Add 75 g roasted peanuts, 1 red chilli, 3 cloves garlic, 1 Piece ginger, 45 g shallot, ½ stalk lemongrass, 1 green cardamom pod, 3 cloves, 1 piece cinnamon, ½ teaspoon coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 4 teaspoons vegan fish sauce, 1 pinch nutmeg, ½ teaspoon palm sugar, 8 black peppercorns, and ½ teaspoon red chilli powder to a powerful blender*. Pulse until completely smooth.
Heat half of your 1 tablespoon oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Place 400 g extra firm tofu in the pan and fry on all sides until evenly golden-brown. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Heat the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a large, deep-sided pot. Once the oil is hot, add 20 g onions. Fry the onions until slightly browned, then add the curry paste — passing it through a sieve to ensure its smoothness— and cook, stirring regularly, until fragrant and thick, with oil separating from the sides. Next, add 400 ml coconut milk, then season with 1 teaspoon palm sugar and 1 tablespoon tamarind sauce.
Add the fried tofu and 100 g potatoes (cubed) to the pan, along with 100 ml water. Lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are knife-tender and the sauce has thickened (around 20 minutes).
Remove the curry from the heat and top with fresh coriander (chopped), 1 bird's eye chilli (sliced), and a few peanuts, roughly chopped. Serve with 1 lime.
Notes
* If you don’t have a powerful blender, it’s best to use a spice grinder to pulverise the whole spices first, then use an ordinary blender to blend everything else to a smooth paste. Combine the two into one paste and pass through a sieve before adding to the pan to ensure a beautiful silky texture.