This vegan Chinese curry is made with crispy tofu and veggies in a flavor-packed sauce! It's easy to make and absolutely delicious.
Vegan curries are among my favorite comfort foods. I love a good curry, and I love how every culture has it's own variety of curry.
I've recreated so many international curries on this site, from Indian curies like chana masala, to Thai curries like red curry and green curry, to vegan Japanese curry and even a Caribbean-inspired curry. I love them all!
Today I'm sharing a recipe for a Chinese-style vegan curry. I love this one because it's like a hybrid of a curry and a stir-fry. Crispy fried tofu and stir-fried peppers give it elements of a typical Chinese stir-fry, but then everything gets simmered in a thick gravy that has similar flavors to some Indian and Japanese curries, but is thickened with cornstarch, giving it a consistency similar to thick Chinese soups like hot and sour.
It all gets served over rice to create a delicious meal that tastes like it came from a restaurant, but is actually really easy to whip up at home!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Vegetable broth.
- Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if you'd like. The entire recipe can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free tamari.
- Curry powder. Different brands of curry powder will vary in their flavor profiles, so use one that you really like. I developed this recipe using McCormick curry powder.
- Chinese five spice. This spice blend can be found in the spice aisle of most supermarkets.
- Ground turmeric.
- Sugar. Use organic sugar to keep the recipe vegan. Conventional (non-organic) sugar is often bleached using animal bone char.
- Cornstarch.
- Peanut oil. Any high-heat oil you normally like to cook with can be substituted. Corn oil, canola oil, and vegetable oil will all work.
- Tofu. The recipe calls for super-firm tofu, which is very dense and easy to work with. You can swap it out with extra-firm or firm tofu if you'd like, but these varieties need to be pressed before cooking.
- Onion.
- Red bell pepper. Prefer an orange, yellow or green bell pepper? Use it!
- Garlic.
- Ginger.
- Frozen peas.
- Scallions. These are also known as green onions.
- Rice. Chinese curry is typically served over rice, you could use another grain like quinoa as well. Jasmine rice is my personal preference for this dish.
Tip: Feel free to switch up the bell peppers with your favorite stir-fry veggies, or just add veggies (there's plenty of sauce for them). Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, green beans and carrots would all be good choices!
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Start by making the gravy. Bring the broth, curry powder, five spice, turmeric, sugar and soy sauce to a boil, then add a slurry formed by mixing the cornstarch with cold water.
Let the mixture continue to simmer just until it thickens up. This should happen very quickly after adding the cornstarch slurry.
Dice your tofu and dredge the pieces in cornstarch. Generously coat the bottom of a wok or large skillet with oil, heat it up, and fry the tofu cubes for a few minutes on each side, until they're golden brown and crispy. Remove them from the wok.
There should be a bit of oil left in your wok. If not, add some. If there's a ton of oil in there, carefully wipe some out. Now add sliced onion and cook it for a few minutes, until it softens up and starts to brown.
Tip: You may not be able to fit all of your tofu cubes in an even layer in your wok or skillet. If this is the case, fry them in batches.
Raise the heat and add sliced bell pepper to the wok. Stir-fry the bell peppers for a few minutes, until they brighten in color and become tender-crisp. Add minced garlic and grated ginger and stir-fry it with the peppers and onions for just a few seconds.
Now very carefully pour the sauce over the vegetables. Make sure not to pour it directly on the hot cooking surface or it will sputter.
Tip: The heat level you use to cook this stir-fry will depend on what type of cookware you're using. A wok will generally get much hotter than a flat-bottomed skillet, so medium high-heat will do. A skillet will likely need high-heat.
Bring the sauce up to a simmer. This shouldn't take more than a few seconds since the cooking surface will be super hot at this point.
Stir in the fried tofu and peas. Let the mixture cook for no more than a few seconds, just to heat everything up.
Remove the wok or skillet from heat and add chopped scallions. Your vegan Chinese curry is ready to enjoy!
Tip: This curry is served right away, as the tofu won't stay crispy in sauce for long. If you're not planning on digging in immediately, consider keeping the tofu separate and adding it right before serving.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover vegan Chinese curry will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. The tofu will get soggy as it sits in the sauce, but it will still taste good!
More Chinese Tofu Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Chinese Curry
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons curry powder, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon Chinese five spice
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons organic granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water, chilled
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
For the Stir-Fry
- ¼ cup peanut oil, plus more as needed
- 1 (16 ounce/454 gram) package super firm tofu cut into ½ inch cubes
- ¼ cup cornstarch, plus more as needed
- 1 small onion, sliced into strips
- 1 medium red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
- 2 scallions, chopped
- Cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
- To make the sauce, place the broth, soy sauce, curry powder, five spice, turmeric and sugar into a small saucepan and place it over high-heat. Stir the mixture occasionally as it heats up.
- While the broth mixture heats up, stir the cold water and cornstarch together in a small container.
- As soon as the broth mixture starts to boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture. The sauce should quickly come back to a boil and thicken. Remove it from heat immediately.
- To make the stir-fry, generously coat the bottom of a large skillet or wok with oil (about â…› inch deep) and place it over medium heat.
- While the oil heats up, place the cornstarch in a bowl and add a few tofu cubes, Dredge the tofu cubes in cornstarch, then carefully add them to the hot oil, in an even layer. (Note 1)
- Cook the tofu cubes for about 10 minutes, carefully turning them halfway through, until golden brown and crispy.
- Remove the tofu cubes from the wok or skillet and transfer them to a plate.
- Add the sliced onion to the wok or skillet. (Note 2) Cook the onion for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until it begins to brown and soften.
- Raise the heat to medium-high (Note 3) and add the bell pepper. Stir-fry the pepper for about 1 minute, just until it starts to brighten in color.
- Add the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry everything for a few seconds.
- Pour the sauce over the peppers (Note 4). Stir everything up and bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Add the fried tofu and peas (Note 5). Stir everything up and remove the wok or skillet from heat.
- Top the curry with chopped scallions and serve over rice.
Notes
- Cook the tofu in batches if it won't all fit in one even layer.
- There should still be a bit of oil in the wok or skillet (enough to give it a good sheen). If it seems very dry, add a dash before adding the onion. If there's a lot of oil in there, very carefully blot some out with a paper towel.
- If you're using a skillet you may want to raise the heat to high, as they generally don't get as hot as woks.
- Be careful not to pour the sauce directly on the hot cooking surface or it will sputter.
- If you're not planning on serving this dish immediately, hold off on adding the tofu until just before serving. It won't stay crispy for long in the sauce.
- Nutrition information does not include rice.
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