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Crazy for Thai Red Curry (vegan-style!)

January 17, 2012 | 3 Comments

Is it unhealthy to be head-over-heals in love with a meal? Before you call for an emergency psych consult and fit me for a tight fitting jacket with extra long arms, let me explain my infatuation with Thai red curry. See, it’s the meal that has it all! First of all, it only takes *15 minutes* to prepare, start to finish! The silky smooth sauce has luscious savory-sweet flavors with just the right amount of spicy heat. It’s rich enough to satisfy the most hardened carnivore. The flavors of the sauce blossom in your mouth, and since it’s thick, it’s easy to hide lots of healthy vegetables in it. And the addition of pineapple also adds a surprising, sweet burst of flavor to keep your palate interested with every bite.

Thanks to jarred Thai red curry paste, this is my go-to dish when I’m feeling really lazy but we still want to eat a delectable, flavorful meal. When I want to mix it up a bit, I sub in Thai green curry paste for the red curry, which has a mellower, earthier and equally alluring flavor that’s a little less spicy. And yes, it’s carnivore tested and carnivore approved: John loves Thai curry! He likes it so much that sometimes I can sneak in a handful of tofu cubes without him noticing, which is cause for much rejoicing. So can you blame me for being crazy about Thai red curry?!

(Well, you might still want to have me committed when you read the story about my attempt to make red curry paste from scratch, which is below the recipe).

Cimeron’s Vegan Version of Thai Red Curry

From prep to plate: 15 minutes!

Serves: 3 big eaters, or 4 people who have had an appetizer

1 – 14 oz. can coconut milk (note: do NOT use light coconut milk as it’s too watery for this dish)

1/2 tbsp – 1 tbsp “Thai Kitchen” Thai red curry paste (which you can find at most Safeways, and even at some Targets – see photo at bottom of post. Adjust the amount of curry paste based on your taste and how much heat you want in the dish)

3/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/3 cup vegetable broth

7 shitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped into 1-2″ pieces

1/2 cup pineapple, cubed

1/2 cup baby corn (if you think they’re freaky, feel free to sub in sugar snap peas or another veg)

1/2 cup asparagus, chopped into 2-3″ pieces

3/4 cup fresh basil, torn

small handful of tofu, cubed (optional)

Cooked rice (I prefer basmati since it’s so fragrant and has a lovely hint of nuttiness)

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, blend the coconut milk and red curry paste until the paste is fully integrated and the coconut milk turns pinkish red. Once it’s heated through, add the salt, brown sugar and broth. Stir and bring to gentle boil. Add the mushrooms, red bell pepper, tofu and pineapple, stir well and cook for a few minutes. Test the mushrooms – when they’re soft, add the baby corn, asparagus and basil. Cook just until the asparagus is tender but still crisp in the middle. In a bowl, serve atop rice and prepare yourself for a loud chorus of “omm nom nom nom!”

Note: The pineapple and shitake mushrooms really add a lot of flavor, depth and a unique flavor to this dish, so I think those are pretty essential. However, you can swap out some of the other veggies for your favorites, like broccoli and sugar snap peas. Get crazy!

When I was in Thailand a couple of years ago, I sampled Thai red curry at 16 different restaurants in all parts of the country and it tasted just a little different each time. At a tiny restaurant tucked behind a Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai, I asked an ancient, nearly toothless cook to teach me how to make her version of it. She grinned so wide that her two teeth sparkled in the light of her cooking fire as she gleefully handed me smoked chilis, fragrant galangal (a relative of ginger), lemongrass stalks, kaffir lime leaves, and a stone bowl in which to grind the ingredients for her curry paste. With a playful, friendly monkey watching over me from a nearby rain tree, I started off strong, but after 20 minutes, my arms felt like they’d caught fire. After 40 minutes, my hand was blistered and I’m pretty sure the monkey was laughing at me. After 60 minutes, the monkey was openly mocking me and I declared this to be an insane and potentially crippling endeavor. After 61 minutes, I decided that Thai red curry paste out of a jar is one of the best inventions of our time and I thanked my lucky stars that I could buy it at just about any Safeway in the U.S. And after you try this Thai red curry recipe and see how easy, delicious and fast it is, you’ll be doing the same!