Incredible Vegan Thai Green Curry
Servings: 5 with rice
Calories: 336kcal
Ingredients
Green Curry Paste (Pick ONE)
- 1 batch Homemade Thai Green Curry Paste OR
- 4 to 5 tablespoons canned Thai green curry paste, plus the below "extras" (Note 1)
Extras if using jarred/canned curry paste
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1- inch piece ginger or galangal, grated or minced
- 2 fresh lemongrass stalks, minced or grated (Note 2)
Tofu (see Note 3)
- 1 (14-ounce/400g) block of firm or extra firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (or ½ tablespoon sea salt)
Other Ingredients
- 1.5 OR 2 (13.5-oz/400 mL) cans of full-fat coconut milk (Note 4)
- 1 cup (240 mL) vegetable broth, vegan “chicken broth,” or water
- 8 fresh makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, bruised or crushed with your hands (Note 5)
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or brown sugar, more to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce (tamari for GF)
Vegetables of choice (more options in Note 6)
- 1 Chinese or Japanese eggplant, sliced into thin half moons (¼ to ⅛” thick / .5 cm), then sprinkled with salt for 15 minutes to soften (2 to 2 ½ cups total / ~170g)
- 1 medium or large red bell pepper, sliced
Finishing Ingredients
- 1 cup (18g) Thai basil leaves, kept whole (large leaves torn), plus more for garnish
- Freshly squeezed lime juice (if not using lime leaves)
- 1 to 2 mild red chile peppers sliced thinly for garnish (optional, for color)
- Cooked jasmine white rice or brown rice to serve 5
Instructions
- Make the homemade Green Curry Paste in advance, if using.
- Boil the tofu (Note 2). Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Slice the tofu into 4 vertical slabs, and gently press down with a towel several times to remove excess water. Chop into ½ to ¾-inch (~1.5 cm) cubes. Add 1 TBSP kosher salt to boiling water (or 1 ½ to 2 tsp sea salt), followed by tofu. When water returns to a boil, set a timer for 2 minutes. Gently drain.
- Heat a deep 12-inch sauté pan or medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add about 4 tablespoons of the coconut milk. Let it bubble and sizzle, and cook until the oil starts to separate from the milk, 1 ½ to 2 minutes. If it doesn’t really separate, don't worry (depends on the brand).
- Add curry paste, plus extras if using store-bought curry paste. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, until it starts to dry out a bit. The curry paste might sputter so stand back. If the paste sticks, deglaze with a splash of water.
- Pour in rest of the coconut milk (1.5 cans for jarred curry paste, 2 full cans for homemade curry paste). Add lime leaves, sugar, and soy sauce, and stir. Bring to a rapid simmer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it just starts to thicken.
- Add the boiled tofu (if using) and gently toss. Add vegetables of choice and broth. Stir to submerge the veg (it's okay if not totally submerged). Partially cover the pan and bring to a rapid simmer, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the veg is tender but still crisp.
- If using baked or fried tofu, add it in. Taste, adding more soy sauce or sugar as needed. If you used lime leaves, remove them; if not, add a squeeze of lime juice. Stir in Thai basil. Flavors will meld and mellow a bit after 15-20 min. Serve over rice and garnish with extra basil and mild red chiles, if using.
Video
Notes
General Note: the prep time is if you're using store-bought curry paste. If using homemade curry paste, it will take longer.
1. Make sure store-bought curry paste is vegan. The best one I’ve tried is from Maesri (also available at Asian grocery stores). If you love spicy food, use 5 tablespoons of it. I don't recommend using less than 4 TBSP because that's where all the flavor comes from.
2. To prep lemongrass, see the FAQ. If you only have 1 stalk, that's fine too.
3. The instructions here are for the boiled tofu method. If you want to pan-fry or bake the tofu for a crispy option, check out the blog post section "Can I fry or bake the tofu instead?"
4. If using store-bought curry paste, 1.5 cans coconut milk is fine. For the homemade curry paste, 2 cans is best in my opinion.
5. Makrut lime leaves are sold at Southeast Asian grocers and large pan-Asian markets (AKA kaffir lime leaves). If yours are very large, use fewer leaves. Can't find them? Sub with double the dried lime leaves and tear them a bit.
6. These are just the 2 veggies I used in photos. Some other suggestions:
- 1 1/2 cups (140g) snow peas (or snap peas), trimmed
- 1 cup (125g) bamboo shoots, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups (120g) green beans, trimmed and cut into small pieces