Gentle Chicken or Tofu Curry
By Mira Sefton
Calcium & vitamin D +
Canned salmon (with bones)Sardines (with bones)Fortified oat milkOmega-3 fats +
SalmonSardinesCanned tunaThree lenses: how gentle on the gut, how nourishing, how tasty — because gentle isn't the same as healthy. How the scores work →
A mild, creamy Indian-style curry with no onion or garlic bulb. Soft chicken or tofu in a smooth coconut-tomato sauce, ready in about 35 minutes.
Curry is often the first thing people give up after a flare — too much onion, too much garlic, too much chilli all at once. This version keeps the warm, comforting flavour and quietly leaves out the parts that tend to cause trouble.
Instead of onion and garlic bulb, we lean on garlic-infused oil and the green tops of spring onions, which carry the taste without the fructans (a carb that ferments quickly and makes a lot of wind). The spices are gentle and ground, the tomato is small and the coconut milk smooths the lot. You choose chicken or firm tofu — both come out soft and easy.
It's still a proper curry. It just won't leave you regretting dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp garlic-infused oil
- green tops of 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger (or 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger)
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 400 ml tin coconut milk (full or light)
- 150 ml onion-free chicken or vegetable stock
- 500 g chicken thigh, skinless and cut into bite-sized pieces, OR 400 g firm tofu, drained and cubed
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced
- 1 tsp brown sugar or maple syrup
- a small squeeze of lemon (optional)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- fresh coriander, chopped, to serve
- 300 g cooked white rice, to serve
Method
- Warm the garlic-infused oil in a wide pan over a medium heat.
- Add the spring onion greens and cook gently for 1 minute, just to soften.
- Stir in the cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger and cinnamon. Cook for 30 seconds until they smell fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and stir for another minute so it loses its raw edge.
- Pour in the coconut milk and stock. Stir until smooth.
- Add the diced carrot and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add your chicken or tofu. For chicken, simmer for 15-18 minutes until cooked through. For tofu, simmer for 10 minutes so it soaks up the sauce.
- Stir in the sugar and a pinch of salt. Taste, and add a small squeeze of lemon if you like.
- Let it sit off the heat for a couple of minutes, then serve over soft white rice with a little fresh coriander.
Gentler swaps
- Coconut milk too rich? Use the light tin, or swap half for extra stock. Coconut is high in fat, which can speed things up for some.
- Tomato paste feels acidic? Drop to 1 tbsp and add a touch more sugar — the curry stays mild and a little sweet.
- New to spices again? Halve them all the first time and build up as you learn what your gut likes.
- Carrot not soft enough? Dice it smaller, or simmer it 5 minutes before adding the protein.
- Tofu unsettling? Firm tofu is usually gentler than silken; press out the water first.
For the family
Cook once — your gentle version, plus how to pep it up for everyone else.
Make the whole pot gentle, exactly as above — that's the version you'll eat. Everyone shares the same soft, creamy base.
When it's done, serve yourself first. Then pep up the rest for the family at the table, not in the pot:
- Stir a spoon of mango chutney or a pinch of chilli flakes into their bowls.
- Offer a side of sliced fresh chilli, fried onions, or a dollop of garlicky yoghurt for them to add.
- A scatter of toasted cashews or extra coriander on top gives their plates more punch.
Same curry, same pot — you get the calm version, they get the bold one.
Scores are modelled estimates, not medical advice. Everyone's gut is different, and tolerance changes over time. Reintroduce foods one at a time, and follow your own medical team's advice.