Did you know that adding crispy baked tofu is a great way to uplevel your curries? This simple green broccoli curry combines broccoli and baked tofu with the bold flavors of green curry paste for a delicious plant-based meal that you can easily prep ahead of time.

White bowl with white rice, broccoli, and red chilli slices in a green sauce.

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Why you'll love this recipe
Key ingredients and substitutions
Elo's tips
Step-by-step instructions
Storage and meal prep tips
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The recipe

Why you'll love this recipe

This baked tofu curry is ready in 30-ish minutes. You can bake the tofu while you make the curry, so there's no extra waiting around.
It's made with simple, straightforward ingredients.
No onions or garlic! Less chopping required and great for those who have a hard time digesting these ingredients.
Each serving is packed with 14 grams of plant protein for a filling dinner.
This curry is extra saucy! I don't know about you, but I love it when my jasmine rice is practically swimming in curry sauce. In this recipe, I'm sharing my little hack to make more sauce without adding more coconut milk.

Key ingredients and substitutions

Extra-firm tofu: It's the easiest to cut into cubes and holds its shape well during baking.
Tamari: Adds a salty touch to the tofu. You can use dark soy sauce or coconut aminos instead. Just make sure they are gluten-free if needed.
Broccoli: My veggie of choice for this recipe but feel free to swap it out or add more veggies like green beans, bamboo sprouts, zucchini, or carrots (as in this green tofu curry).
Green curry paste: Opt for a high-quality green curry paste made with clean ingredients to get the best, most authentic flavor. Alternatively, make this vegan curry recipe with Thai red curry paste for a different flavor profile.
Full-fat coconut milk: This is the key to a rich and creamy sauce. Make sure you're using canned coconut milk with about 60% coconut. Try to find a brand with minimal ingredients (preferably just water and coconut) and no gums or emulsifiers.
Vegetable broth (optional): Helps stretch the sauce.
Lime juice and coconut sugar: To balance out the flavors with a bit of acidity and sweetness. If you don't have coconut sugar, use light brown cane sugar.
Jasmine rice: It is grown primarily in Thailand and has a slightly sticky texture once cooked that clings perfectly to the sauce. It's a lot better than Basmati rice for Asian dishes (such as this cashew fried rice).

Elo's tips

Season the tofu. You don't want it to taste bland when stirring it into the curry. Seasoning it beforehand ensures it adds to the flavors of the curry, rather than just soaking it up.
Add salt to the cooking water of the jasmine rice. It's a simple step but it makes a big difference.
Cut the broccoli pretty finely. When breaking the broccoli head into florets, aim for smaller, bite-sized pieces. They will cook faster and you'll get a little bit of broccoli in every bite.
Use the broccoli stalk instead of throwing it away. Just peel the other layer (I use a paring knife) and chop it into small pieces. The stalk has a slightly different texture but becomes tender when cooked.
Fry the green curry paste! I used to make the mistake of adding the curry paste along with the coconut milk, but frying it in a little oil first is key. It helps the flavors bloom and develop before you add in the rest of the ingredients.
Add vegetable broth. I know it's not the most traditional way to make curries, but 1 can of coconut milk just doesn't yield enough sauce in my opinion. This is also great for meal prep as some of the sauce always gets soaked up by the other ingredients.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Bake the tofu. Cut the block of tofu into cubes (I don't press it as I'm using extra-firm tofu). Add them to a bowl and season with tamari and your preferred vegetable oil (I use olive oil). Place the tofu cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer making sure they don't touch each other for a crispier result. Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven until golden brown.

Step 2: Prep the broccoli. Break the broccoli head into small florets. Then, peel the stalk and cut it into bite-sized pieces instead of throwing it away.

Step 3: Fry the curry paste. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven with your preferred cooking oil (I use olive oil because that's what I have on hand, but coconut oil is great too). Once it's hot, add in the curry paste and fry it for 1 minute while stirring continuously. Then, add a splash of water to prevent it from burning and coat all the broccoli in the next step.

Step 4: Simmer. Add the coconut milk and vegetable broth (if using) to the skillet. Cover with a lid and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the tofu from the oven once it's done baking and set it aside.

Step 5: Finish the curry. Add in the lime juice and coconut sugar. Give it a good stir. Adjust seasoning with salt if needed (it will depend on the curry paste you're using).

Step 6: Add in the crispy tofu. Stir again. Serve over rice or let it cool before storing.

Storage and meal prep tips

Meal prep: You can make this curry 4-5 days ahead of time as it stores really well in the fridge. If you're prepping in advance, I definitely recommend stretching the sauce with some vegetable broth as some of it will get soaked up by the rest of the ingredients. This will prevent your curry from being dry when you reheat it.

Storage: For best results, store the curry and the rice in 2 separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. Alternatively, divide everything into 4 meal prep containers for grab-and-go meals but note that the rice will soak up more sauce.

Reheating: This curry reheats really well in the microwave. Alternatively, reheat it in a saucepan. If it looks a little dry, just add a splash of water.

Note: The baked tofu will lose its crunch the longer it sits in the sauce. If you want it crispy, I recommend serving the curry right away.

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