There’s a wonderful restaurant in Madison that serves some seriously awesome curry. I’ve been going to Lao Laan-Xang for years and I always get the same thing – squash curry with tofu. The last time I went, I finally got adventurous and got some pineapple curry. It was just as good as the squash curry, and now I’ve got my eye on another dish I want to try – mango curry.

I decided to try making a version of the pineapple curry at home. I absolutely loved it, but my store-bought curry paste is really no competition to LLX’s. Maybe some day I’ll try my hand at making my own curry paste. Maybe.

I’ll stick a little warning in here because I think I nearly killed Mike with the spice level of this dish. The dried red chiles I used in this dish were from our garden and they are hot. I thought that 2 chiles were the perfect amount of spice, but it was a little much for Mike. I know that all chile peppers are different, but if you’re not a fan of heat, use just one chile or none at all.

Thai Tofu and Pineapple Curry

1 teaspoon canola oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, thinly sliced, divided
2 dried red chiles, minced (optional)
5 mini bell peppers, sliced
12 ounces extra firm tofu, cubed
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 cup pineapple chunks
2 1/2 tablespoons red curry paste
1/2 tablespoon creamy natural peanut butter
1 cup light coconut milk
1/2 lime, juiced

cooked brown rice, for serving
lime wedges, for serving

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add ginger, garlic, green onions, and chiles and cook , stirring frequently, for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Add bell peppers and tofu and cook for an additional minute.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together curry paste, peanut butter, and coconut milk. Add sauce, tomatoes and pineapple into pot and stir to combine. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes or until bell peppers are tender. Stir in lime juice.
3. Serve immediately with brown rice and lime wedges.