I had my first curry less than a decade ago when I was a wide-eyed mid-20s ingenue who didn’t think there was anything she could eat at the Thai restaurant. Brad pointed out the veggie curry, I probably pouted a little and admitted I could eat it “as long as it wasn’t too spicy” and then had my life changed.
Curry! Magical curry! I was hooked. My first experiments at home were dismal failures. Curry powder and cow milk-type failures. Over time I learned about coconut milk, fresh aromatics, and curry paste. When I’m being hard core, I make my own curry paste but I’ve been pretty happy with Thai Kitchen for everyday cooking.
And this really is the perfect everyday dish. It’s so fast to pull together, only dirties one dish, and, if you have a rice-maker, requires negligible effort to pound out a side. It’s also vegan, gluten-free and, most importantly, crazy delicious.
We like our curries pretty spicy. Back off on the chilies for a mild, still flavorful dish.
Ingredients
- 1/2 tbs oil
- 4 oz Thai red curry (I use Thai Kitchen), or to taste
- 2 tbs ginger, minced
- 2 tbs garlic, minced
- 6 scallions, whites and greens separated, chopped
- 1-2 Thai Bird's Eye chilies, minced (optional)
- 2 14.5-oz cans light coconut milk (I use Trader Joe's)
- 1 lb mushrooms, sliced
- 3 bell peppers, assorted colors, diced
- 8 oz sugar snap peas, halved
- 6 oz tofu, diced
- 2 tbs cilantro, chopped
Instructions
Heat oil in a large pan, wok or brasier over medium heat. Add curry, ginger, garlic, white parts of the scallion, and chilies, if using. Saute until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
Pour in coconut milk and stir. Bring to a simmer and add mushrooms and peppers. Continue to simmer until vegetables are tender-crisp, about 10-12 minutes. Add snap peas and tofu. Simmer an additional 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Serve over rice.
Nutritional Information
Calories 292 / Total Fat 13.3g / Saturated Fat 8.2g / Trans Fat 0.0g / Cholesterol 0mg / Sodium 868mg / Potassium 854mg / Total Carbohydrates 35.5g / Dietary Fiber 5.9g / Sugars 16.0g / Protein 11.0g
Weight Watchers Points: 6 / PointsPlus: 8
I had to adapt this to the ingredients I could find, but it was still excellent. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome! One of my favorite things about curry is that it’s so flexible.
1/2 cup of curry? Is that right…seems like a lot?
Hi Linda! I use an entire jar (4oz) of Thai Kitchen red curry for the 2 cans of coconut milk. I know some brands are unbearably salty and some folks like a little less spice so adjust for your pantry and palate. Thanks!
Very good,delicious. But we need to say that olive oil is an important detail to flavor and health benefits. We share!
Made this for dinner tonight. I used 3 tbsp. (9 tsp.) of Thai Kitchen Red Curry, way less than the original recipe, and when I tasted the result, I thought it was way too hot, and I usually eat my curries at ethnic restaurants medium hot. I mean it was painful. Your mileage may vary, but I suggest starting with less, then tasting after all the additions. You can add more curry paste later, if it’s not hot enough.
Great advice!
We did this the other day and used the Thai Kitchen red curry paste. It was fantastic! We also used the whole jar per this recipe. It actually wasn’t hot enough for us so we added New Mexico Hatch Green chilies. YUM!
Yay! Glad it’s not just me. I jar of red curry paste is never enough. Wish I had some of those New Mexico Hatch green chilies, though. 🙂