Coconut Curry Tofu

Coconut Curry Tofu (from AllRecipes, Total Time: 40 minutes, Servings: 6)

Ingredients

·         2 bunches green onions

·         1 (14 oz.) can light coconut milk

·         ¼ cup soy sauce, divided

·         ½ tsp. brown sugar

·         1 ½ tsp. curry powder

·         1 tsp. minced fresh ginger

·         2 tsp. chile paste

·         1 pound firm tofu, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

·         4 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped

·         1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

·         4 oz. fresh mushrooms, chopped

·         ¼ cup chopped fresh basil

·         4 cups chopped bok choy

·         salt to taste

Directions

1.       Remove white parts of green onions, and finely chop. Chop greens into 2-inch pieces.

2.       In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, mix coconut milk, 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, brown sugar, curry powder, ginger, and chile paste. Bring to a boil.

3.       Stir tofu, tomatoes, yellow pepper, mushrooms, and finely chopped green onions into the skillet. Cover, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in basil and bok choy. Season with salt and remaining soy sauce. Continue cooking 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender but crisp. Garnish with remaining green onion.

Our bi-weekly CSA package included bok choy, so I went looking for a recipe that incorporates the ingredient.  I saw this and was excited because it looks really good!  While I was making it, the smell was fantastic – I wanted to slurp up the sauce before adding the veggies and tofu.  Unfortunately, the taste did not follow suit.  I found it kind of bland, as did my husband.  It seemed almost like all of the spices/flavors cancelled each other out.  It certainly wasn’t a bad taste – it was just a little sweet with a little heat over veggies and tofu.  I will say, though, that the sauce did permeate the tofu, which is nice.  I hate it when tofu cannot sponge up a sauce.

I think that maybe a little more curry powder or chile paste would give it the taste that it needs.  I served over a bed of brown rice, which was great for sopping up additional sauce.  The bok choy was easy to cut and cook.  The bell peppers were the only thing that added crunch to the dish.  If I made this again, I’d probably skip the mushroom and tomatoes and add more bell peppers and green onions.  However, I do not think that I will try this again, unless there is more bok choy in my next CSA bag!