Thai Green Curry

I love Thai green curry. I always -- yes always -- choose it over the red and yellow curries available at most Thai restaurants. So, if I love it so much then why haven't I made it before? Laziness, really. "But Sara", you say, "you've posted some pretty time consuming dishes. How can you be put off by some curry?" Well, I don't know what to tell ya. I claimed to be lazy, not logical. Fact is, this weak I bit the bullet and tried my hand at my favorite Thai dish.

To be honest, I kind of winged it here. I threw a bunch of stuff in the pot that I thought should be in delicious Thai green curry, crossed my fingers and just hoped for the best. Well, the result was really really good but not as good as my favorite green curry (from Twisted Noodles, for those of you in the Triangle), probably because I missed some secret ingredient. Will I stop ordering from Twisted Noodles now that I can make a pretty good curry for far less than $10 per serving? Absolutely not. These two green curries will have to learn to peacefully share my and Austin's curry cravings.

Thai Green Curry
Makes 4 servings

• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 16 oz firm or extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into about 3/4 inch / 2 cm cubes
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 jalapeños or Thai green chilies, seeded if you'd like and finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 medium new potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch / 1/2 cm thick half moons
• 1 2/3 cups / 400 ml coconut milk (I used the light kind but the full fat stuff would be even more delicious)
• 1 2/3 cups / 400 ml vegetable broth
• 2/3 cups chopped cilantro

1.  In a medium skillet, heat 1/3 cup of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the tofu cubes and fry, flipping occasionally, for about 25 minutes or until the tofu has browned on all sides. Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain.

2.  While the tofu is frying, pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Toss in the garlic, ginger and chilies and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir in the curry paste. Add in the coconut milk, vegetable broth, salt and potatoes. Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper and the zucchini and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the tofu and simmer for 5 more minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

3.  Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the curry hot, over rice or as a soup.