Thai Peanut Curry

Lately, all I've been making is Thai red curry. For a refreshing change, I made this peanut curry. Although it was a little heavier, it was just as delectable. Here's the recipe ...

1 tbsp Thai Kitchen red curry paste
2 tbsp Homemade Red Curry Paste (see recipe below)
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tin coconut milk (lite preferred)
3 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp sambal olek
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp basil
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 cup water
1 stalk lemongrass

Veggies of choice (julienned peppers, julienned onions, chopped mushrooms, 2 tbsp scallions)
1/2 package extra firm tofu (pressed for atleast an hour and cubed)

Homemade Red Curry Paste:
4 red or green Thai chilies
1/4 onion, diced
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch piece ginger, minced
Juice of 1/2 lime

1. Combine the peanut butter, coconut milk, red curry paste and homemade red curry paste in a pot. Mix together until peanut butter is somewhat creamy and dissolved. Bring to boil and then simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes.
2. Add the veggies, brown sugar, soya sauce, water, lemongrass and sambal olek. Continue simmering for 5-7 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of oil in skillet. Sautee the cubed tofu pieces until golden brown.
4. Add the sauteed tofu to the curry along with the lime juice, basil and cilantro. Simmer for final 10 minutes. ** Remember to remove the lemongrass from the curry before serving. ** Serve hot with brown rice or noodles.

The peanut curry tasted fabulous. The only reservation that we had was that peanut butter along with the full coconut milk added way too much fat. Even though the recipe called for 1 cup peanut butter, I only added half. I think next time I will add even less and opt to either use lite coconut milk or dilute 1/2 can of the full coconut milk with water.

You may also be wondering why I made my own paste as well as used the jar of curry paste. Good question. The jarred paste has flavors like kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass that I cannot add to the dish otherwise. However, I do not find it spicy enough. Please note that it is not necessary to use the jarred paste .

With the noted changes, I will be making this dish again. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.