COOKING HOUR: Vegan Thai red curry recipe, Red curry without shrimp paste

vegan-thai-red-curry Vegan Thai red curry recipe without shrimp paste from scratch with red curry paste recipe. Step by step pictures detailed post.

During our trip to Bangkok, we used to have Thai curry for lunch. We stayed at Marriott Surawongse and the food is from in house Praya Kitchen. Earlier I have posted Green curry, which was inspired from my stray at Bali too. I used a recipe from cookbook I borrowed from library. Just that I skipped shrimp paste and used soya sauce as replacement.

Thai cuisine & vegan friendliness:

While coming back to SG, I picked up couple of Thai curry paste. Yellow and red. Some brands like Thai Kitchen, Blue elephant are vegan friendly. So no worries. Though we all three love Thai cuisine, we avoid eating at Thai restaurants or even Thai dish like Thai mango salad just because they are not vegan friendly. Few times, we have had bad experience of mango salad with fish sauce being served. Including out Bangkok trip, in our river cruise they served in the name of vegetarian food with fish sauce in salad. It wasn’t vegan as fish is vegetarian in certain countries.

vegan-red-curry-recipe

Ingredients sourcing:

In Singapore, I have no trouble sourcing ingredients for Thai recipes. It is easy to get green mango, coconut milk, kaffir lime, lemon grass kind of ingredients. In fact we get Tom yam set which comprises glangal, lemon grass, few kafir lime leaves, lime, shallot, chilli all in one pack. Sweet basil also available widely at the groceries.

Thai curries need coconut milk, that too rich and thick. So I buy coconut milk or coconut cream available at groceries. If you are buying coconut cream or coconut milk, do make sure to avoid buying ones with carrageenan which is used as stabilizers. It can be under hidden name like permitted stabilizers. I found Thai kitchen coconut milk doesn’t have such ingredient. If you are in Singapore, you can order through Redmart. (This is not sponsored post for anything, just shared what I know)

Vegan Thai red curry recipe

Vegan Thai red curry recipe without shrimp paste from scratch with red curry paste recipe. Step by step pictures detailed post.

2 cups Coconut milk
1 Carrot
10 cubes yellow pumpkin
1/2 cup sliced zucchini
1 Potato
5 French beans
8 Cherry tomatoes
10 pieces cauliflower
5 Kaffir lime leaves
10 Thai sweet basil (optional)
1 tbsp soya sauce
2 tsp tomato paste or ketchup
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp Coconut oil (virgin)

Vegan Thai red curry paste ingredients:

4 Dry Red chilli (spicy)
4 dry red chilli (mild spice)
2 tsp Rock salt
1/4 tsp white pepper (I skipped)
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp galangal (chopped)
2 coriander leaves root
1 tbsp lemon grass (chopped (base purple part))
4 garlic flakes (chopped)
5 shallots (chopped)
1/2 tsp coriander seeds powder
1/2 tsp kaffir lime zest

Deseed the chillies and soak in really hot water for 30 mins. I cut into few using scissors and squeeze in rubbing way several times for the seeds to fall off. One or two sticking to it will loosen up and come out when soaked. Use gloves or handle carefully.
Drain water completely, pat dry to take out excess moisture. If your are using motor pestle refer notes. Place everything in blender and grind to smooth paste. Add very little water only if needed.
Boil water with little salt, add beans and boil for a minute. Add other vegetables except zucchini and tomato. Boil for 2 -3 minutes to cook it. It should not be over cooked. Drain water and keep aside. Reserve water if needed for later use.
In a pan, heat oil and add red curry paste in low or medium flame. Do not let it smoke as it will make you all cough because of spice.
Cook for 3 minutes. Add soya sauce, tomato paste/ ketchup, sugar. Add coconut milk gradually first as you mix. Once the paste is loosened, then add the entire coconut milk.
Add the reserved water to adjust consistency. In goes zucchini (sweet basil leaves if adding). Cook for 10 mins in low flame.
Add tomato just before switching off.
Lastly tear and add the kaffir lime leaves and mix well.

Pat dry to take out excess moisture if you are using mortar pestle. This makes sure it doesnt spill spicy water over you. Also stand at a distance to avoid the spills over you.
Cut vegetables – beans to 1 inch pieces, all other to bite size cubes/ pieces. Slice tomato into two and zucchini to slices.
You can add brinjal, turkey berries, tofu, capsicum, squash, baby corn, mushrooms etc.
*Use heavy duty one mortor pestle for good results. Start with red chilli and salt so that it is easy to crush. All other ingredients in order and make sure to crush/ grind smoothly.
I skipped white pepper, sweet basil.
Never skip kaffir leaves as it is the main flavour that makes it so Thai.
I used coconut cream not coconut milk so adjusted water quantity accordingly. The curry was really rich.

Vegan Thai red curry method:

De seed the chillies and soak in really hot water for 30 mins. I cut into few using scissors and squeeze in rubbing way several times for the seeds to fall off. One or two sticking to it will loosen up and come out when soaked. Use gloves or handle carefully.
Drain water completely. If your are using motor pestle refer notes. Place everything in blender and grind to smooth paste. Add very little water only if needed.
Boil water with little salt, add beans and boil for a minute. Add other vegetables except zucchini and tomato. Boil for 2 -3 minutes to cook it. It should not be over cooked. Drain water and keep aside. Reserve water if needed for later use.
In a pan, heat oil and add red curry paste in low or medium flame. Do not let it smoke as it will make you all cough because of spice.
Cook for 3 minutes. Add soya sauce, tomato paste/ ketchup, sugar.
Add coconut milk gradually first as you mix. Once the paste is loosened, then add the entire coconut milk.
Add the reserved water to adjust consistency. In goes zucchini (sweet basil leaves if adding). Cook for 10 mins in low flame.
Add tomato just before switching off. Lastly tear and add the kaffir lime leaves and mix well.