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    Home » One Pot Meals

    Malaysian Tofu Curry

    Published: Oct 27, 2022 by Richa 27 Comments

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe

    Perfectly spiced with a homemade mild curry powder, this Malaysian tofu coconut curry with crisp tofu is a quick, easy, and deliciously flavorful vegan comfort food meal made in one pan. Serve with rice.

    malaysian coconut curry with crispy tofu served with a side of rice

    You will love this Easy Malaysian-inspired Tofu and Veggie Curry. This quick vegan curry is a comforting southeast Asian curry that is also super easily adaptable to your own taste and the ingredients you have on hand.

    Add any seasoning you like, veggies, or change up the protein. Many countries and regions in Southeast Asia have their own versions of curry.

    Malaysian cuisine has been influenced by the cuisines of Indonesia, India, Thailand, and other countries making it especially flavorful. The curries, roti canai, rendang, Masi lemak(coconut rice), murtabak, Laksa soup! As always with Asian cooking, recipes vary a bit based on the family influence, the restaurants, and so on. So tweak this and make it truly yours.

    creamy Malaysian tofu coconut milk curry in a black skillet sprinkled with cilantro

    To make this Soyfree, use chickpea tofu or seitan or a vegan chicken substitute. substitute  the soy sauce with coconut aminos.

    To make it coconut free, use other thick non dairy milk or choice.

    Malaysian Coconut curry with crispy tofu served with a side of rice

    What makes this curry so special are the crispy tofu cubes. We season and fry the tofu before we add them to the curry. This gives them a wonderfully crisp outside.

    menu you’ll love this Tofu coconut curry

    • it used just 1 pan
    • Use up all leftover veggies in the curry
    • it uses everyday ingredients
    • it is super quick and satisfying
    • It is nutfree and has gluten-free option
    • it also can be made without tofu

    two bowls with rice and malaysian coconut tofu curry served with two golden spoons

    More tofu curries:

    Malai Tofu Curry; Vegan Malai Paneer

    Baked Tofu Curry (Easy Tofu Makhani)

    Madras Curry Tofu Casserole

    Vegan Tofu Katsu Curry

    Print Recipe
    5 from 16 votes

    Malaysian Tofu Curry

    Perfectly spiced with a homemade mild curry blend this Malaysian tofu coconut curry with crisp tofu is a quick, easy, and deliciously flavorful vegan comfort food meal made in one pan. Serve with rice. 
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time25 mins
    Total Time40 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Asian
    Keyword: malaysian curry, tofu curry recipe
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 235kcal
    Author: Vegan Richa

    Ingredients

    For the tofu:

    • 14 ounce firm or extra firm tofu pressed for at least 15 minutes and cubed or sliced as you like
    • 1 teaspoon oil
    • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon curry powder

    For the curry:

    • 2 teaspoons oil
    • 1/4 cup chopped onion
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 tablespoon curry powder , see notes for making your own quick curry powder
    • 1 tablespoon all purpose flour , use 2 tsp gluten-free flour blend or rice flour or cornstarch to make it Glutenfree
    • 3/4 teaspoon salt or to preference
    • 1 teaspoon soy sauce or use tamari for Glutenfree
    • 1 teaspoon tomato paste or use ketchup
    • 1/2 teaspoon of sugar or maple syrup
    • 15 ounce can of coconut milk
    • 2 cups of veggies such as zucchini, carrots, pepper, peas.
    • cilantro and lime juice for garnish

    Instructions

    • Crisp up your tofu: To a large bowl, add your pressed and cubed tofu then add in the soy sauce, garlic powder, black pepper, and curry powder and toss well to coat.
    • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil then add in your tofu cubes and cook until golden on some of the edges. Transfer the tofu to a bowl.
    • Make the curry: add in another teaspoon of oil, the onion and garlic, and a pinch of salt and cook until the onion is golden.
    • Then add in your curry powder and mix in and cook the spice for half a minute. Then add in the flour and mix in for a few seconds,
    • Add in salt, soy sauce, tomato paste, and mix in. If using longer cooking vegetables like carrots, add them now and cook for 2-3 minutes.
    • Add in the rest of the vegetables, salt, sugar, coconut milk then mix in. Cover and cook for 9-12 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked to preference.
    • Add the peas in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Taste and adjust salt and flavor then fold in half of your tofu.
    • Garnish with lime juice and pour over rice. Add in more crispy tofu while serving in each bowl.

