Pressing tofu first, then putting a little sear on it, gives this Red Curry Coconut Soup a lovely texture and bite.
How many of you knew that pressing tofu was such a wonderful thing? I feel like a bit of a dope about it really. I mean, it’s not like I haven’t squeezed my tofu before, so what’s the dif? Well, it turns out pretty huge, and very much worth the effort and little bit of time. To give my experiment a try I whipped up this super quick red curry coconut soup. It’s super flavorful and delicious and I ended up using odds and ends in the fridge.
When I first caught wind of pressing it was through a blog post (by now only the gods know who…) and they had some uber lovely schmancy tofu presses. This immediately sent me down a rabbit hole of researching presses all over the interwebs. There were gorgeous Japanese versions that had me imagining myself in kimono silks with bowed head tenderly pressing tofu. I personally love exquisite things, but shelling out so much coin for such an esoteric thing gave me pause. Then I looked into cheapy plastic jobbies with wing nut screws in garish colors and that didn’t sit right with me either. Again- do I need another gadget?
So I decided to do what every cost efficient Irish-Latina would do- I got out a couple of plates and found something heavy, but not too heavy to do the pressing. It worked like a charm.
I also wasn’t in love with a lot of recommendations to use paper towels to soak up the water. It’s just too environmentally wasteful, plus the thought of bleached paper on tofu didn’t appeal. Using cloths didn’t seem right either. I don’t know, it just felt yucky. So I opted to not use either and I have to say it was a huge success. Not only did this crude system work very nicely, I could also see very clearly how much liquid had been given off. This allowed me to gauge how long to keep it going.
It turns out not too long. By the time I had prepped the rest of the vegetables and gathered all the ingredients (about 15-20 minutes), the tofu was spot on perfect. My only advice when doing this is to keep an eye on it. You might be able to tell that the beans are listing just a little to the right. I found that if the plate and beans were not well balanced it caused an extra squeeze on that side. Fear not though, nothing is moving that fast here so a periodic nudging was all it took.
So what’s the difference you ask? The tofu takes on a denser while also creamier texture. I guess I would say, a less spongy texture that I found to be really delicious. It’s also less wet, so it made searing the tofu much easier and crispier. A double win in this instance.
Before I get to the recipe I will say that there are those who press their tofu for quite a bit longer- 30 minutes, an hour and even up to a day in some cases. The take away from that is that there is no hard line on this, so do what you have time for. I say I minimum of 15 minutes, but there is no such thing as over doing it. Which in this world is a nice relief.
Like I said I used fridge scraps for this so don’t feel hard bound to the veggies. Add whatever you might have around- cauliflower would be lovely, broccoli, zucchini, eggplant- all wonderful. The only thing I suggest you don’t skip is the pickled red onion. It adds a nice brightness to the spicy curry and creamy coconut.
Ingredients
- 1 container firm tofu
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1" ginger, minced
- 1 red pepper, sliced into 1/4" slices
- 1-2 carrots sliced into ribbons with peeler
- 2 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 can light coconut milk
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- Serve with fresh mint and cooked brown rice
Instructions
Place your tofu between a dinner plate and a flat bottomed salad plate and balance a weighted object on top. I used my bean jar, but a can of something would work fine too. You need something weighty but at the same time won't smash the tofu either. (water bottle? small dish of pennies?- you get the idea). Be sure to balance the plates well, checking every 5-10 minutes. Drain off the excess water as you wish.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the red onion and vinegar and set aside. As they sit they will "pickle" and turn a lovely hot pink color.
Prep the rest of your veggies and when the tofu is ready cut into small cubes. I like a nice small bite size piece.
In a large nonstick sautee pan (I use cast iron) over medium high heat, sear the tofu for a few minutes, then turn over and sear again. Remove and set aside. In the same pan add the garlic and cook while stirring for 1 minute. Add the ginger and cook another minute. Add the peppers and cook for 2 minutes, they will still be crispy.
Add the curry paste and cook for one minute to bring out the fragrance. Then slowly add the coconut milk while breaking up and smoothing out the curry. Add the remaining broth. Bring so a simmer and add the carrots for 1 minute.
Divide the soup between 4 bowls and top with the tofu and mint. Serve with warm brown rice on the side and top with the pickled onions.