Last week we had an appetizer-laden week at Tummy Treasure, and this week, it’s all about vegetables. I’ve been playing around with issues of Vegetarian Times this week, and have had quite a few success to share. Specifically, they’ve all been vegan recipes, so they are all ideal for many different dietary needs. But best of all, they’ve all been remarkably delicious.
First up today, I have to share a delicious curry from the hot-off-the-presses September issue of Vegetarian Times. When I saw the photo of this curry in the magazine, I just had to make it, and even better, it utilized some vegetables I had in the fridge just hanging around, dying to be used.
One of the issues I have with Vegetarian Times magazine is that sometimes, the method they use just seems a little more than necessary. I found the exact same thing with this recipe, as they called for a whole extra pan than was necessary- and I’m all about saving on the amount of dishes I use, especially when I’m cooking something just for me, and have a separate meal to make for the family. Once I streamlined the VT method, I had a quick and delicious curry. I have adjusted the recipe below to reflect a few changes from the one in the magazine. In particular, the original recipe called for 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. I used that, and found my curry to be just on the side of too sweet. I think 1 tablespoon would have been plenty to ensure that the flavor was there. Despite the sweetness though, I did manage to consume three bowls of the curry myself. It makes a great light bowl of soup, but you could make it more substantial as a main meal by serving it with a scoop of brown rice. Thai basil was also not to be found in my neck of the woods. I managed by using some Genovese Basil from my garden- it worked just fine, so feel free to make that swap.
Vegetables in Thai Red Curry
1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets (3 cups) 1 cup green beans, stems removed, and cut into 2-inch pieces 1 Tbs canola oil 1 cup cremini mushrooms, ends trimmed (I used pre-sliced creminis, and the whole package at that) 1 14-oz. can light coconut milk 1-2 Tbs Thai red curry paste (I used a mild red curry paste, and opted for the full 2 TBS) 1 Tbs brown sugar 2 Tbs Tamari or low-sodium soy sauce 1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into slivers (1 cup) 20-30 fresh Thai basil leaves salt to taste1. Blanch cauliflower and green beans together in a pot of salted boiling water for about 4 minutes. Remove with strainer and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.
2. Heat the oil in a 3 or 4 quart soup pot over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until mushrooms have browned and released some of their juices. Add the coconut milk, curry paste, sugar, tamari (or soy sauce) and 1/2 cup water. Start with a small amount of curry paste and adjust for spiciness. Add cauliflower, green beans, bell pepper and half of the basil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Taste, and add salt as necessary.
3. Serve immediately, and garnish with remaining basil.