Thai Yellow Curry Tofu and veggies, and veggies, and veggies

NOTE: I'm Indian, so my approach goes against how this is traditionally prepared. But I like it.

This is a coconut milk based recipe with so many veggies it's a hearty dish, no appetizers or side veggies needed.

Serves 6ish normal servings, 4ish if you have teenage kids..

Stuff you'll need

Ingredients

1 (14-ounce) container extra-firm tofu
1 medium sweet onion
2 tbsp Oil (or more, based on the shape of your wok or pot. I use peanut but vegetable works too.)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger (minced)
3 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander
3 tablespoons yellow curry paste (I like Mekhala but it's a little spicy)
1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk
1 red bell pepper (sliced)
0.5 to 1 jalapeno pepper (sliced. Use half if you want it less spicy.)
2 medium carrots (julienned)
1 bunch of scallions (white and light green part only, chopped)
1 cup water (could be more or less based on your pot or wok)
6 ounces spinach (cut in half if they're not baby spinach)
Juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons light brown sugar (I use Swerve to cut back on calories a wee bit)
10 Thai basil leaves, chopped
Rice (whatever type you like. Jasmine recommended but we're Indian so we always have way too much Basmati, )

Equipment you'll want

We use a real tofu press as we found that just using heavy pans doesn't get enough water out and the tofu crumbles.
Get yourself a real Japanese Santoku knife, the ease of mincing ginger or onions will amaze you.
A Carbon steel wok . My oh my why did I ever use anything else?
Tongs to flip tofu piece by piece.
A spider strainer so I don't destroy my tofu or veggies with a full metal spoon/strainer
5 large bowls, 3 tiny ones, if you want to prep veggies in the order added like I prefer doing.

Instructions

1) Press the tofu

Press for 30 minutes.

2) While you're waiting on tofu chop the veggies & prep spices

With the amount of veggies I use, this always takes 30 minutes. I like creating multiple bowls so when it's time to cook I can just dump it, and not put stuff in the wrong order b/c I'm singing along to Def Leppard and get distracted.

Separate veggies / spices into these bowls:

Onions
(small) Ginger & Garlic
(small) Ground turmeric & coriander
Bell pepper & jalapeno
Carrots & Scallions
Spinach
Coconut milk (assuming when you open the can it's separated like mine always is. Use a large spoon to break up the chunks)
(small) Thai Basil

3) Chop the tofu into bite-sized pieces

I cut it into 1/2" pieces. Or bigger if I'm running long.

4) WooHoo, time to cook!

Crank the tunes, get a glass of whatever you want to drink, and kick everyone out of the kitchen. It's easy to make a mistake if you get distracted.
Add enough oil to the wok to fully coat sides with a decent amount at the bottom.
Set stove to Med-High.
Fry tofu until golden brown. I use tongs so I can flip individual pieces as they brown.
Transfer to a plate.
Lower heat to Medium. You likely need to add a little more oil.
Add onions, cook for 2-3 minutes. Use your cool spider strainer to stir it.
Add ginger & garlic.
Cook for 1-2 minutes, beating away your wife & kids who rush into the kitchen asking what smells so good.
Add turmeric & coriander. Mix up well so spice coats everything. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add bell peppers and jalapeno. Mix again, so it's integrated. Cook for 2 minutes.
Put Tofu back into the pot.
Add coconut milk, curry paste, carrots, scallions.
Add enough water so that it's not all submerged but everything can flow together. Don't worry if it's too much you can boil it off.
After 5 minutes add the spinach, mix until the pieces are all at the top but not submerged. I use a large regular spoon.
Once the spinach has wilted, lower heat to simmer.
Taste it. THEN add the lime. (this'll help you decide if you want more or less lime juice)
Taste again. THEN add the brown sugar. (this'll help you decide if you want more or less brown sugar)
Add Thai Basil leaves.
Let it simmer until it's at your desired consistency. My Father-in-law likes it watery, my wife likes it thick. I take some out first for him, everyone's happy.