    Notes

    To make your own curry powder, mix 2 teaspoons of ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric, 1/8 teaspoon of cardamom, 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.
     Soyfree, use chickpea tofu or seitan or a vegan chicken substitute instead of tofu. substitute the soy sauce with coconut aminos.
    Coconut free, use other thick non dairy milk or choice.
    Oilfree: use water/broth to sauté the curry. Bake the marinated tofu for 20 mins. Then combine half with the curry 
    No Onion Garlic: Use zucchini or fennel instead of onion. Omit the garlic. Add 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard or dried fenugreek leaves or a good pinch asafetida(hing)

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Malaysian Tofu Curry
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 235 Calories from Fat 135
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 15g23%
    Saturated Fat 8g50%
    Sodium 682mg30%
    Potassium 240mg7%
    Carbohydrates 13g4%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 3g3%
    Protein 11g22%
    Vitamin A 151IU3%
    Vitamin C 13mg16%
    Calcium 152mg15%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    marinated tofu and several sides of veggies on a marble countertop

    Ingredients:

    • I recommend firm or extra firm tofu for this recipe. As we panfry the tofu, we need something sturdy
    • the tofu is seasoned with a blend of garlic powder, black pepper, curry powder and soy sauce
    • we get the flavors going by sauteeing onions and garlic
    • the curry sauce is seasoned with curry powder – you can use store-bought but homemade is best
    • coconut milk is the base of our sauce
    • some flour is used to thicken the gravy
    • we use soy sauce for seasoning the curry. You can also use tamari for Glutenfree
    • tomato paste or ketchup boost the umami
    • sugar or maple syrup is added for balancing the savory with a bit of sweetness
    • veggies: add your favorite veggies like zucchini, carrots, pepper, or peas to bulk this curry up
    • for garnishing, sprinkle with some cilantro or lime juice

    Tips:

    • make sure to press the tofu before you marinate and panfry the tofu
    • depending on which veggies you want to add, you want to adjust the time when to add them. The same goes for fresh spinach and frozen peas.

    How to make Malaysian Tofu Curry

    marinated tofu frying in a black sauteeing pan

    Crisp up your tofu: To a large bowl, add your pressed and cubed tofu then add in the soy sauce, garlic powder, black pepper, and curry powder and toss well to coat.

    Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil then add in your tofu slices and cook until golden on some of the edges. Transfer the tofu to a bowl.


    ginger and onion sauteeing in a black skillet

    Make the curry: add in a teaspoon of oil, the onion and garlic, and a pinch of salt and cook until the onion is golden.

    Then add in your curry powder and mix in and cook the spice for half a minute. Then add in the flour and mix in for a few seconds.

    chopped sauteed veggies in a black skillet

    Add in salt, soy sauce, and tomato paste, and mix in. If using longer-cooking vegetables like carrots, add them now and cook for 2-3 minutes.

    chopped sauteed veggies and garlic in a skillet

    Add in the rest of the vegetables, salt, sugar, coconut milk then mix in. Cover and cook for 9-12 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked to preference.

    coconut milk being added to spiced veggie mix in a black skillet

     

    coconut curry in a sauteeing pan

    You can add the peas in the last 2 minutes of cooking.

    Taste and adjust salt and flavor then fold in half of your tofu. Garnish with lime juice and pour over rice. Add in more crispy tofu while serving in each bowl.

    crispy tofu and peas being added to a sauteeing pan with coconut curry

    creamy Malaysian tofu coconut curry in a sauteeing pan

    Storage:

    Refrigerate in a closed container for upto 3 days.

    two bowls with Malaysian tofu curry served with rice

     

     

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    « Shahi Tofu Kofta Casserole
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    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you Love the Recipe, Please consider rating it using stars in comments! It helps readers and helps more people find the recipe online! I love hearing from you all! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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    1. Beth

      March 26, 2023 at 11:47 am

      5 stars
      Like so many other posters, this is so darn DELICIOUS — so much so that my carnivore-eating partner loved it so much he took all my leftovers to lunch. Another winning recipe for the books – thank you Richa! You make cooking a pleasure when every recipe of yours I make turns out amazing.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        March 27, 2023 at 6:38 pm

        yay! thank you so much!

