This Vegan Red Thai Curry with Vegetables is a fantastic meal to make for a cozy meal in just under 30 minutes. And now who doesn't like a great meal on a weekday, right? I add crisped-up tofu and a medley of vegetables to make it filling and serve it with some rice on the side. It is healthy, easy, and delicious. If you are looking for a delicious one-pot meal, then you must also try my Thai Curry Dumpling Soup!
In my opinion, a great Buddha bowl makes for a great meal. This is one of my go-to meals, to make on a chaotic weekday, which after becoming a mother is every single day! I bet moms can relate. My family loves this Red Thai Curry recipe, and it is so easy and simple to make. I use the vegan red Thai curry paste for the recipe. Now I used to make my Thai curry paste, but I find it difficult to gather ingredients and I like to take the easy way out!
Jump to:
- What is Red Thai Curry with Vegetables?
- Why You'll Love This Recipe?
- Ingredients to Make This Red Thai Curry with Vegetables
- Expert Tips to Make This Vegan Red Thai Curry Recipe
- How to Make This Vegan Red Thai Curry?
- Variations to Make this Recipe
- Serving Suggestions and Storage Instructions
- More Recipes From The Blog
- Red Thai Curry with Vegetables
What is Red Thai Curry with Vegetables?
Red Thai curry with vegetables is a delicious Thai curry made with red Thai curry paste. This red Thai curry paste is made with freshly pounding lemongrass, galangal, kefir lime leaves, shallots, red chili peppers, garlic, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and salt. Traditionally a mortar pastel is used to pound all the spices and aromatics. A deliciously aromatic paste is made, which is used to make several recipes in Thai cuisine.
I make this Red Thai Curry with vegetables and tofu, using a store-bought vegan curry paste. It is absolutely delicious and so flavorful! We love to pair it with some small-grained rice, like jasmine rice, or sticky rice, or coconut rice. You can use a medley of seasonal vegetables to make this recipe. I add all the different veggies I have in my refrigerator. Broccoli, Snow Peas, Zucchini, Eggplant, Green Beans, Bell Peppers, and Mushrooms are a few vegetables that I like to add to this curry. But, you can add any vegetables you like!
Why You'll Love This Recipe?
- This is a quick, delicious, and easy curry recipe.
- Makes for a great one-pot meal
- This recipe is vegan and gluten-free
- Using store-bought curry paste, and coconut milk saves you time
- You will love the flavorful aromatics in the curry
- I think it is a great fridge-cleaning meal
- This recipe is versatile
Ingredients to Make This Red Thai Curry with Vegetables
Olive Oil - I like to use olive oil because it adds a beautiful fruity flavor. But you can also use coconut oil if you don't mind a strong coconutty flavor.
Tofu - I like to add extra firm tofu cubes that are fried and crisped up, as they taste delicious and add protein to the recipe.
Cornstarch - Coating tofu with cornstarch and frying it, helps with crisped-up tofu, which tastes delicious in the Thai curry recipe.
Aromatics - Use lots of onions, ginger, and garlic to make this recipe because it makes it so aromatic and tastes delicious.
Red Thai Curry Paste - I like to use a store-bought red Thai curry paste because it takes so much less time and effort to make this recipe easy and yet so delicious.
Vegetables - You can add all the vegetables you like, as all the veggies and greens taste great in this Red Thai Curry recipe. I am adding, mushrooms, beans, snow peas, red bell pepper, and fresh Thai basil.
Soy Sauce - I like to add soy sauce as it adds the right umami and saltiness in the curry. So I bet you don't want to skip it! You can also add coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
Spices and Seasonings - I like to keep it minimum for this curry unlike all the Indian curries I mean. We will be adding paprika, salt, and sugar to season this curry recipe.
Coconut Milk - Use full-fat canned coconut milk for this recipe, and trust me you won't regret it. It adds all the perfect richness and nuttiness to this recipe.
Water - We will add some water to the curry!
Expert Tips to Make This Vegan Red Thai Curry Recipe
- You have to bake or pan-fry the tofu for this recipe. I recommend using extra-firm tofu. You will have to place some weight on the tofu, to take all the excess water out. Cut them into equal bite-sized squares, sprinkle cornstarch, and give it a shake. This way, the tofu will crisp up perfectly and ready to be added to the curry.
- If you add tofu without crisping it up, it will soak a lot of the curry, and would completely disintegrate in the curry. So CRISPY TOFU will be our vibe!
- Use a vegetarian/ vegan red curry paste. The Thai Curry Kitchen curry paste works great for this recipe.
- I like to use a lot of aromatics, like onions, minced ginger, and garlic in the recipe. Don't skimp on it.
- Make sure to use full-fat canned coconut milk for this recipe. I promise you won't regret it.
