Thai Style Vegetable Curry with a Healthy Twist
This Thai vegetable curry recipe is inspired by the time I’ve spent traveling around South East Asia and is perfect for anyone looking for a rich and creamy but healthy meal option on a cold winter’s day. Made with a homemade curry paste, coconut milk, and packed with nutritious vegetables like broccoli, zucchini, and sugar snap peas, this curry is sure to satisfy your cravings. The addition of fish sauce, kaffir lime leaf and a touch of coconut or brown sugar adds a delicious balance of authentic flavors to this dish. An important step in the recipe is blending the curry base, which gives it an amazing body without the added fat of coconut cream as a traditional recipe would have. Serve it with jasmine rice or rice noodles for a complete meal.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 white onion, sliced thinly
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
1 cup water
2 kefir lime leaf
1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 zucchini or other summer squash, sliced
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cleaned sugar snap peas
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon coconut sugar or brown sugar
Salt, to taste
Fresh cilantro or thai basil, chopped, for garnish
Instructions:
Heat the coconut oil in a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots, and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.
Add the curry paste to the saucepan, and stir to coat the vegetables. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
Pour in the coconut milk, water, and kaffir lime leaf. Bring to a simmer, and let cook for 5-10 minutes.
Remove the kaffir lime leaf, and carefully transfer the curry to a Vitamix blender or other blender or use an immersion blender to blend the curry until smooth. This is an important step to give you a nice creamy consistency without adding a lot of caloric coconut cream.
Return the curry to the pot, and add the bell pepper, zucchini, and broccoli. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.
Stir in the fish sauce and coconut sugar or brown sugar, and season with salt to taste.
Serve the curry in bowls, garnished with fresh cilantro and or Thai basil. Jasmine rice or rice noodles on the side.
Servings: 4
Calories per serving: 310
Total Fat: 22g
Saturated Fat: 18g
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 640mg
Total Carbohydrates: 27g
Dietary Fiber: 7g
Total Sugars: 12g
Added Sugars: 4g
Protein: 6g
Vitamin D: 0mcg Calcium: 78mg Iron: 4mg Potassium: 685mg
Note: This nutritional information is an estimate and may vary depending on the specific ingredients and brands used.
Alternatives for different dietary restrictions
Vegetarian/vegan: To make a vegetarian or vegan Thai curry, simply omit the fish sauce.
Low-carb/keto: To make a low-carb or keto-friendly Thai curry, use cauliflower rice instead of regular rice and substitute low-carb vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, and green beans for starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes and butternut squash.
Paleo: To make a paleo-friendly Thai curry, substitute low-carb vegetables for starchy vegetables.
“Curry is a lot like a family. Each ingredient enhances the others; each batch has its own characteristics; and it needs time to simmer to reach full flavor.”
Tips and Tricks
Store bought curry paste: You can use high-quality store-bought curry paste if you don’t want to make your own.
Add in proteins: While this Thai curry is made with just vegetables, you can add proteins like shrimp, tofu or chicken at the end and cook until just cooked through.
Blending the soup: As mentioned in the recipe, blending the soup after cooking the vegetables can help create a smooth and creamy consistency. This can be especially useful if you don't want to use high-calorie coconut cream. It’s a great technique to use in other dishes as well where you want a nice creamy consistency without adding any additional fat to a recipe. A vitamix or other high-speed blender will help you get an extremely smooth puree.
For this curry, you can use the spectrum of coconut milk from low-fat, full-fat or even coconut cream to give your curry a richer, creamier flavor. Just be aware that using full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream will also increase the calorie content of the dish.
Keffir lime leaf is an ingredient that really gives this curry its authentic flavor. Its worth seeking out at your local Asian grocery or online. They keep well in the freezer for a long time.
Don't overcook the vegetables: When adding vegetables to your curry, be careful not to overcook them. Vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and snow peas should be slightly crisp to add texture and freshness to the dish.
Adjust the heat: The spiciness of Thai curry can be adjusted by using more or less curry paste or by adding fresh chili peppers to the recipe. Be sure to taste the curry as you go and adjust the seasoning to your liking. The Thai’s like theirs HOT!
Freeze the base soup: If you want to make a big batch of Thai curry, you can freeze the base soup (i.e., the curry paste and coconut milk mixture) without the vegetables. Then, when you're ready to eat, you can thaw the soup and add your choice of fresh vegetables for a quick and easy meal.
Use fresh herbs: Adding fresh herbs like cilantro, basil, or mint can help brighten the flavors of your Thai curry and give it a more authentic taste. Just be sure to add them at the end of the cooking process so they don't wilt or lose their flavor.
Use other Vegetables: You can you all types of vegetables in the curry like bell peppers, carrots, bamboo shoots, cauliflower, snow peas, eggplant, green beans, onions, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, mushrooms, and greens like kale or spinach are all great vegetables to use in curries. I use whatever is in season and the freshest at the time.