An authentic Thai Green Curry Recipe for the vegetarian palate. All the authentic trimmings - lemongrass, coriander seeds, green chillies, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk - without the meat, but with meat substitutes - wheat gluten or tofu, take your pick. This recipe is vegan, and you can also choose to make it gluten-free. Any way you cook it, this is such a tasty meal, you'll tend to forget how healthy it also is!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: SERVES 3-4
Ingredients:
- GREEN CURRY PASTE:
- 1 stalk fresh lemongrass, sliced finely and minced OR 3 Tbsp. frozen or bottled lemongrass
- 2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 2+1/2 Tbsp. [wheat-free] soy sauce, OR see 'Other Sauces' below recipe*
- 1-2 tsp. brown sugar (to taste)
- 1-3 green chilies, minced (to taste)
- 1 small onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, sliced
- 2 kaffir lime leaves (fresh or frozen), snipped into thin strips with scissors, OR substitute 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 1 loose cup chopped fresh coriander leaves and stems
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 1 tsp. dark soy sauce, OR substitute 1 more Tbsp. regular [wheat-free] soy sauce
- OTHER:
- 2 kaffir lime leaves, OR substitute 1 bay leaf
- 1 can good-quality coconut milk
- 1.5 to 2 cups firm tofu sliced into cubes, OR equivalent of wheat gluten “chicken" cutlets, OR canned chickpeas, drained
- 1 small yam or sweet potato, cubed
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into chunky pieces
- 1 cup snow peas
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
- 2-3 Tbsp. oil for frying
Preparation:
- To make the green curry paste, place all paste ingredients in a food processor or blender. Add a few Tbsp. of the coconut milk, enough to blend ingredients. Process well.
- Place oil in wok or deep frying pan. Turn heat on medium-high and add paste. Stir-fry until fragrant (about 1 minute), then add the coconut milk. Add wheat gluten or tofu and stir to combine.
- Add lime leaves and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
- Add yam/sweet potato. (Note: if more sauce is desired, add up to 1 cup good-tasting vegetable stock.) Cover and simmer another 7-10 min, or until yam is soft enough to pierce with a fork.
- Finally, add bell pepper and snow peas. Stir and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, or until snow peas are cooked but still retain some of their crispness.
- Do a taste test for salt and spice. If not salty enough, add up to 2 Tbsp. more vegetarian fish sauce, soy sauce, or sea salt. If too salty, add a little fresh lime or lemon juice. If too spicy, add more coconut milk until desired taste is reached.
- To serve, transfer to a large serving bowl or plate up individual portions. Sprinkle generously with fresh basil. Accompany your curry with Thai jasmine-scented rice, Thai brown rice or your choice of noodles. For an extra special treat, serve this dish with my Easy Thai Coconut Rice. ENJOY!
*Other Sauces Used in Green Curry: Normally fish sauce is used to flavor green curry. If you're a vegetarian who eats fish (a 'pescatarian'), use fish sauce instead of soy sauce in this recipe. If not, another excellent vegan substitution for fish sauce is Thai Golden Mountain Sauce. Use equal parts soy sauce and Golden Mountain sauce to equal a total of 3 to 3.5 Tbsp.(the flavor will be rich enough that you can then leave out the dark soy sauce).
Other Vegetables: Other vegetables that work with this recipe include: broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, chopped spinach, green beans, eggplant, squash, and zucchini.
