! A big handful of baby spinach is nice too.
- Fresh lime juice: To brighten up the curry with a little citrus!
- Cilantro: Adds fresh, fragrant flavor that really elevates the curry.
How to Make Tofu Curry
Step one: In a large heavy bottom pot or skillet, warm oil over medium heat. Add shallots, sautéing until golden, 5-6 minutes. Add lemongrass, garlic, ginger, and turmeric. Sauté 2 minutes.
Step two: To the pan, add vegetable broth and coconut milk and bring to a simmer.
Step three: Add the fish sauce, sugar, salt, cayenne, and turmeric. Stir everything together.
Step four: Add the shiitakes and gently simmer 2-3 minutes.
Step five: Add the tofu cubes to the curry sauce and simmer 3-4 minutes.
Step six: Squeeze lime juice over the pot, then taste and adjust for salt and cayenne. Turn off the heat and add the cilantro.
Step seven: Serve over rice, divided among bowls.
Chef’s Tips
- Mix up your vegetables. Use this curry as a base for your own combination of veggies. Try broccoli, bok choy, red bell pepper, carrots, cauliflower, peas, or even tomatoes. A big handful of baby spinach or other dark leafy greens is nice too!
- Use fresh aromatics if you can. Fresh turmeric, fresh ginger root, and fresh lemongrass offer the best flavor. If you can find these, choose them over ground spices or pastes.
- Try using crispy tofu. Add our crispy tofu to the curry instead if you want to add a little extra texture.
- Add more spices! Garam masala, cumin, and coriander make tasty additions.
Storage
Let the curry cool before storing. Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze this curry for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating on the stovetop.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this curry over our Perfect Basmati Rice with Easy Homemade Naan Bread.
FAQs
You don’t need to. For a quick and easy version, we simply add the tofu to the pot and let it steam. Tofu is great in that it absorbs so much flavor from the curry, creating a melt-in-your-mouth feel with every bite. If you prefer, you can also add our Crispy Tofu to the curry instead.
If you wish to try this recipe with something other than tofu, you can make it with chickpeas instead! Chickpeas still offer a lot of protein, and they’ll keep this dish vegan. Winter squash or sweet potatoes could also be substituted.
You can taste and adjust as you add spices, like cayenne pepper, making this curry as hot or mild as you’d like.
So there you have it… a flavorful vegan and gluten-free Tofu Curry! Healthy and easy, this takes just 20 minutes! I hope you enjoy this- please let us know what you think in the comments below. Very appreciated!
For more vegan curry recipes, try Pumpkin Curry or Lentil Curry.
More recipes you may like
Curry Tofu Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 2-3
- Category: Main, vegan recipe,
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Curry Tofu with coconut, turmeric, and shitake mushrooms- a quick vegan and gluten-free meal with detoxing turmeric. Can be made in 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, olive oil, or ghee
- 2 shallots- finely chopped
- 1–2 tablespoons finely chopped lemongrass
- 6 garlic cloves- finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger- finely grated, or use ginger paste
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated turmeric root (or sub 1/2–1 teaspoon ground turmeric)
- 2 cups veggie stock or chicken broth
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce or vegan fish sauce or soy sauce or gluten-free liquid aminos
- 1 teaspoon sugar or alternative
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon yellow curry powder
- 1/8–1/4 teaspoon cayenne, more to taste
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms- de-stemmed and sliced
- 6 ounces tofu- cut into 3/4 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- optional additions: big handful baby spinach, or other veggies like broccoli, bok choy or red bell pepper etc.
Instructions
- Heat oil In a large heavy bottom pot or skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until golden and tender about 5-6 minutes. Add lemongrass, garlic, ginger and turmeric and saute 2 more minutes.
- Add stock and coconut milk and bring to a simmer.
- Add fish sauce, sugar, salt, cayenne and ground turmeric, stirring to combine.
- Add shittakes and simmer gently 2-3 minutes.
- Add tofu, and continue simmering until tofu is warmed through, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the lime, taste, and adjust salt and cayenne.
- Add the cilantro.
- Serve over rice, dividing among bowls.
Notes
Use the base for your own combination of veggies. Serve over rice grains or as a stew.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
- Calories: 370
- Sugar: 6.2 g
- Sodium: 877.1 mg
- Fat: 29.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 16.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 16.5 g
- Fiber: 2.5 g
- Protein: 10.7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This was so satisfying on so many levels! I used mitake mushrooms and homemade chicken broth and added broccolettes and spinach. Served over rice it is a complete, delicious nutritious meal!
Sounds great!
I am confused about type and amount of curry to add?
Hi Brit! Sorry this recipe doesn’t really use curry paste (like in Thai recipes) we make it out of the garlic, lemongrass, ginger and turmeric. 🙂
I am fairly new to the kitchen… This recipe was easy for me to follow and most importantly – SO DELICIOUS. I definitely will be making this again.
So glad you gave it a try Kate! Really appreciate the review.:)
Is this soup able to be frozen?
I have not tried freezing it but my guess is it should freeze fine!
Oh my gosh!!!!!! Absolutely delicious. Your flavours are always so AMAZING, Sylvia. I had some sugar snap peas that needed to be used up so added those, which gave a little crunch, and served with wholegrain rice. Yummy!
Ps. Tried your Moroccan, lentil & chickpea soup. Devoured 2 1/2 bowls in one sitting!!!!! Don’t need to add any other comment, empty bowls explain everything. Love your recipes SO much. Xxxxx.
Thanks so much Michele- glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious
thanks!
Even my carnivore husband agrees this recipe is exceptional. Added green beans and served over rice noodles. Thanks for inspiring us to cook more vegan meals!
Love hearing this Sophie!
Have you ever put noodles in this?
No, but that sounds good!
This looks amazing! Are there any alternatives to lemongrass? I order all of my groceries to be delivered and I can’t find lemongrass anywhere for some reason.
That is frustrating, sorry. It is pretty important here. You could use Lemongrass paste- available on Amazon?
Thank you so much!
It was delicious and I’ll do it again. Two questions please
1 it’s called turmeric curry but has no curry on the. Ingredients
2 it’s called vegetarian but I omitted the fish sauce Because it has anchovies which my vegetarian granddaughter will not eat
One other thing I omitted cilantro because i hate the taste
Duly noted. 😉 Glad you made it your own!
This is delicious! Followed recipe exact and added a handful of baby spinach. Thank you for sharing!
delicious. i used dried turmeric for both parts and soy sauce instead of fish sauce and it was still very flavorful.
The dish looks wonderful, though not vegan with the fish sauce added. I found a substitute for that in 2 parts broth to 1 part soy sauce. Maybe Nama Shoyu would be nice. Your thoughts?
sexy dish love it
This may be my new favorite thing. So delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and had it over farro. I love tofu and cook for myself a lot, but when I make this for others (the tofu haters), shrimp would be good, yes? Or toss in some cooked, cubed chicken breast?
Yay! Yes, shrimp would work great. Or chicken. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed.