The flavors in this Thai Red Curry Pork and Crispy Tofu are bright and complex, with a nice down-home, comfort food quality.
Last weekend Mr. HNN and I went out to Point Reyes with a couple of friends for a picnic and some hiking. In true northern California fashion, our day started off cold, grey, misting, and incredibly windy. My husband and I (the new NorCal transplants) looked at each other like uh… it is July, right?
We hiked down to the light house, which the placement of such a structure always seems to be at the most unforgiving point in a coastal landscape; the fog was heavy so we couldn’t see much more than 100 yards out into the ocean – but it was still a stunning sight.
We hiked back up and found an accessible spot by the ocean for our picnic. Unfortunately it was far too cold and windy to actually enjoy our lunch on the beach so we kind of hunkered down behind our cars and had our picnic there. It was only after our picnic that the fog lifted and blue skies appeared – of course 😉 If you’re interested in what we had, I made:
So what does this have to do with Thai Red Curry Pork and Crispy Tofu? Well after a long day of hiking and climbing, I needed some major sustenance and nutrients. I wanted comfort food without it being too heavy.
The flavors in this dish are bright and complex, but there’s a nice down-home, comfort food quality. Personally, I like the combination of proteins – but feel free to use all pork or all tofu if you prefer one over the other. It’s so easy just to make this into Thai Red Curry Pork or Thai Red Curry Crispy Tofu!
- 1 cup white rice
- vegetable oil, for cooking
- 14 ounces extra firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes and patted dry
- Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup good quality chicken stock
- 1 (14 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk, shaken
- 1 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1-2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1-2 jalapenos, sliced
- 2 kaffir lime leaves, bruised
- ½ pound boneless pork loin, thinly sliced
- fresh cilantro, garnish
- Rinse the rice until it runs clear and cook according to the package directions.
- Line a large plate with paper towels and set aside. Fill a large non-stick sauté pan with ¼ of vegetable oil. Add the tofu and heat over medium-high heat (you want to add the tofu to a cold pan because if you add it to a hot pan, any excess moisture in the tofu will cause the oil to pop and spatter). Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, remove the tofu and allow to cool on the plate lined with paper towels. (Reserve 1 tablespoon of the oil in the pan).
- Meanwhile, in another large pan add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Allow the stock to simmer until reduced by half. Then add the coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice, curry paste, sugar, jalapeno, and kaffir lime leaves. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the pork and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes, until cooked through.
- Add the crispy tofu and toss to combine. Remove the Kaffir lime leaves and serve the red curry pork and tofu, over rice, add the sauce from the pan, and garnish with cilantro. Serve and enjoy.
I made it tonight. Delicious. Will make it again!
You looks cute, Kathleen! It’s awesome that you guys got to enjoy a California hike, despite the cool and windy weather. How sweet of you to bring along a complete lunch set! I’m sure that still tasted incredible even without the view. 🙂 Curry is always my go-to comfort food. I can imagine that crispy tofu soaking up all the flavorful sauce. Delicious!
Aw… thanks my dear. Despite the cold and windy weather, we really had a wonderful time. But it was nice to come home and enjoy some warm comfort food!
I must be losing it – I swear I commented on this post. Looks super flavorful and light and what a cutie pie you are!!
You are not losing it! I think I’m losing it! I’ve been in the process of switching hosting companies and so some of my most recent posts have been disappearing, re-appearing, and then all-together gone. This is one that I had to repost because of such a scenario. So you probably did comment previously, in fact, I’m pretty certain you did. But thank you so much for taking the time to comment again, xoxo! Hope you’re having a great weekend 🙂
Oh no, Kathleen! So frustrating. I don’t know what kind of IT support you have, but my hubby is really good with that sort of thing and would be happy to help if he can. PM me if you need anything.
Lol, actually my IT support is my husband too 😉 He’s generally pretty good, the problem is finding time when he isn’t working for him to help me – his work hours have been brutal recently. I think we may finally have the hosting issue sorted out, but I’ll certainly PM you if I need a helping hand – thank you my dear! xxoo!
Okay, I SWEAR I commented on this post! But I don’t see it here… so I will comment again. But if this is a duplicate comment, forgive me!!
I’m glad ya’ll managed to have a great time on your hike, even though the weather left a little to be desired! But I see beer was involved, so I know it was at least eventful! 😉 LOVE this dish, girlfriend! You used some fabulous flavors and ingredients here.. I mean curry, pork AND tofu!? Holy YUM!! I’ll take at least 3 bowls! Cheers, girlfriend!
I’m pretty sure you already commented too. I’ve been switching hosting companies and so I’ve been losing some recent data (Grrr). Good lord, I hope you never have to switch yours because it is a pain in the you know what! I hope you have a great weekend!
This looks fantastic, Kathleen! Love the idea of doing the crispy tofu! And you look great on your hike 😀
One of my favourite things in the summer is to go on hiking trips with a basket, blanket and many tasty treats. Your hiking trip looks like a lot of fun and your Thai red curry must have been the perfect ending to a beautiful day!
Nice recipe, Kathleen! It looks delicious 🙂