Red Curry with Tofu & Rice
Tofu cubes browned in olive oil, then simmered in a fragrant red curry sauce with coconut milk, bell pepper, and spinach wilted right into the pot. Brown rice soaks up every drop.
The whole plate takes 20 minutes and lands at 818 kcal with 10 grams of fiber from the rice and vegetables, plus enough fat and complex carbs to keep you full deep into the evening.
Tofu cubes browned in olive oil, then simmered in a fragrant red curry sauce with coconut milk, bell pepper, and spinach wilted right into the pot. Brown rice soaks up every drop.
The whole plate takes 20 minutes and lands at 818 kcal with 10 grams of fiber from the rice and vegetables, plus enough fat and complex carbs to keep you full deep into the evening.
Ingredients
- brown rice 3 oz
- onion 0.5
- garlic 1 clove
- bell pepper 1
- tofu 3 oz
- olive oil 1.5 tbsp
- coconut milk 3 fl oz
- water 0.25 cup
- red curry paste 1 tbsp
- spinach 2 handfuls
Method
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Cook the rice according to the package instructions.
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Heat a splash of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and cut the bell pepper into strips. Sauté the onion and garlic until soft.
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Cut the tofu into cubes and add to the pan. Cook until lightly browned on all sides.
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Add the bell pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.
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Add the red curry paste, coconut milk, and water. Stir well and let simmer for 5 minutes.
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Add the spinach and stir until wilted.
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Serve the curry over the rice.
When you add the spinach in the last step, it wilts directly into the coconut milk sauce. Researchers tested 14 different liquids with spinach and found coconut milk was the only plant-based option that improved lutein availability by 42%. The mechanism is driven by coconut protein, not the fat content, so even this amount of coconut milk contributes.
The olive oil you sauté in adds a second layer. When researchers compared oils head-to-head, olive oil's unsaturated fatty acids pulled over 55% more carotenoids from vegetables into the bloodstream than coconut oil managed. Spinach is loaded with carotenoids beyond just lutein, so the olive oil base at the start and the coconut milk finish target different parts of how your body accesses those nutrients.
Neelissen et al. 2023 · Nutrients · DOIWhy This Works
Behind this recipe
Can I use a different plant milk instead of coconut milk?
You can, but the research behind this recipe is specific to coconut milk. Out of 14 liquids tested, coconut milk was the only plant-based option that improved lutein liberation from spinach. Oat milk and almond milk had no significant effect. Soymilk actually reduced available lutein by 40-61%. The mechanism is coconut protein holding the milk together as a stable emulsion during digestion, not the fat content.
Is 23g of protein enough for a dinner?
That depends on your daily target. This plate's 23g of protein comes from the tofu and brown rice combined. For context, protein provides about 11% of this meal's energy. If you need more, the easiest move is to double the tofu to 6 oz, which roughly doubles the protein without changing the cooking process.
Does cooking the spinach reduce the nutrients?
Cooking actually helps in this case. Heat breaks down the plant cell walls in spinach, which releases lutein from the leaf matrix. Once released, the coconut milk's protein helps make that lutein more available during digestion. Raw spinach keeps the lutein locked inside intact cells, so wilting it into a hot sauce works in your favor here.
