Golden Tofu and Chickpea Curry Bowl

This is the kind of curry I make when I have one hungry person, a tin of chickpeas and half a block of tofu, and no interest in washing a big pot. Curry paste does most of the heavy lifting here. A spoonful of red or yellow paste, fried briefly in a little oil, gives you the toasted, rounded flavour that takes hours when you build a curry from scratch.

Tofu is a good thing to keep in the fridge. Firm tofu holds its shape in a hot pan, and it soaks up whatever it is cooked with. The trick is to blot it dry first. Wet tofu steams instead of browning, and you lose that golden edge that makes the bowl feel like a proper meal. Give the cubes room in the pan and leave them alone for a few minutes before turning.

Chickpeas are one of the most useful pantry foods around. They are a source of fibre and plant protein, and a rinsed tin is ready in seconds. Rinsing them under the tap also washes off the starchy liquid in the can, so the sauce stays clean and bright rather than gluey.

If you want to make more of it, cook extra chickpeas and tofu and keep them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three days. They reheat well in a dry pan, and they are handy scattered over a green salad the next day. The sauce is best made fresh, but a spoonful of leftover curry paste base with some spinach also works as a quick lunch.

For a fuller plate, serve it with a small pot of rice or a handful of greens. If you want something a little different, a garlicky quinoa with spinach and pine nuts pairs nicely, with the same leafy notes and a nutty bite. For something cool and crisp on the side, a beet and apple salad with queso fresco cuts through the richness of the coconut sauce.

A squeeze of lime at the end is not optional in my kitchen. It wakes up the spices and makes the whole bowl taste finished. Add it after you take the pan off the heat so the flavour stays sharp, and taste before you salt, because curry paste is often salty already.