Thai inspirations

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If you know me, you know I love Thai food. I used to love Red curry.. I mean totally LOVE!
That’s all I would order ALL the time when we went to a Thai restaurant. Then I started branching out to the Green and the yellow curries..

Then I think I joined the big leagues.. I am talking Massaman and Panang..Initially they all tasted so similar that I was confused till I started reading about them and the ingredients.
The subtle differences made sense and became apparent to me the more I tried them.

I hope you enjoy yet another “Thai inspired”  tofu based creation of mine.

 

To serve 3-4; 

1/2 cup of chopped onions
1 medium tomato chopped
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Cloves of garlic smashed
1/2″ root of ginger peeled and grated
1 tsp green chillies minced
1 tsp cayenne pepper

(Blend all the above into a puree)

1- 2 Tbsps Brown sugar/ Palm Sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce (optional)
1-2 tsps sesame oil
1 tsp tamarind paste
1-2 tsp lemon grass paste
1 Tbsp smooth peanut butter
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder

(Mix all the above)

1/2 -3/4 cup coconut cream
1-2 cups of water
1 cup of mixed veggies (I used Parboiled potatoes, sliced mushrooms, peas, corn, etc)
1 cup of pressed and fried tofu pieces

Garnish:
1/4 cup of basil leaves chopped roughly
2 Tbsp roasted and crushed peanuts

Saute’ the onion puree on medium heat in 2 Tbsp of Canola oil for 6-8 minutes till the rawness of the onions goes away. Add the brown sugar mixture and mix well.
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Add the coconut cream and water (one cup at a time; depending on the thickness you like). Let simmer on low- medium heat for 10-12 minutes. Add the veggies and the tofu.
Bring to a boil.  Season with salt and pepper.

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Add the basil and mix well. Add the peanuts before serving. Enjoy with steamed basmati rice.

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Also, I have a series of Thai inspired dishes that I have cooked before. (Recipe links below) Be sure to enjoy those as well if you love Thai food as much as I do.

http://freakycurry.blogspot.com/2011/08/freaky-thai-curry.html

http://freakycurry.blogspot.com/2013/08/thai-inspired-peanut-chicken.html

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