        Reply
    2. Sonia

      February 07, 2023 at 5:03 pm

      5 stars
      Richa, I am a long time reader of your site and probably half the things I cook at home are your recipes. This might be my favorite recipe yet. I just made it for the first time and it was DELICIOUS! My husband said it was one of the best tofu dishes he’s ever had (let alone that I’ve cooked), and I think I agree with him! This one is definitely going into the regular rotation 🙂

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        February 08, 2023 at 9:25 pm

        How wonderful to hear! Thank you for the kind comment, Sonia.

        Reply
    3. Franny

      January 18, 2023 at 6:47 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious, Richa! I made this tonight and it was fab. I love the mild and creamy flavor of this curry, with the gentle zing of lime juice and delicious veggies and crispy tofu. I will definitely make this again! Thanks for another keeper recipe! 💖 Hugs, Franny

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        January 19, 2023 at 6:17 pm

        Thank you for your kind comment, Franny!

        Reply
    4. Esther

      January 04, 2023 at 9:01 pm

      5 stars
      Tasted like it came from a restaurant!

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        January 06, 2023 at 12:24 pm

        Fabulous!

        Reply
    5. Christina

      December 11, 2022 at 3:56 pm

      5 stars
      My family absolutely loved this! Thanks, Richa!

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        December 14, 2022 at 10:17 pm

        Wonderful!

        Reply
    6. Leia

      November 05, 2022 at 10:15 am

      5 stars
      This was great! I used broccoli as the vegetable. My toddlers loved it too 🙂

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        November 08, 2022 at 10:40 am

        Yum broccoli!

        Reply
    7. Cheryl

      November 01, 2022 at 3:37 pm

      5 stars
      This was delicious!! I never need your instructions about leftovers cause there’s never any left.

      Reply
      • Richa

        November 01, 2022 at 9:41 pm

        Thanks so much, Cheryl!

        Reply
    8. Leslie

      October 31, 2022 at 10:52 am

      5 stars
      We’ve tested this recipe yesterday and it was incredible ! Lot of flavours, thank you so much ! ♥

      Reply
      • Richa

        October 31, 2022 at 9:21 pm

        Yay

        Reply
    9. Maneesha

      October 30, 2022 at 3:09 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious, Richa! Loved it!! This curry flavor is incredible! Please do share some more Malaysian/Indonesian recipes!

      Reply
      • Richa

        October 31, 2022 at 9:21 pm

        Awesome! Yes got some lined up

        Reply
    10. Lucy

      October 28, 2022 at 11:19 pm

      Hello,
      For the homemade curry powder, what type of mustard do you mean? Is it black mustard seeds? Thanks.

      Reply
      • Richa

        October 29, 2022 at 2:12 pm

        Ground mustard

        Reply
    11. Annie

      October 28, 2022 at 11:58 am

      5 stars
      I made this last night, using seitan instead of tofu. I added a sprinkle of methi leaves at the end, and some Kashmiri chilli to the curry powder, but otherwise used the ingredients as in the recipe. (Oh! I left out the sweetener.). It was so yummy that I ate half of the planned leftovers, too! Definitely one to make again and to share with friends who don’t like much chilli in their food.

      Reply
      • Richa

        October 29, 2022 at 2:12 pm

        Awesome

        Reply
    12. jiva

      October 28, 2022 at 2:39 am

      looks very nice can’t wait to try it out .If one does not like onions or garlic Asafoatida is a good substitute it is very powerful i never use more than quarter of a spoon

      Reply
    13. Linnea

      October 27, 2022 at 5:57 pm

      5 stars
      Perfect weeknight dinner!

      Reply
      • Richa

        October 27, 2022 at 7:42 pm

        Awesome!

        Reply
      • Linnea

        December 15, 2022 at 1:43 pm

        5 stars
        This has officially made the weekly rotation in our house!

        Reply
        • Vegan Richa Support

          December 16, 2022 at 2:24 pm

          Yay! 🙂

          Reply

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