This spicy coconut lime curry is light and fresh, with a creamy coconut milk based jalapeño curry sauce, summer vegetables and chickpeas. Served with super crispy miso marinated tofu and a fluffy basmati rice for a healthy, vegan meal perfect for any night of the week!
While warm bowls of curry served with rice are generally seen as a cold weather comfort food, this spicy coconut curry is light and fresh, perfect for a summer meal. Fresh lime juice really brings out the flavor of the other ingredients. The coconut curry sauce isn’t too heavy and the zucchini, green beans and chickpeas add so much texture and flavor.
More on texture—I mean that tofu may be the best part. Marinated with miso and lime juice, it’s the perfect crunchy topping for this curry. I have never had success pan frying my tofu. It always sticks to the pan, makes a huge mess and turns out so greasy. Baking is a lot easier and yields much crispier results. More on that later…
How to Make Spicy Coconut Lime Curry
Make the curry sauce: For the spicy curry sauce, you’ll need a high speed blender in order to blend together the coconut milk, jalapeños, cilantro, garlic and sugar. This helps the flavors meld together and also gives the sauce that stunning bright green color.
Sauté the vegetables: For this spicy coconut lime curry recipe, you’ll need a couple zucchini’s, green beans and shallots. Heat a large skillet or pot over medium heat and sauté the shallots and zucchini until just beginning to soften. Careful not to over cook, or the zucchini will become mushy before the sauce has time to reduce. Add in the spices and toast for a couple minutes or until fragrant.
Add the curry sauce: once the zucchini has softened slightly, pour in the blender curry sauce and add the green beans and chickpeas. Bring to a boil and reduce the sauce until thick and all the vegetables have cooked through. I like my green beans to be a little crunchy, so keep it simmering for about 5-10 minutes.
Finishing touches: Now this wouldn’t be a coconut lime curry without the lime! Once the curry has finished cooking, go ahead and remove it from the heat. Squeeze in the fresh lime juice and taste for salt. I find it always needs a pinch more. Serve warm with basmati rice and a few pieces of crispy tofu.
Tips for Making Crispy Baked Tofu
Tofu gets a bad reputation for being dry and flavorless, but if you know a few simple tricks, making super crispy, flavorful baked tofu is actually pretty easy. Start by cutting your drained block of extra firm tofu (not silken or firm!) into slabs. Carefully lay those out onto a kitchen towel or paper towel and blot dry. Be gentle, but try to get as much water out as possible.
Whisk up a quick marinade of lime juice, miso and oil. Pour the marinade into a large resealable container. I like to use a rectangular dish to maximize surface area. Lay your dried tofu pieces in the dish and flip to ensure they are all coated by the marinade. Let sit for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight in the fridge.
To bake the tofu, spread a good amount of cornstarch onto a plate. Take each slab and dredge it in the cornstarch, shaking off any excess. Place the pieces in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, being careful not to overcrowd. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, flip over each piece, then bake another 15 minutes or so. Everyone’s oven is different so keep an eye out for that golden brown crust.
Serve fresh on top of the coconut lime curry with a pinch of flaky salt and squeeze of lime juice.
More Recipes to Try
- Roasted black pepper cauliflower curry
- Fluffy baked rice with chickpeas and crispy tofu feta
- Roasted red pepper meatball curry
- Creamy miso sweet potato carrot soup
Made this recipe? Tag @wandering_chickpea on Instagram and follow along on Pinterest for more delicious recipes!
Spicy Coconut Lime Curry with Crispy Marinated Tofu
Spicy coconut lime curry with a creamy coconut based curry sauce, chickpeas, fresh summer vegetables and topped with the crispiest miso marinated baked tofu.
Ingredients
For the Crispy Marinated Tofu
- 1 14 oz block extra firm tofu, drained
- 3 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp miso
- Cornstarch as needed
For the curry
- 1 13.5 oz can full fat unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 jalapeños, stems removed (seeds removed for less spicy)
- 1 small bunch cilantro
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3 tbsp oil
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 large zucchinis, sliced
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 1/2 cups green beans, sliced
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp salt
- Juice from 1 lime
- Cooked basmati rice for serving
Instructions
For the Crispy Marinated Tofu
- Slice the tofu into 1/2 inch slabs crosswise. Place the pieces on a clean kitchen towel or several sheets of paper towel and gently press and flip to remove excess moisture.
- Whisk together the oil, lime juice and miso then pour into a resealable container.
Place the dry tofu slices into the container so they are full covered by the marinade. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight in the fridge. - To bake, preheat the oven to 425º F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Apply a thin coating of cornstarch to the marinated tofu and place in a single layer on the baking sheet. - Bake for 15-20 minutes then flip each piece and return to the oven for another 15 minutes or so until golden brown and crispy.
For the Curry:
- To make the curry sauce, add the coconut milk, jalapeños, cilantro, garlic cloves and sugar to the container of a high speed blender. Blend until smooth. Set aside until ready to use.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When shimmering, add the shallot and zucchini. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until just beginning to soften.
- Stir in the cumin and coriander, cook for another 2-3 minutes before adding in the blended curry sauce, green beans, chickpeas and salt.
- Bring to a boil and reduce until the sauce has thickened and the vegetables are tender—about 5-10 minutes. Squeeze in the lime juice and add salt to taste if needed. Serve with basmati rice, crispy tofu and abother squeeze of lime juice.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1/6 recipeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 458Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 802mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 9gSugar: 9gProtein: 16g
All nutritional info is an estimation
Pingback: Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Salad with Avocado and Seasoned Pretzels ~ Wandering Chickpea
Pingback: Blackened Cauliflower Bowls with Pineapple Salsa ~ Wandering Chickpea