Crispy Coconut Rice With Tofu Recipe (2024)

This is so, so incredibly tasty and comes together really fast. Great for a weeknight no fuss dinner, but it’s so full of flavor. I left out the salt thinking the soy sauce would be enough, but don’t make that mistake. Used a thinly sliced jalapeño pepper as I didn’t have a red hot Chile pepper in the fridge and used half a can of Thai green curry paste. Got a good crunchy browning on the rice… lots of lime juice and cilantro and yum!

I’ve made this twice now, it is becoming a go-to weekly meal for me. To make it even simpler, i press the mixture into a large cast iron skillet warmed on the stove to med-high heat. This gets the bottom nice and crunchy. Then i put the skillet in the oven on high broil until the top layer is nice and crunchy. Super simple and accomplishes the same goal as the recipe. I will try this with shrimp in lieu of or maybe with tofu in the future. I used the leftovers for breakfast with an egg - YUM!

This dish was very tasty and it's easily tweaked to include some other veggies like mushrooms or sweet onion. I roasted the tofu separately and mixed it in later to give it more texture. And I served with Thai greens.The one gripe I have: It uses a ton of oil! You get a quick weeknight meal but at the expense of health by way of 5 TBS of neutral oil (i.e. not even healthy like EVOO). It's probably just what it takes and compares to a restaurant meal but I won't make this every week.

This is a tasty, easy recipe, and I highly recommend serving it with a crispy fried egg on top!

Reporting back re: the waffle maker method - Success! I drizzled a spoonful of oil onto a heated waffle maker, loaded it up and smooshed it down with a wooden spoon, drizzled another spoonful of oil over the top and closed it up. I let it cook for a while after the maker said it was done, and kept checking it. A little crumbly getting it out, but the method definitely has merit. Crispy!

Delicious! I did half rice and half quinoa to add nutrients and it came out delicious!

I would press the tofu to get out a bit more water next time and hope that it would get more crisp. It was no less delicious for being not as crispy as I hoped (and maybe I was a bit stingy on the oil in the pan). I mixed everything together and cooked half one day and half the next and I could not tell the difference. I will add this to my list of dishes to mix together at home to bring for car camping or to a vacation house to have hot food with essentially no prep on site.

I added the zest of one lime instead of the leaves and about half a tablespoon of grated ginger, which I would consider adding a bit more of. Instead of 3/4 cup of coconut I just did half a cup. I included a fried egg and I have to say skipping the mint is a mistake. It really enhance the flavor of the curry paste.

Used brown rice that had been kicking around in my freezer, didn’t have lime leaves so I zested my lime before cutting into quarters, added Red Boat fish sauce for more saltiness, add threw in a cup of chopped red bell peppers at the end which added a nice crunch. Regrettably had no fresh herbs but this dish would have been even better with them. Next time will take the suggestion of a fried egg from another reviewer, I think that would be a nice addition.

Delicious easy. Love crispy rice especially with toasted peanuts, mint and curry leaves. I made too much of the mix to save and make tomorrow. Very delicious. Like Thai pilaf.

Great dish though I would definitely add egg or pork in lieu of tofu. Adding fish sauce would give it another layer of flavor. Overall, easy and flavorful

Genius! We have waffled tofu and quesadillas at our house, why not crispy rice? Thanks for your science! :) Putting this on the to-do list.

I followed the recipe, but used only 1 T soy sauce and 3 (or more) dried lime leaves. It was fantastic. Crispy, full of texture and flavor. 5 minutes on each side with avocado oil on medium heat gave it just the right kind of crackling crisp!

5 tablespoons of oil for 4 servings is only slightly more than a tablespoon per person. For a one-pot meal. Relax.

Good technique for getting the crispy rice bottom. I will use this technique for my own fried rice combos! A hit with my family.

This was delicious!! I followed the advice to finish off the top side under a broiler. It crisped the top beautifully! I will make this over and over!

Good but did not crisp up as much as I had hoped. Perhaps the mixture was a bit too wet. Like others, I roasted my tofu separately with some seasoning for more flavor. And I love the recommendation of the waffle iron method. That seems genius!

This may be blasphemy, but can this recipe be made with other protein- like chicken? I see someone has suggested shrimp. Anyone tried this?

This is delicious! Used a red curry paste that was fairly salty so didn’t add extra salt (and kept the amt at 3 tbs since I was feeding my one year old as well). It was sooo good with the coconut. I used about 3tbs of avocado oil and a little avocado oil spray before the flip, and it turned out great. Next time I might try coconut oil to amp up the savory coconut flavor. Served with butter lettuce, thin sliced cucumber, and a mountain of mint and cilantro. Perfect!

Avocado oil would be a good choice.

This recipe is one of my most cooked!! It makes a very large portion but I eat it for lunches throughout the week. Spicy, crunchy, and flexible! I even add assorted veggies to it.

This is a fabulous weeknight meal because it is FAST but full of flavor. I used a full can of Maesri red curry paste and it was just the right amount of spice. I followed the advice to finish it under the broiler and it turned out perfect, with no need to babysit the pan. Crushed roasted peanuts make a great extra garnish.

Has anyone tried making this with actual coconut rice? Thinking of trying tonight, I’ll go light on the coconut milk to avoid an overly soupy mix.

Press the tofu. And add it before everything to the curry paste mixture. Let it all marinate for about an hour Also, add a green veg like asparagus or green beans. So yum

Made per the directions except no added salt, the soy was sufficient for me. Taste before cooking. Very tasty and quick. Next time I’ll add some ginger as suggested.

Wish I had added more veggies protein. Used a slightly too small cast iron and the bake/broil method. Outside was perfectly crispy so I just scooped off the good parts and rebroiled as needed. Our green chili paste was HOT. I’ll be sure to check that next time.

Delicious! Used less curry paste - 2 Tbsp red curry paste. And more sesame oil - 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil.

I used 1 TBSP of red curry paste and it’s almost too hot for me.