Learn how to make Vegetable Thai Red Curry ~ Vegan Thai red curry with mixed vegetables and tofu
The season of a warm bowl of rice topped with a generous ladle full of fragrant curries is here. Frankly, who doesn’t like a bowl of fresh, aromatic and warm curries on a cold day?! Especially when it is deliciously fragrant and delicately flavoured curries like this Vegetable Thai Red Curry. One whiff of this steaming fragrance of spicy curry puts the heart at ease, calms down the violence of hunger, eliminates the tension of the day and awakens the appetite.
Ingredients for Vegetable Thai Red Curry
The crunchy vegetables and soft tofu simmered in a highly fragrant coconut gravy flavoured with perfectly balanced homemade Thai red curry paste of fresh herbs and spices is what I am sharing with you all today. If you love the goodness of rainbow vegetables, creaminess of coconut milk and the heady aroma of fresh herbs and spices, then this is one of those recipes that you will love to cook every now and then.
You can use the store-bought Thai curry paste but I highly recommend making your own Thai curry pastes at home with fresh herbs and spices which can be sourced in any good ethnic stores. Once you start using homemade curry pastes there are very fewer chances of you buying bulk produced, factory-made, store-bought curry pastes ever! I always have a small bottle full of an array of Thai curry pastes all the time which helps me to whip Thai curries even on the busiest weekdays. The whole meal comes together within half an hour which is not just delicious but packed with nutrition to the brim. I like mine spicy and hence am a bit generous with Thai red curry paste as well as the sambal olek, but if you like mildly flavoured curry then feel free to reduce the amount of curry paste to suit your taste. A ladleful of hot curry with an array of colourful vegetables and crumbly tofu on top of steaming, fragrant Thai jasmine rice is what dreams are made of… It’s serious food heaven everyone needs on a cold and grey day!
Vegan Thai Red Curry
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner
Spice Level: Medium to Hot
Serves: 3-4
Shelf Life: Best served fresh
Serving Suggestion: With steamed jasmine rice
Ingredients:
1 cup firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
½ cup carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
½ cup mushrooms, sliced
½ cup potato, peeled and diced into 1 cm thick wedges
½ cup baby corn, sliced
½ cup mangetout or French beans, cut into 1 inch long pieces
½ cup green peas, fresh or frozen
½ cup bell pepper, cut into long, thin slices
1 can (400 ml) coconut milk
1 tbsp sambal olek/red chilli paste
2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 fresh/frozen/dry kaffir lime leaf, cut into thin strips (optional)
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Ingredients for Thai Red Curry Paste
Method:
Preparation:
- Prepare all the vegetables for the curry and keep them aside.
- If using fresh coconut milk, prepare it and keep it aside until needed. For this curry, use the first thick coconut milk extract for maximum flavour.
Proceed to cook:
- Heat oil in a saute pan on medium heat. Add the Thai red curry paste and sauté for a minute.
- Next add all the vegetables and just enough water to cover the vegetables. Let the vegetables cook on a medium heat for about 5-6 minutes or until the vegetables are half cooked.
- Pour in coconut milk and mix well. Add tofu, salt to taste, kaffir lime leaves, sambal olek and mix them all well. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked but still retain their crunchiness.
- Turn off the heat and cover and let it rest for 10 minutes for all the flavours to blend well. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve it hot with aromatic jasmine rice. Enjoy!
Sia’s Notes:
- Kaffir Lime Leaves are usually available in Chinese/Vietnamese/Thai stores as fresh or in frozen section. Dry Kaffir Leaves are available in any big supermarket in their dry herbs or oriental food aisle. When they are not available substitute them with lime zest and juice.
- If using fresh coconut milk, prepare it and keep it aside until needed. For this curry, use the first thick coconut milk extract for maximum flavour.
FAQs
Traditionally, all Thai curries were made with the same ingredients except for one thing: the chillies. Red curry was made with several red chillies for a fiery hot dish, while green curry was made with green chillies, and yellow curry was made with yellow chillies.
What vegetables go in curry? ›
The curry base is made with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, red chilli powder and garam masala. I prefer to go with potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, cauliflower, corn and bell peppers. Though you can use other veggies like baby corn, sweet potato and broccoli, the curry will have different flavors.
