Tofu Panang

I don't know where my love of Thai food came from...  Maybe it was because I never tried it until I was in my 20's (man was I missing out).  Maybe it was because I was not exposed to the amazing flavors and textures that Thai food has as a kid, so I was a little afraid of it.  Maybe it was because when I heard the word "curry," I assumed it was going to be overly spicy and burn my tongue off.  Man oh man am I glad I gave it a try because it turns out, I have a crazy love for Thai food.  I have been eating Thai food for only about 10 years now, and up to the last few years, it was just occasionally, and always take out/delivery.

I get serious cravings for this stuff.  I love the curries, noodles, spring rolls, soups...  And as hard as I thought it would be to make, I find myself easily throwing together a Thai dish in no time!  Once you have a few staple ingredients in your pantry and/or fridge, you can whip up a fully flavorful Thai dish in no time, no delivery required!

I always have a couple of can of coconut milk in the pantry, along with curry paste and fish sauce in the fridge, which I use for other recipes.  I used brown sugar since I did not have palm sugar, and just happened to have some lemongrass in the fridge from another recipe I made a few days ago.  I chose tofu for this particular recipe (you can use chicken or shrimp) because my husband is out of town, and my daughter is not really a meat eater yet.  She does however like tofu, as do I, and I happened to have some in the fridge.  I really hope you give this recipe a try and love it as much as I do!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp coconut oil (or you can use canola oil), divided
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly at an angle
1 green bell pepper, seeds removed and cut into bite size pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and cut into bite size pieces
1/2 large onion cut into larger chunks
2 stalks of lemongrass, peeled and cut in half at an angle
1 package extra firm tofu, cut into bit size cubes (this would also work with chicken breast or shrimp)
2 heaping tbsp. red curry paste (you want the one that has lemongrass, thai basil, and
1 tsp. ground coriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin
1 tbsp. ground dry roasted peanuts (smash them till they are like a powder)
1 can coconut milk
1 tomato cut into bite size pieces
1 tbsp brown sugar
1.5 tbsp fish sauce or more to taste

Directions:
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok or large skillet on medium high heat.  Add carrots, peppers, onion, and lemongrass.  Cook until veggies are almost softened (you still want a little crunch), about 3 or 4 minutes.  Remove veggies from wok and set aside.  Add the remaining oil and the cubed tofu and cook until slightly browned.  Be careful turning as the tofu can break apart easily.  Add the red curry paste to the wok, along with the coriander, cumin, and ground peanuts.  Stir around for a minute, then add the coconut milk.  Add veggies back to wok, tomato, fish sauce, and brown sugar, and stir to combine.  Turn heat down to medium and let simmer for a few minutes to combine flavors.  Serve as is or over rice.