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Kaeng khae with tofu and mushrooms
Herb curry with tofu and mushrooms
Kaeng khae (แกงแค): northern Thai herb-heavy jungle curry, made vegetarian with tofu and mushrooms
Kaeng khae comes from the hills around Chiang Mai and Lampang, where it is cooked through the rainy season with whatever the garden and forest give: pea aubergines, long beans, pumpkin tips, acacia shoots and handfuls of leaves, in a brothy, coconut-free curry scented with lemongrass and the peppery prickly ash called makhwaen. In northern homes it is a lunch dish eaten with sticky rice. It is normally cooked with chicken, frog or fish and seasoned with fermented fish; this vegetarian version uses firm tofu, oyster mushrooms, soy sauce and a little salted soybean paste. With the tofu a portion has about 11 g of protein, so it is light rather than high protein. The common mistake is adding all the vegetables at once: the leaves are done in a minute while the beans and aubergines need five. Chef's tip: dry-fry the curry paste in a spoon of oil until it smells toasty before adding water; it gives the broth its depth without any fish.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the curry paste
- 6 dried red chilliessoaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained
- 2 stalks lemongrasstender part, sliced
- ½ oz galangalsliced
- 4 shallotspeeled
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp makhwaen or Sichuan peppercornstoasted
- ½ tsp salt
For the curry
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 ¾ cups water
- 10 ½ oz firm tofupressed and cut into 2 cm cubes
- 5 ½ oz oyster mushroomstorn
- 4 Thai round auberginesquartered
- 1 ¾ oz pea aubergines (optional)optional
- 3 ½ oz long beanscut into 4 cm lengths
- 5 ½ oz pumpkinpeeled, cut into 2 cm chunks
- 3 ½ oz mixed tender greenspumpkin tips, ivy gourd leaves, spinach or Chinese cabbage
- 3 kaffir lime leavestorn
- 1 ½ tbsp light soy sauce
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Pound or blend 6 dried red chillies, 2 stalks lemongrass, ½ oz galangal, 4 shallots, 4 cloves garlic, ½ tsp makhwaen or Sichuan peppercorns, 1 tbsp salted soybean paste (tao jiew) and ½ tsp salt into a coarse paste, adding a spoon of water if the blender needs it.
10 minStep 2: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a pot over a medium heat and fry the paste, stirring, until it darkens slightly and smells toasty.
3 minStep 3: Pour in 3 ¾ cups water and 3 kaffir lime leaves and bring to the boil. Add 5 ½ oz pumpkin and simmer until it can just be pierced with a knife.
6 minStep 4: Add 4 Thai round aubergines, 1 ¾ oz pea aubergines, if using, and 3 ½ oz long beans and simmer until the aubergines are tender and the beans bright green.
5 minStep 5: Add 10 ½ oz firm tofu and 5 ½ oz oyster mushrooms and simmer gently until the mushrooms are soft and the tofu is hot through.
3 minStep 6: Add 3 ½ oz mixed tender greens and 1 ½ tbsp light soy sauce and simmer for 1 minute, until the leaves have just wilted. Taste: the broth should be hot, herby and salty, not rich.
1 minStep 7: Off the heat, stir in ⅔ oz Thai basil or holy basil leaves and serve in bowls with sticky rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 13 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kaeng khae with tofu and mushrooms take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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