Balinese Vegetable and Tofu Curry Recipe (Sayur Kare)

Sayur kare a vegetarian/vegan Balinese vegetable and tofu curry served with Jasmine rice.

Balinese Vegetable and Tofu Curry Recipe (Sayur Kare)

My take on a Balinese vegetable and tofu curry is based on a dish called sayur kari, and it features a homemade curry paste, loads of veggies and firm tofu in a spicy coconut milk sauce. It's both vegetarian and vegan.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Anglo Balinese

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword balinese curry, balinese vegetable curry, sayur kare, tofu vegetable curry

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings Servings

Calories 816kcal

Author Brian Jones

Ingredients

For the Bumbu Bali Curry Paste:

4 Hazelnuts
1 Medium-Large Shallot 50g
6 Garlic Cloves
15 g Ginger ½ Thumb-Sized Piece
6 Red Thai Birds Eye Chilli Peppers
½ Stick Lemon Grass
4 Lime Leaves
1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Sugar
1 tablespoon Neutral Cooking Oil

For the Curry:

2 tablespoon Neutral Cooking Oil
200 ml Coconut Milk ¾ Cup + 1 tablespoon
200 ml Vegetable Stock ¾ Cup + 1 tablespoon
2 Lime Leaves
½ Stick Lemon Grass
2 Medium Hot Chilli Peppers
3 Small Carrots 125g Total
200 g Small Baby Potatoes 1 Cup
200 g Firm Tofu 7oz
1 Small Courgette 150g (Zucchini)
100 g Runner Beans ¾-1 Cup
Salt as Required
Fresh Coriander to Garnish

Instructions

Begin by making the spice paste, place the hazel nuts in a small bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover them, then set them aside whilst you prepare the remaining ingredients for the spice paste.
Top and tail the shallot, roughly chop it and transfer it to a mini blender or pestle and mortar. I prefer to start with a mini blender and then finish off in a pestle and mortar.
Peel the garlic cloves, roughly chop them and add them to the shallots.
Peel the ginger, roughly chop it and add it to the blender.
Remove the stems from the Thai chillies, roughly chop them and toss them in.
Top and tail the stick of lemongrass, and cut it in half, removing any woody outer leaves. Roughly chop the top half and add it to the blender (we will use the bottom half later).
Remove the stems from the lime leaves for the paste, discard them, then add the leaves to the blender.
Drain the hazelnuts, discarding the water and add them to the mix.
Finally, add the coriander, turmeric, salt, sugar and cooking oil. Blend to a fairly smooth paste, then transfer it to a pestle and mortar and bash it until it is completely broken down.
Heat a wok over a medium-high heat, add the oil, followed by the curry paste and stir for 2-3 minutes.
Pour in the coconut milk and the vegetable stock and cook until the oils start to split. This will take 3-5 minutes.
Whilst the curry sauce is cooking, slice the medium hot chilli peppers into fairly thin rounds.
Cut the small carrots into 1cm (just under ½") lengths.
Bash the remaining half of the lemongrass with the back of a knife to bruise it a little.
Add the chilli peppers, carrots, baby potatoes, lemongrass, and lime leaves for the curry to the sauce, bring everything to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, add a lid, and cook until the potatoes are tender. This will take around 15-18 minutes.
Now is a good time to taste the sauce and add salt if necessary.
Whilst the potatoes are cooking, cut the tofu into a 2cm (¾") dice and dry it on some kitchen paper.
Cut the courgette into 1cm (just under ½") thick rounds.
Top and tail the runner beans and then cut them into 2cm (¾") lengths at a 45° angle to the bean.
Once the potatoes are tender, add the tofu, courgette, and runner beans to the wok and cook for a final 5 minutes.
Serve with a rice side dish of your choice and fresh coriander.

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