I have to admit, I was pretty nervous to try making this dinner at home tonight. All week, I’ve been putting it off! LeeLee and I both love Thai- and Vietnamese-inspired dishes, and their flavors are so complex that I was fearful I couldn’t pull it off – or, worse, spend half an hour preparing a meal only to have to order from Papa John’s at the end of the ordeal. Add to that the fact that there were some negative comments posted at the end of this VegetarianTimes.com recipe – which I read only after I purchased all of the ingredients, of course! – and I was fit to be tied, as we say in the South.
Thankfully, blessedly, my fears proved to be unfounded. This meal was delicious!
While I sautéed the tofu, I pureed the vegetables into a thick paste and then started them cooking in a saucepan (and flipped the rice cooker on while I was at it). I added a can of coconut milk, the curry powder and turmeric (I went a little overboard on the curry powder, but it was ultimately the right call), and then deviated from the recipe a bit and added only about a half-cup of water as well as several generous pinches of sugar and some salt, to taste. Once the rice cooker was finished, I put the broccoli into the saucepan, and tossed the diced tomato in with the tofu. By the time the broccoli was tender, I poured the curry sauce atop the tofu and tomato, blended everything together a bit, and dinner was served!
Now, it could certainly be improved upon, but for my first Thai attempt, I was very pleased with the result. And so was LeeLee, who went back for seconds and thirds! Now the house smells pleasantly of curry, which is not a bad potpourri when you get right down to it.
The stats:
Tofu: $2.99 ($1.50/person)
Lemongrass: $1.99 ($1.00/person)
Ginger: $0.52 ($0.26/person)
Chili pepper: $0.16 ($0.08/person)
Coconut milk: $2.69 ($1.35/person)
Broccoli: $2.99 ($1.50/person)
Carrots: $1.99 ($1.00/person)
Shallot: $0.50 ($0.25/person)
Rice: $0.30 ($0.15/person)
Tomato: $1.00 ($0.50/person)
GRAND TOTAL: $15.13 … or $7.59 per person.
BUT WAIT! This meal makes enough for at least one additional serving. So the per-person price goes down even more!
:)