Yield: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsps canola oil
1 red Thai chili, chopped
4 clove garlic, chopped
1 ½ tbsps ginger, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 lime leaves
1 tbsp lemon grass, chopped
1 tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
600 ml coconut milk
50g smooth peanut butter
1 tbsp palm sugar
1 lb firm tofu, cut into thick slices
2 tbsps soy sauce
2 tbsps vegetable oil
1 tsp dry garlic
200 g fresh snap peas
1 tbsps green onion, chopped
2 tbsps roasted peanuts for garnish
Salt to taste
Preparation
For the coconut peanut curry:
In a medium sauce pot heat vegetable oil, add onions, Thai red chili, garlic, and ginger. Stir and cook for two to three minutes, or until onions are translucent.
Add lime leaf, lemongrass, coconut milk, and salt. Continue to stir for one minute, then add palm sugar and peanut butter. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for five to seven minutes.
Remove the pot from heat, and puree the sauce mixture using hand kitchen blender until smooth sauce.
For the grilled tofu:
Cut the firm tofu into thick slices and gently toss with oil, soy sauce and dry garlic. Chill for one hour before grilling.
Using BBQ or grilling pan, grill the tofu until you have nice grill marks on each side. Using a sauté pan heat curry sauce, stir in fresh basil, green snap peas and cook for three minutes.
Stir in grilled tofu, and mix gently until all the tofu is nicely coated with the thick curry sauce.
Serve hot over steamed jasmine rice and garnish with roasted peanuts and fresh green onion.
ABOUT THE CHEF: Lucky Dhillon learned early on that good food brings people together. With that insight and an extensive experience cooking all across the Vancouver Lower Mainland, he’s now helming his own catering service – Soulful Kitchen. A passion for the kitchen camaraderie combined with a background of working with local, rustic and fresh ingredients has lent his food a quality that’s best summed up as being, “Unpretentiously Soulful.” Soulful Kitchen, is now in its second successful year. Dhillon says the Soulful Kitchen team is focused on creating a soulful, elegant, and authentic experience that’s visible even in the minutest details.