How do you add depth to Thai red curry? ›
To further the complexity of flavors, we also add Thai sweet chili sauce, and the classic cast of Thai food characters: soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, dried basil and a bay leaf. Its a somewhat long list of ingredients, but most of them you are just dumping into the sauce.
What gives Thai red curry its Colour? ›
Red curry paste uses the same basic components, but what gives it that vibrant red colour is the 20 (give or take a few, depending on the chef) dried red chillies, crushed into a paste.
Which is nicer red or green Thai curry? ›
Green Curry: How They're Different. While the dish's spiciness can vary based on the chef, typically, red curry is hotter than green. Red curry tends to be more versatile, while green is more unique in its flavors.
Is Thai red curry more spicy than Thai green curry? ›
In general, Thai yellow curry is the mildest, Thai red curry is medium-hot and Thai green curry is spicy, although it can sometimes vary depending on what region of Thailand you are in.
Do you cook vegetables before putting in curry? ›
If you are (pre-)steaming the vegetables, your are keeping their individual flavor whereas by cooking in the curry sauce you get a more evened out flavor as the various ingredients contribute to the overall flavor and absorb the spices. This may or may not be what you prefer, but it's how your first recipe is designed.
How do you thicken Thai curry? ›
6 ways on how to thicken your curry sauce
- Reduction: One of the most common methods to thicken a curry sauce is by reducing it. ...
- Roux: A roux is a classic French technique that works wonders in thickening curry sauces. ...
- Cornstarch slurry: ...
- Coconut milk or cream: ...
- Yoghurt or heavy cream: ...
- Pureed vegetables:
Yellow curry is the mildest and often made with coriander, cumin, lemongrass ginger, garlic, and yellow or red chili. In addition to coconut milk, this curry has a rich taste with sweet and mild flavors.
How do Thai restaurants make curry so creamy? ›
Often, Thai curries are made using coconut milk as the main liquid, which results in a creamy consistency. You can use as much or as little coconut milk as you wish based on your preference for texture, spice, and flavor.
Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lime zest or juice for acidity, salt for saltiness, chilies for heat, maple syrup for sweetness, oil (or water) for creaminess / to thin, garlic for zing, ginger for brightness, or turmeric for more intense curry flavor.
Does Thai curry use coconut milk or coconut cream? ›
The majority of Thai curries are made with coconut milk as the main liquid, which produces creamier curries, but they're not necessarily “rich.” The amount of coconut milk can vary by quite a lot, depending on the texture one is looking for: massaman curry, for example, is quite rich because it uses coconut milk and is ...
What makes restaurant Thai curry so good? ›
An interesting characteristic of Thai curries is that they are made of fresh ingredients only. Contrary to the Indian cooking, Thai restaurant prefers to use fresh herbs and spices to make the curry dishes, including fresh chillies and roots.
Are you supposed to put rice in Thai curry? ›
Basically, it's depend on individual preference and the places you eat. At most street food shops, curry is put over rice as is usually we eat at home. If you order curry together with say fried egg or fish, each will be placed on either side so not to mix them.
Why is my Thai curry not red? ›
Traditionally, all Thai curries were made with the same ingredients except for one thing: the chilies. Red curry was made with several red chilies for a fiery hot dish, while green curry was made with green chilies and yellow curry was made with yellow chilies.
What is hotter Thai green or red curry? ›
In general, traditional Thai green curry is hotter than Thai red curry.
Which curry is least spicy? ›
Yellow curry is the mildest and often made with coriander, cumin, lemongrass ginger, garlic, and yellow or red chili. In addition to coconut milk, this curry has a rich taste with sweet and mild flavors.
Is red curry the hottest curry? ›
Green Thai Curry is considered the hottest of all curries that will give you that burning but tasty flavor all over your mouth. For those who think that red curry is the spiciest among the Thai curries, it's about time to change this mindset.
What is the best Indian curry dish? ›
10 Best Curries to Try
- Goan. This dish is a combination of spices and flavors that are unique to the region of Goa in India. ...
- Dhansak. Dhansak Curry is a popular Indian dish that originated in the state of Maharashtra in India. ...
- Rajma Masala. ...
- Bhuna Gosht. ...
- Kerala. ...
- Massaman. ...
- Thai Red Curry. ...
- Thai Green Curry.
