Tofu, Cauliflower & Mushroom Massaman Curry

This is such a great little number for an easy vegan supper and it is absolutely delicious too. We’ve found that the trick with the tofu is to either bake it in the oven on a non-stick tray for 10 minutes to firm it up (it’s lovely with a bit of sesame oil), or fry it off in a little oil first – much like you would sear meat.

Ingredients

• 1 x block of tofu 200g
• 1 x cauliflower
• Cut into florets 150g (or so) of Shiitake mushrooms cut in half but the small ones can be left whole
• 1 x tin coconut milk
• 1 x Kallo Organic vegetable stock cube (any will do but we like these the best)
• 2 dried chillies (optional)
• 3 x star anise
• 2 tablespoons peanuts, unsalted

Massaman Curry Paste

• 1 onion, roughly sliced
• 4 cloves of  garlic
• Peeled 65g cup of dry roasted unsalted peanuts (we buy them un-roasted and bake for a few minutes to roast)
• 1 red chilli, seeds removed (or leave in to)
• A piece of ginger about 4cm long, chopped up
• 1 tablespoon of coconut milk
• 1 stalk of lemongrass
• Chopped up 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of whole cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce (use fish sauce if not vegan)
• 1 teaspoon of brown sugar

If you are short on time you can use a prepared Massaman paste, but they may not be vegan due to shrimp paste or fish sauce added.

Method

This is super easy and follows pretty much any curry recipe. You can substitute in other veggies or meat as it is such a versatile base.

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. First, prepare the paste but putting all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until you get a good consistency. If it’s very thick, you can add a bit more coconut milk or water to loosen it up slightly.

2. Cut up the tofu into chunks and spread it out on a non-stick tray with the cauliflower. Drizzle with a little sesame oil and for an extra punch you can add a sprinkle of chilli flakes. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile you can prepare the curry. Now would be a good time to turn on your extraction. In a large heavy bottom pan (we use the Staub cookware for this), add some oil – we use sesame – around 1-2 tbsp will do. Over a medium heat fry off the shiitake mushrooms, and then add the Massaman curry paste – this will be very fragrant! Fry off for 1 minute or so. Next, add the coconut milk and stir to combine – don’t have the heat too high as you don’t want it boiling.

4. Remove the tofu and cauliflower from the oven and add to the curry. Sprinkle in the stock cube, and if the sauce is very thick add some hot water or oat milk to loosen it up. Add the dried chillies, peanuts and star anise.

5. Simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes and then serve with steamed white rice.

Images: HM