Thai Red Curry with Mushroom Dumplings

Step 1

Heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until the mushrooms have released most of their water and are starting to brown (about 3-4 minutes). Add the stir fry sauce and cook for a further minute.

Step 2

Remove from the heat and spread the mushroom mixture into a cold plate and set aside to cool down.

Step 3

Once cool, take a dumpling wrapper and wet the rim all the way around the circumference. Place around 1/2 teaspoon of the mushroom mixture in the centre and fold the wrapper in half to make a semicircle. Seal along the edge by pinching then take the two corners and wrap them round the front of the dumpling. Pinch the two corners together and repeat with the remaining dumplings.

Step 4

Line a bamboo steamer with perforated greaseproof paper and place over a pan of boiling water. Put the dumplings inside and steam until cooked (around 5 minutes). Remove from the heat and set aside.

Step 5

In a large bowl, toss the sliced tofu in the corn flour and a pinch of salt. Heat a large cast iron saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat and add the sunflower oil. Add the tofu and fry for around 5 minutes, stirring frequently and gently (don’t break up the tofuntil the tofu is lightly browned. Remove the tofu from the pan with a spatula and place on kitchen towel to drain.

Step 6

Meanwhile add the garlic and ginger paste to the pan and fry lightly for a minute before adding the red curry paste. Stir well for another minute before adding the coconut milk. Stir briefly to make sure the coconut cream melts but then leave it and reduce the heat to a high simmer. Allow to simmer for around 3-5 minutes until you see the coconut oil begin to rise to the surface.

Step 7

Add the aubergine and the carrot along with the sugar and the soy sauce and allow to reduce for a further 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once cooked, remove from the heat and add the Thai basil, the courgette and the tofu. Top with the dumplings and serve with a bowl of steamed jasmine rice.