Malaysian Curry Tofu. Delicious fried tofu balls simmered in an aromatic coconut curry sauce made in one pot! Easily made in 30 minutes. This is vegan.
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What is Malaysian Curry Tofu?
Malaysian Curry Tofu features fried tofu balls cooked in a delicious, smooth curry sauce made with coconut milk, stock, garlic, onions, ginger with a homemade curry powder mix. This is best served as a main dish with white rice or brown rice.
What sets Malaysian curry apart from others is that it has sweet and savory notes and it usually contains lemongrass. For my version, if you can't find lemongrass you can easily omit it.
This is an authentic curry dish that I have developed over time to finally nail and share with you here! The homemade curry powder mix is created from a variety of spices that offer a great deep flavour profile. You may already have most of the spices in your pantry!
My husband's family is actually from Malaysia and my mother-in-law creates the best curries I've ever had in my life! As such, I am always asking her for tips to share on how to make curry and I will share it all here in this blog post!
The key to this a delicious Malaysian curry is to use a variety of spices and coconut milk! Coconut milk is often used in Malaysian cuisine giving their stews or curries a delicious nutty but creamy taste.
Ingredients
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Fried tofu balls: these are the best vessel to soak up those delicious curry flavors! You can find them at most Asian Grocery Stores in the refrigerated section where the tofu is. As a last resort, you can substitute with firm tofu or extra firm tofu. Smoked firm tofu can also work.
- Yellow cooking onion: or sub with a small white onion.
- Fresh ginger
- Fresh garlic cloves
- Fresh lemongrass: optional and can be found at many Asian grocery stores
- Vegetable stock: if you're not vegan or vegetarian you can sub with chicken stock
- Whole fat coconut milk: this is especially important for the curry sauce. Be sure to mix the coconut milk so the coconut water and coconut fat are equally distributed. Avoid using light or lite coconut milk. Do not simply substitute with milk.
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil or any heavy scented oils with a low smoke point.
Curry Powder Mix
- Salt
- Ground coriander
- Chilli powder: this is not the same as chili flakes. It must be a chili powder.
- Fennel seeds
- Turmeric powder
- Cinnamon powder
- Ground nutmeg
- Black pepper
- Cloves
- Star anise
- Bay leaves
Expert Tips
- Use fresh aromatics (onions, ginger, garlic and lemongrass). These are the key aromatic ingredients to this curry sauce and they need to be fresh.
- Fry your spices before adding liquids. As a result, your curry will be more flavourful as the heat brings out the flavours in your spices
- Use whole fat coconut milk. Malaysians use coconut milk in most of their curries and it offers a wonderful aroma to your dish. Avoid using light coconut milk or milk as it'll be too viscous for this recipe.
- Use a food processor to help you grind the onion, ginger and garlic. This makes the preparation process faster and easier.
How to make Malaysian Curry Tofu
- In a small bowl, combine curry powder ingredients with a whisk. Set aside.
- Into a food processor or blender, grind onion, ginger, garlic and lemongrass (optional). If you don't have a food processor or blender, chop these ingredients finely. Set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a medium-sized pot. Fry onions, garlic, ginger and lemongrass (optional) until soft and translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add curry powder mix. Stir fry until everything begins to steam.
- Then toss in fried tofu balls.
- Add coconut milk and vegetable stock and mix well.
- Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Reduce to medium-heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sauce has reduced by half. Serve and enjoy with rice!
Storage & Reheating
Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
Other curry recipes you may like!
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Malaysian Curry Tofu
Ingredients
- 5 oz Fried Tofu Balls or sub with firm tofu
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 inch ginger
- 2 tablespoon garlic
- 1 tablespoon lemongrass optional, only use the white bottom part of the stem and do not use the green or hard stems
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup coconut milk whole fat kind
- 1 tsp vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Curry Powder Mix:
- 6 cloves
- 2 star anise
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine curry powder ingredients with a whisk. Set aside.
- Into a food processor or blender, grind onion, ginger, garlic and lemongrass (optional). If you don't have a food processor or blender, chop these ingredients finely. Set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a medium-sized pot. Fry onions, garlic, ginger and lemongrass (optional) until soft and translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add curry powder mix. Stir fry until everything begins to steam.
- Then toss in fried tofu balls.
- Add coconut milk and vegetable stock and mix well.
- Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Reduce to medium-heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sauce has reduced by half. Serve and enjoy with rice!
Amy
I love this recipe. So glad I found it. It’s in my weekly rotation now 🙂 it’s even better the next day!! I had added king oyster mushrooms and carrot in it, omg delicious. So so good. The flavour is unreal. We eat it with basmati rice. Thank you!!
christieathome
I am so thrilled to read this Amy! So happy you enjoy my curry tofu dish and yum love the added veggies! Have a lovely day!
Alipore
I brought this to a SE Asian-themed dinner party and it was a hit! Couldn't find tofu balls so instead I lightly roasted/baked small florets of cauliflower that had been mixed with some of the curry powder, along with cubes of tofu that had been mixed with chilli powder. (I used an oiled nonstick baking tin). I added these to the pot along with peas, inspired by an earlier comment. Yum. So fragrant and flavorful!
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe Alipore! I'm so happy to hear that your guests found it to be a hit with the substitutes! This comment brings me so much joy.
Olga
I used far less broth and a little more coconut milk so that it had the consistency that I wanted. Also used seitan "chicken" instead of the tofu. Turned out divine
christieathome
Fantastic to hear! Thanks for making my recipe and glad you enjoyed it, Olga!
Megan
This has become a classic in my house. I add cauliflower and peas to get some extra veggies in there but this recipe is delicious as is.
christieathome
Thank you so much Megan for making my recipe! I'm so happy it's become a classic in your house. Those additions sound so good for that extra fibre! Have a lovely day!
Chris
How do you make the fried tofu balls?
christieathome
Apologies for the confusion, these are store bought fried tofu balls that you can purchase at most Asian grocers in the tofu section.
Chris
Thanks Christie,
I went to an Asian supermarket and found them there. And then last night I made it for the family. Really enjoyed it thanks!
Regards, all the way from South Africa.
christieathome
Amazing! So glad you were able to find them! Very happy you and your family enjoyed it 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend!
Christie
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
I really love that you created this curry recipe using tips from your mother-in-law. Recipes handed down from family are the very best!
Sherri
Totally in love with this curry! The flavors sound simply magical and it looks absolutely stunning! My stomach is growling now! 🙂
Rebecca Dillon
Yum! I love curry. I'm going to love trying out this dish.