Vegan Thai Green Curry

This Vegan Thai Green Curry recipe is a fragrant and flavorful one-pan dish that is crammed with wholesome vegetables and tofu simmered in a rich and creamy green sauce! With a mix of mildly spicy, savory, tangy, and umami flavors- this dish will make your senses reel in delight! You can make it in less than 30 minutes and customize the heck out of it to your liking!

Course Dinner

Cuisine Thai, Vegan

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Total Time 35

Servings people

Calories 278kcal

Author Melissa Huggins

Equipment

Large Skillet
Blender or Food Processor

Ingredients

Green Curry Paste

2 serrano peppers , remove stems and some seeds to reduce heat.
4 cloves garlic , peeled
2 medium shallots , peeled and quartered
2 stalks lemongrass , trim and peel off tough outer layers. Finely chop the inner tender portion.
2-inch knob fresh ginger , peeled & sliced (sub with 2-3 teaspoons jarred, paste, or frozen)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
Zest and juice of one lime (*zest lime first)
¼ cup fresh basil , tight-packed
½ cup fresh cilantro , tight-packed
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper (sub with black)
1 teaspoon miso paste , yellow or white *optional (add salt to taste if not using)

Curry

1.5 tablespoons avocado oil or preferred oil (+ more for drizzling)
1 red bell pepper deseeded, veins removed, and sliced
1 small head of broccoli cut into bite-sized florets (about 2 heaping cups)
2-3 medium carrots , sliced into coins
6-8 pieces baby corn , sliced in half lengthwise of left whole
½ cup vegetable broth
13.5 ounces full-fat coconut milk , canned
1-2 teaspoons coconut sugar sub agave, maple syrup, or brown sugar
8 ounces extra-firm tofu , gently press out excess water, and cube
½ teaspoon salt , more to taste
Ground pepper , to taste

For Serving (optional)

Rice (about 3 cups cooked)
Chopped cilantro
Lime wedges

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Green Curry Paste

Place all of the paste ingredients into a high-powered blender with a narrow pitcher. Pulse on high 5-6 times to get everything going. Scrape down the sides as needed. Now, blend on high until it breaks down and starts to form a paste, using the blender tamper as needed. If your blender is straining, you can add a few teaspoons of coconut milk (from the recipe ingredients) or water to help it along. The paste doesn’t have to be completely smooth, just make sure the lemongrass and ginger have broken down well. You can use a food processor as well.

Curry

In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat. Once heated, add the broccoli, red bell pepper, and carrots. Sauté until they are slightly browned and crisp-tender. About 4-6 minutes. This is just to bring out more flavor, the veggies will cook more in the curry.
Move the veggies over to the side of the pan and add a drizzle of oil. Once heated, add the green curry paste on top. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until it’s fragrant and excess moisture has reduced. Stir into the veggies to combine and sauté for 1 additional minute.
Add the broth, coconut milk, sugar, salt, and pepper into the pan and stir to combine. Raise the heat to bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to gently simmer. Add the tofu cubes and baby corn, then cover the pan. Cook until the sauce thickens and veggies are tender, stirring occasionally. About 4-6 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed. The curry sauce should be on the thin side, but If it’s too thin for your taste, you can let it cook a few minutes longer uncovered. If it’s too thick, you can thin it out with broth or water.
Serve in a bowl with a side of rice. Garnish with fresh cilantro, green onions, and lime wedges, if preferred.

Notes

1. For more heat, add 1 small serrano pepper. To reduce the heat, you can remove all or some of the serrano pepper seeds. You can also use jalapeños because they have less heat than serranos.

2. If you're having trouble cutting the lemongrass, you'll need to peel a few more layers until it's easier to cut. The color will be pale green or whitish.

3. Add any type of veggies you like, just try to keep the ratios somewhat the same. You can add things like sugar snap peas, cauliflower, green peas, bok choy, green beans, snow peas, or eggplant.

4. If you don’t have miso paste, you can add 1-3 teaspoons of low-sodium tamari or soy sauce to the third step of the curry. This will provide a dash of umami flavor.

5. This curry is on the zesty side which I love. However, if you aren't sure about the zesty flavor, you can reduce or omit the lime zest. You can also reduce the fresh ginger.

6. Store-bought paste - if you're in a pinch, you can buy green curry paste in the store and replace the fresh with 3-5 tablespoons. I prefer fresh because I can control the spice level. Store-bought is usually spicy and it's hard to control that without losing flavor too. Some brands may have shrimp paste in them so be sure to check the labels. Thai Kitchen, Mekhala, and Maesri are all vegan. The Maesri brand is pretty spicy but it has lots of flavor.

7. If you have a blender with a wide base, you may have trouble blending the paste. A food processor with a small work bowl will work or you can use a mortar and pestle.

8.* Nutritional Info does not include the cooked rice.

Nutrition