Today in Quick Dinners With Four-ish Ingredients:
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And also What To Do With Baked Tofu!
This is a dinner that I made specifically to pair with the baked tofu from Monday, and one that we make all the time. We love Thai food, and Thai green curry is something that I order almost every time I go to a Thai restaurant.
Curry, though, can take some time to simmer and build flavors. I love doing that BUT definitely only on weekends. Weekdays aren't the time to add little pinches of this and that or be dealing with whole lemongrass and jalapenos, nope. So THIS Thai Curry is the polar opposite in terms of effort: Vegetables, coconut milk, green curry paste. Full stop, done and done.
There are lots of options for green curry paste in most grocery stores - grab whatever you like! This is the one I use because it's there. I'm sure there are better or fancier ones. I find this brand everywhere, though, so that's what we're using! Note in the store: buy curry PASTE and not curry sauce. We're making the sauce!
Now, I'm making this curry super simply with whatever veggies I have on hand. Right now it's tons of squash and zucchini, and I added some mushrooms here because I love them. When I use mushrooms I saute them first to brown them and eliminate some of the liquid, then add the rest of the veggies.
You can absolutely use any veggies you like in this Thai green curry! I've added bell peppers, carrots, eggplant, broccoli, and cauliflower to Thai curry and they're all delicious. Use any veggies you enjoy or have on hand!
Overall, we're looking for 3-4 cups of veggies, sauteed at medium heat until they just start to soften, five minutes or so.
When the veggies are soft, stir in a can of coconut milk and some curry paste, and that's it! I use full fat coconut milk for full flavor, and start with 1 tablespoon of curry paste, then taste and add more. I like spicy foods, so I usually end up adding 2-3 tablespoons total of curry paste. This will depend on the brand you buy, though, so add a little bit and keep adjusting to your preference.
While you're tasting and stirring and adjusting the curry, let it simmer for ten minutes or so until the veggies are soft but not mushy. Add a few pinches of salt if needed - especially with spicier curry pastes you may end up at a point where the curry flavor is strong enough but the dish itself is a bit bland. Don't hold back on salt!
Done! These bowls have green curry with tofu, but the curry alone is fabulous by itself or over rice. You could also add grilled chicken on top or stir leftover chicken or pork into the curry sauce.
Now, this is super simple which I love. Sometimes I doctor it up a little bit with some minced garlic, minced ginger (added with the veggies), a few dashes of fish sauce in the curry, or lime wedges and cilantro on top. Adding a few extras definitely takes the dish over the top, but they're not necessary at all!
The key is knowing that with THREE ingredients (curry paste, coconut milk, and veggies), you can have a delicious vegan dinner in 20 minutes or so. Enjoy this!
Recipe
Summertime Green Curry {vegan}
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped vegetables I use summer squash, zucchini, and mushrooms in these pictures
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 1-3 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
- baked tofu optional for serving
- cooked white rice optional for serving
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet to medium heat with a drizzle of oil. Add the vegetables and saute with a sprinkle of salt until liquid is evaporated and the veggies have softened slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the coconut milk and 1 tablespoon of curry paste. Taste, and add sprinkles of salt and more curry paste until the curry tastes fabulous to you.
- Simmer the curry for 5-10 additional minutes until the veggies are soft. Serve!
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