Hello friends! Happy Easter weekend! Yesterday, I decided to make Thai vegan coconut curry! I always get excited about making coconut curry! This dish combines all of my favourite ingredients – baby sweetcorn, mange tout, mushrooms, brightly coloured sweet peppers and green chilli! Throw in a little Thai green paste with the chilli to infuse the coconut milk and this dish is singing with so many delicious flavours of its own, bringing a fresh new dimension to midweek meals!
I actually managed to spend a whole hour poking around in the veggie isles this week, picking up veggies for a variety of dishes! I made two mean spinach and mushroom lasagna earlier in the week… and for the Easter weekend there are two wonderfully ripe avocados sitting in the kitchen waiting to be turned into moist fudgy indulgent chocolate brownies with frosting – to share of course!
I really fancied some fresh baby sweetcorn, mange tout and sweet peppers, but I enjoy these vegetables the most in Thai style dishes. I tend to make Indian curries a lot, so it’s nice to mix it up and prepare a dish that has a completely different range of flavours – that is just as delicious and enjoyable! I got busy washing my mange tout, baby sweetcorn and sweet peppers, so all my brightly coloured ingredients were prepared and ready to go!
Just in case you were wondering why I made the dish vegan – I have been making a lot more vegan and vegetarian dishes lately, and am really enjoying them! I eat a lot of vegetables anyway and it’s always nice to have different ways of incorporating ingredients into midweek meals to add more variety to the week. If I have a lot left over, I’ll sometimes heat it up the following day to have as a quick snack, especially carrot and coriander home-made soup!
Home-made Thai green paste is simple to make – you just need the main ingredients; garlic, ginger, chilli, shallots, lemon grass, cumin, coriander and a blender. If you’re short of time however and want a quick alternative, there are a range of vegan Thai paste available (that won’t contain any fish extract) that are just as delicious!
I’m definitely not against using good quality supermarket alternatives when short of time! I think these days there’s a lot more pressure on everyone – with a lot of people feeling they have to make every last ingredient from scratch – otherwise it’s frowned upon or considered less healthy.
Making from fresh is always a good choice and storing it – especially when prepared ahead of time. But everyone’s individual circumstances are different – life happens and if on the odd occasion you find you’re stuck for time (and it’s the difference between ordering or not ordering a takeaway!) – for the sake of a couple of tablespoons of paste, I really wouldn’t worry!
Just be happy that you now have a big delicious pot of fresh baby sweetcorn, mange tout, sweet peppers to munch on! I feel the focus should be on making a concious effort to have healthier meals that incorporates more veggies and building in extra skills along the way.
Thai Green Coconut Curry (Vegan) – And Delicious!
10 Core Ingredients: – You will need
- half a small onion
- 1 green chilli
- baby sweetcorn (175g)
- mange tout (130g)
- mushrooms (150g)
- 1 red sweet pepper (deseeded)
- 400ml can coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons Thai green paste (either home-made or bought vegan paste)
- *** Squeeze of fresh lime (optional) – I often don’t add – but if you are using then taste whilst adding to ensure you don’t overpower the dish!
- 1 level teaspoon sugar
- fresh coriander
Method: Cooking time – 25 minutes
- Wash and chop all the vegetables
- In large frying pan: Heat 1 tablespoon oil
- Fry the onion and chilli for a couple of minutes
- Next add baby sweetcorn, mange tout, sweet peppers and any other veggies and stir-fry for a couple of minutes
- Add 3 tablespoons of Thai green paste (vegan), stir in and cook for a couple of minutes
- Next add 400ml coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer
- Simmer for 10 minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked through
- *** Add a squeeze of lime if desired – (see important notes above!)
- Stir in a level teaspoon of sugar and sprinkle with fresh coriander
- Serve with some fresh steamed rice and enjoy!
All recipes will be updated with core nutritional information