- Add any vegetables and greens you like, but make sure to add some fresh basil to the curry. It is delicious.
- Let the curry simmer on low, while the veggies cook. This will help the vegetables and tofu, to sip in all the flavor!
How to Make This Vegan Red Thai Curry?
1. Take a block of extra firm tofu. Now place it in a plate, and place a cutting board on top of it. Now add some weight like some heavy books on the cutting board. This will squeeze out all the extra water from the tofu.
2. Now cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes, and sprinkle cornstarch on the tofu. Give it a good shake to make sure the cornstarch sticks on the tofu.
3. Add olive oil to a pan. Add tofu. Let it crisp up on one side, and will take you about good 4-5 minutes, and then flip it over, and cook it on the other side until crisp. Take it out on a plate and set it aside. You are looking for the tofu to have a nice golden crust.
4. Now in the same pan, add finely chopped onions, minced ginger, and garlic. Saute until the onions are golden and soft.
5. Add the red Thai curry paste. Saute it for 45 seconds.
6. Chop the vegetables into bite-sized pieces and add them to the pot. Mix it well. Add soy sauce, salt, sugar, and paprika, and mix it again.
7. Add full-fat canned coconut milk, and mix well. Bring it to a simmer and let it thicken until the desired consistency.
8. Enjoy with a side of jasmine rice or coconut rice or just regular plain rice.
Variations to Make this Recipe
- Use green curry paste instead of red curry paste for a change.
- Add peanut butter to add some more protein and umami nutty flavors to the recipe.
- Add vinegar and soy sauce together to bring more umami flavors to the curry.
- Add veggies, tofu, and cooked noodles, to make this a delicious meal.
- You can substitute tofu, with canned beans like chickpeas or white beans, to add to this curry. You can also add "tofurkey" and mince it with onions. It will taste delicious.
- Add pumpkin puree or cubed butternut squash and it tastes delicious.
Serving Suggestions and Storage Instructions
Serve the Red Thai Curry with plain rice, or coconut rice. You can also add some cooked ramen noodles, and/ or spaghetti in the curry and serve. If you like, add fried garlic and some fried peanuts on the side.
Store the curry in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days and reheat and enjoy whenever. Although I like to eat it fresh off the pan when the tofu and vegetables are still crunchy!
More Recipes From The Blog
Red Thai Curry with Vegetables
These nutrional values are automatically generated. Use them for estimation only.
Ingredients
For The Red Thai Curry
- 1.5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 300 Grams Extra Firm Tofu
- 1 Cup Yellow Onion Finely Chopped
- 1.5 Tablespoons Garlic Minced
- 1 Teaspoon Ginger Minced
- ¼ Cup Green Beans Cut Into Bite Sized Pieces
- ¼ Cup Snow Peas Halved
- ⅓ Cup Mushrooms Sliced
- ⅓ Cup Red Bell Pepper Cut Into Bite Sized Pieces
- 6-7 Thai Basil Leaves
- 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1.5 Teaspoon Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika
- 2 Cups Water
- 13 Oz Coconut Milk Canned and full-fat
Garnishes
- Cilantro
- Thai Basil
- Red Chili Flakes
Instructions
Pan Fry The Tofu
- Take a block of extra firm tofu. Now place it in a plate, and place a cutting board on top of it. Now add some weight like some heavy books on the cutting board. This will squeeze out all the extra water from the tofu.
- Now cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes, and sprinkle cornstarch on the tofu. Give it a good shake to make sure the cornstarch sticks on the tofu.
- Add olive oil to a pan. Add tofu. Let it crisp up on one side, and will take you about good 4-5 minutes, and then flip it over, and cook it on the other side until crisp. Take it out on a plate and set it aside. You are looking for the tofu to have a nice golden crust.
Make The Red Thai Curry
- Now in the same pan, add finely chopped onions, minced ginger and garlic. Saute until the onions are golden and soft.
- Add the red Thai curry paste. Saute it for 45 seconds.
- Chop the vegetables into bite-sized pieces and add them to the pot. Mix it well. Add soy sauce, salt, sugar, and paprika, and mix it again.
- Add full-fat canned coconut milk and water, and mix well. Bring it to a simmer and let it thicken until the desired consistency.
- Enjoy with a side of jasmine rice or coconut rice or just regular plain rice.
Notes
- Don't skip baking or pan-frying the tofu! It is important.
- Use a vegetarian or vegan red Thai curry paste. I like the Thai Kitchen's red curry paste and Maesri's red Thai Curry paste. They both are available on Amazon.
- Simmer the curry and adjust the thickness of the curry as per your preference.
- Use any seasonal vegetables to add to this curry.
Your Thoughts