Best Pad Ped With Tofu | Red Curry Stir Fry

Pad Ped With Tofu is a spicy, delicious, and easy-to-prepare Thai curry where the tofu, bamboo shoots, other fresh seasonal veggies, and fresh basil leaves are added to stir-fried red curry paste and then served with steamed rice for lunch/dinner.  Comes under 250 calories and takes about 30 minutes to prepare.

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• Ingredients for Pad Ped With Tofu
• Step by Step recipe for Pad Ped
• Expert Chef Tips
• You may also love these Tofu recipes
• Recipe card
• User Reviews

My family loves Thai food, and we go to Thai restaurants when we are traveling to different places. We first had this at the Thai Cuisine Restaurant in Myrtle Beach, SC, and wanted to try this out at home. The outcome was a big hit, and from then, it has become one of our frequent Thai recipes at home.

You can substitute Tofu with Paneer or your favorite protein like chicken or shrimp or salmon.

If you love Thai cuisine and wish to try some of their recipes at home, then please check out the following dishes from our blog - Thai Crunchy Vegetable Salad, Quick and Simple Thai Mango Fried Rice, the Tastiest Thai Popcorn for your next movie night, the most delicious Thai Sticky Rice, etc.

Ingredients for Pad Ped With Tofu

Tofu is the protein component of the dish, and popular veggies used in Thai Cuisine, such as Bamboo Shoots, Red/Green Bell Pepper(Capsicum), Green Peas, Sugar snap peas, etc., can be used in the dish. Substitute Tofu with your choice of protein. Use any seasonal veggies of your choice.

Fresh Basil leaves for their fresh, fragrant flavors. Use Thai Basil for an authentic, strong flavor.

Coconut Milk for its creaminess and richness.

Red curry paste - where different aromatic vegetables and spices are ground to a fine paste. For ease, you can also use store-bought paste.

Brown Sugar to balance the flavors. Use palm sugar or jaggery for authentic flavors.

Ingredients For Red Curry Paste

Lemon Grass, Onion, Garlic cloves, Dry Red Chili, Ginger, Cumin Seeds, Coriander seeds, Peppercorns, Lemon juice, Lemon/Lime zest, and Water are ground into a smooth paste. Use Galangal instead of Ginger, and Kafir Lime Leaf instead of Lemon/Lime zest when preparing Red Curry paste for authentic Thai flavor.

Step by Step recipe for Pad Ped

1. Grind all the ingredients listed for red curry paste to form a thick, smooth paste.
2. Transfer this to a non-stick pan on medium heat along with some oil, and saute for 5 to 8 minutes till the moisture evaporates and the oil separates.
3. Now add a splash of water, veggies, brown sugar, salt to taste and saute for about 2 minutes.
4. Add the tofu, coconut milk, and fresh basil leaves, and bring it to a boil on medium flame.
5. Pad Ped With Tofu is now ready. Serve with hot steamed rice, and enjoy.

Expert Chef Tips

• Vary the amount of dry red chillis as per your taste. You can also add red chilli powder instead.
• If you like your dish to be more saucy or curry-like, as shown in the picture, add 1 can of coconut milk instead of ¼ cup.
• For authentic Thai taste, make sure to get your ingredients from an Asian supermarket. For example, use lemon grass, galangal, Kafir Lime leaves, palm sugar/jaggery, Thai basil, etc.
• You can also use store-bought Thai Red Curry Paste, instead of making it at home.
• Substitute Tofu with the protein of your choice. I like to substitute them with chicken, shrimp, or fish.
• Skip the salt and substitute with 2 teaspoon of Thai soy sauce.

You may also love these Tofu recipes

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