thai red curry

jonathan and i aren't huge celebrators of valentines day, but we were fortunate enough to have the evening off together to enjoy a home-cooked meal of thai food! i always order curry at thai restaurants, and especially love red coconut curries! but when we eat out, i sometimes feel gypped on the amount of veggies you get in a serving of curry or am disappointed by some unknown 'vegetarian meat' bobbing around my curry when i clearly ordered tofu!!! (can you tell this has happened to me more than once?) so, not only did this make leftovers for lunches and dinners, but i found my ideal ratio of veggies to tofu and soupy curry. vuala!...

1 onion, diced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons red curry paste (thai kitchen brand is great!)

3/4 teaspoon turmeric

3/4 teaspoon coriander

3/4 teaspoon salt

two 14 oz cans of full fat or light coconut milk *

8 oz vegetable stock

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 cubic inch fresh ginger, grated

3 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash

2 carrots, thinly sliced at an angle

2 cups crimini mushrooms, quartered

1 small bunch broccoli

1 bell pepper, any color

1 package of silken tofu **

2 tablespoons brown sugar (optional)

sriracha thai hot sauce (optional)

1 lime, cut into wedges for juicing

cilantro or green onions, trimmed for garnish

2 cups rice (brown, red, white, wild, what have you) - steam as directed

in a large soup pot, saute onion in oil for about 5 minutes until translucent. then add garlic, curry paste and spice to cook one minute longer. add coconut milk, stock, fish sauce, ginger, salt and maybe some sugar and simmer covered for about 15 minutes to meld all the flavors together. begin adding vegetables according to cook time: first the carrots and squash, letting them get a 5 minute head start, then add mushrooms and broccoli for a few minutes. lastly, add bell pepper and tofu for the final 3-5 minutes. let sit to cool a bit before serving over steamed rice. garnish with a lime wedge and fresh herbs and sriracha hot sauce on the side.

*full fat coconut milk is what i was used to getting when ordering out.... it will make for a milder curry with wonderfully balance flavor. if you use light coconut milk, you might want to add a bit of sugar to your recipe to help balance the spicy flavors, otherwise the broth will remain fairly spicy (which i enjoyed, but jonathan prefers his curry more mild)

**i like fresh silken tofu in my curry. but some people prefer fried tofu in their thai curry ... this adds a few steps and a few extra dishes, but is simple to do. just opt for firm tofu and fry cubes in a few tablespoons of vegetable oil. drain over paper towels, and add to soup at the same point as the bell peppers.