Vegan curries are among my favorite comfort foods. I love a good curry, and I love how every culture has it’s own variety of curry. I’ve recreated so many international curries on this site, from Indian curies like chana masala, to Thai curries like red curry and green curry, to vegan Japanese curry and even a Caribbean-inspired curry. I love them all! Today I’m sharing a recipe for a Chinese-style vegan curry. I love this one because it’s like a hybrid of a curry and a stir-fry. Crispy fried tofu and stir-fried peppers give it elements of a typical Chinese stir-fry, but then everything gets simmered in a thick gravy that has similar flavors to some Indian and Japanese curries, but is thickened with cornstarch, giving it a consistency similar to thick Chinese soups like hot and sour. It all gets served over rice to create a delicious meal that tastes like it came from a restaurant, but is actually really easy to whip up at home!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Vegetable broth. Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if you’d like. The entire recipe can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free tamari. Curry powder. Different brands of curry powder will vary in their flavor profiles, so use one that you really like. I developed this recipe using McCormick curry powder. Chinese five spice. This spice blend can be found in the spice aisle of most supermarkets. Ground turmeric. Sugar. Use organic sugar to keep the recipe vegan. Conventional (non-organic) sugar is often bleached using animal bone char. Cornstarch. Peanut oil. Any high-heat oil you normally like to cook with can be substituted. Corn oil, canola oil, and vegetable oil will all work. Tofu. The recipe calls for super-firm tofu, which is very dense and easy to work with. You can swap it out with extra-firm or firm tofu if you’d like, but these varieties need to be pressed before cooking. Onion. Red bell pepper. Prefer an orange, yellow or green bell pepper? Use it! Garlic. Ginger. Frozen peas. Scallions. These are also known as green onions. Rice. Chinese curry is typically served over rice, you could use another grain like quinoa as well. Jasmine rice is my personal preference for this dish.
Tip: Feel free to switch up the bell peppers with your favorite stir-fry veggies, or just add veggies (there’s plenty of sauce for them). Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, green beans and carrots would all be good choices!
How It’s Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe! Tip: You may not be able to fit all of your tofu cubes in an even layer in your wok or skillet. If this is the case, fry them in batches. Tip: The heat level you use to cook this stir-fry will depend on what type of cookware you’re using. A wok will generally get much hotter than a flat-bottomed skillet, so medium high-heat will do. A skillet will likely need high-heat. Remove the wok or skillet from heat and add chopped scallions. Your vegan Chinese curry is ready to enjoy! Tip: This curry is served right away, as the tofu won’t stay crispy in sauce for long. If you’re not planning on digging in immediately, consider keeping the tofu separate and adding it right before serving.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover vegan Chinese curry will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. The tofu will get soggy as it sits in the sauce, but it will still taste good!
More Chinese Tofu Recipes
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