Recipe: Kokako's Thai coconut tofu curry with pawpaw

Kokako Cafe's Thai curried coconut tofu with green pawpaw and a crisp beansprout and chilli salad. Photo / Ted Baghurst

This recipe, from head chef Rohan Horner, makes an amazing light dinner option for a balmy evening.

The warm curried tofu is complemented by a crisp salad and a surprising punch of lime. Delicious.

Serves 4 people.

To make the curry paste

• 4 coriander roots
• 1 small knob of ginger
• 2 fresh red chilli
• 2 shallots
• 1 stick of lemon grass (bashed and diced)
• 8 garlic cloves
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 2 star anise
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

Method:

1. Peel the shallots, ginger, and garlic.
2. Cut and discard the top third of the stick of lemon grass
3. Bash the remaining lemon grass with a rolling pin and remove the outside 2 layers.
4. Dice as fine as possible
5. Dice the remaining vegetables into approx 1cm cubes and place all ingredients into a food processer.
6. Blend until a fine paste.

To make the curry sauce:

• 2 cups of coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons of canola oil
• 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar
• 2 tablespoons tamari sauce
• Lime juice
• Preserved lemongrass
• 3 cups of firm tofu (I use Tonzu tofu available from most good supermarkets)

Method:

1. Heat oil in a large pan until smoking hot.
2. Add the curry paste and fry for 5mins; or until the paste has coloured lightly and when you smell the paste the chilli tickles your nostrils.
3. Add the coconut sugar and cook for a further 5 minutes, allowing the sugar to caramelise slightly.
4. Quickly add the coconut milk, tamari sauce and bruised lemongrass.
5. Bring to the boil. Once boiled remove from the heat and add the juice of 2 limes.
6. Add tofu into the hot sauce crushing it through your fingers as you go.

To garnish

Combine in a small mixing bowl:

• 1 ½ cups of bean sprouts
• ½ a cup of roughly chopped coriander
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced
• 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds

To serve:

Ladle curry tofu into 4 bowls and serve with the crisp salad and a wedge of fresh lime on top.

Get more info on Kokako here, or drop by their vegetarian cafe at 537 Great North Road, Grey Lynn. To make sure you're on the list for more recipes, sign up to our newsletter. We're also on Facebook and Twitter.