This Vegan Thai Red Curry will make you think you’ve brought the restaurant home. Delicious, versatile, and finger licking good, every bite will have you wanting more.
Eating out at Thai restaurants for me can be tricky sometimes as a vegetarian. I don’t like the taste of fish sauce in my curries which is usually used to enhance the flavor of red curries. So, I decided to try my hand at making Red Curry at home. Actually, it was my cousin Sweetu who taught me this amazing semi-homemade recipe that I’ve since adjusted to work for me.
Semi-homemade because I use store bought curry paste instead of making it at home. I did make sure the curry paste was vegan and I use two different kinds. One for the color, one for the flavor. Even better, this recipe is low-carb, vegan, and guilt-free. It honestly tastes so good, I am craving it now as I write this post. When it takes 30 minutes to make, you can see why this curry is on rotation in my kitchen.
The ingredients are simple:
- Red Curry Paste – this definitely helps with the color and even a bit of the flavor of the curry
- Yellow Curry Paste – just a little bit of this paste goes a long way. There is a hint of lemongrass and some spice in here that adds depth to the curry
- Extra Firm Tofu* – to act as the substitute for chicken or any protein (this is optional. I chose not to add it in but it will still make a great addition if you choose to keep it)
- Veggies – I love to use large pieces of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, colored bell pepper, and baby corn.
- Coconut Milk – this provides the perfect creamy texture for the curry
- Thai Basil Leaves – they add a beautiful spicy, licorice flavor to the curry
As for the curry paste, I use Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste and Mae Ploy Yellow Curry Paste. I’ve looked at other curry pastes extensively but the flavor is either lacking or they have fish sauce in the ingredients of the paste which I don’t like.
If you’re looking for more inspiration, check out my Pineapple Fried Rice. It will pair perfectly with this.
Vegan Thai Red Curry
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped in 1" cubes
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal about 1/4" round
- 1 c cauliflower florets
- 1 c broccoli florets
- 1 15oz can of baby corn
- 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced (keep seeds and ribs per spice level)
- 2 15oz cans coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp red curry paste
- 1 1/2 Tbsp yellow curry paste
Instructions
- On medium high heat, in a medium sized stock pot, add in the coconut milk, jalapeno peppers, red curry paste, and yellow curry paste.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat low and let the paste and peppers steep in the coconut milk for 5 minutes.
- Add in the carrots and corn and cook for 5 minutes, then add in the remaining veggies.
- Cook for another 10 minutes until the veggies are cooked through. Add in the Thai basil and turn off heat.
- Serve hot with Brown Rice or Pineapple Fried Rice.
Notes
IF YOU WANT TO ADD TOFU: bake it first and add it to the coconut milk with the remaining veggies. If you add raw tofu, it will soak up too much of the liquid.
What Kind of Rice to Serve this with?
Pair it with either of my rice recipes: How to Cook Brown Rice or Pineapple Fried Rice
