Published . Last updated by Judy Purcell 16 Comments
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Vegetable Coconut Thai Curry with Jasmine Rice is so budget friendly and full of soul-soothing flavor it belongs in your regular meal rotation.
Boost your curry making confidence with these easy tips!
Vegetable Coconut Thai Curry with Jasmine Rice
This easy coconut curry is a favorite around the GirlHaus since we usually have a surplus of veggies in the fridge, a half-finished bag of rice, a couple cans of coconut milk, and a few friends to feed. After serving this curry sauce at multiple gatherings, its finally come to the perfect balance of spice, sweet, savory, and soul-feeding goodness.
Delicious just as it is, adding a bit of chicken is a simple way to boost the protein if you happen to have some of that in the fridge too.
Using Thai Curry Paste to Make an Easy Coconut Curry
There are no hard rules, but in my opinion, the robust flavor of red curry tends to stand up better to red meats like beef, lamb, buffalo, and elk.
Yellow and green curry sauces complement the more delicate flavors of fish, pork, chicken, and vegetables,but they really are interchangeable. Notice the similarity in the basic ingredients for curry powder and pastes below.
- Yellow curry powder:cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, cloves, red pepper, black pepper
- Green curry paste: green chili, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, salt, onion, pepper, coriander, cumin, kaffir lime
- Red curry paste: red chili pepper, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, salt, shallot, coriander, cumin, kaffir lime
In this vegetable curry recipe, we use all three for a dynamic combo of flavor (sometimes we just can’t choose one!).
Rather than make our own, we use ready-made curry paste because galangal (guh-LANG-guh) and kaffir lime are harder to source, yet important to the authentic flavor of Thai curry sauce. The best curry pastes will have straightforward ingredient lists without additives or preservatives.
Want to try your hand at making homemade curry paste? Grab your mortar and pestle and check out this green curry paste recipe from The Spruce Eats.
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Tips for Making Great Curry Sauce
- A mix of fresh aromatics and curry spice or curry paste is best. In other words, don’t rely just on the pastes and powders to bring all the complexity to the dish. Even if you use a curry paste with red or green chilies, adding fresh chilies, peppers, garlic, ginger, shallot, lemongrass
, and additional kaffir lime leaves is always a good idea. - Always bloom the spices before adding coconut milk or cream.
- Microplane the lemongrassto release its full effect.
- Cut the vegetables into smaller bite-size pieces or thin so they cook quickly.
, and additional 
is always a good 
the lemongrassto release its full effect.
Recipe Ingredient Tips
- Lemongrass is not always available at the store but TRUST ME it makes all the difference. When it’s available, buy it and cut it into the 5” pieces and then freeze. I use a microplane to get fine shavings of lemongrass into the curry, simply because the flavor is amazing but the grass itself is tough to chew and can be somewhat off-putting while you’re chowing down. Freezing it will make it easier to grate/zest, and then just throw it in the pot!
- Substitutealmond butter for peanut butter if you have an allergy. Nut butter adds a subtle nutty flavor and texture to the curry.
- Use only one type of curry if you are limited, the only reason I use all three is that it creates a dynamic mix.
- Red chili flakestakes this recipe to the next level if you’re craving spice. The beautiful balance of coconut cream, curry, and heat makes for a truly delicious dinner.
Ever have trouble with making jasmine rice “just right”?
A good chef friend of mine gave me these instructions that never fail:
- Soak the rice for at least 15 minutes.
- Strain the water off the rice and place rice into pot with 1:1 ratio rice to clean water.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and turn to low.
- Cook for 18 minutes.
- Turn to high for 10 seconds.
- Turn off heat and let sit, with a lid on, for 5 mins. You’ll have perfect rice.
Recipe Variations
- Make it vegan: Omit the honey and fish sauce. Balance with a bit more salt and a touch of pure maple syrup.
- Make it Paleo: Substitute the almond butter for peanut butter, and cauliflower rice ormalanga ricefor jasmine rice.
- Make it Keto: Omit the honey and substitute almond butter for peanut butter, and cauliflower rice or shirataki rice forjasmine rice.
- Add pan-seared chicken to this recipe for an even heartier meal.
- Use only one type of curry if you have a preference.I use all three to create a dynamic mix.
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Vegetable Coconut Thai Curry with Jasmine Rice
Tender vegetables in coconut curry sauce with the perfect balance of spice, sweet, savory and soul-feeding goodness.
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Total Time55 minutes mins
Course: Main Course, Stew
Cuisine: Thai
Servings: 6
Author: Judy Purcell
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion , diced
- 2 large cloves garlic , minced
- 1 thumb-size piece fresh ginger , minced
- 1 5- inch stalk lemongrass , microplaned or finely grated
- 2 bell pepper , any favorite
- 1 head baby bok choy , chopped
- 1 cup thinly sliced crimini mushrooms
- 1/2 small jalapeno , seeds removed, chopped fine
- 2 cups chopped cauliflower
- 1 cup halved snap peas
- 1 cup chopped zucchini
- 2 teaspoon red curry paste
- 2 teaspoon green curry paste
- 2 teaspoon yellow curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes , or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 28 ounces coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter , or almond butter
- 1 tablespoon honey , to taste
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper , to taste
- 3 cups cooked Jasmine rice
- Cilantro leaves , for garnish
- Fresh lime wedges , for garnish
Instructions
Start jasmine rice and cook according to package instructions or follow advice in NOTES.
Melt coconut oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and ginger and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the peppers, mushrooms, lemon grass, bok choy, jalapeño and other vegetables and cook over medium-high heat until vegetables wilt and soften, stirring occasionally.
Add the curry pastes and powder; stir into vegetables and cook 1 to 2 minutes until spices are fragrant and fully integrated. Sprinkle fish sauce over the vegetables and add coconut milk, peanut butter, and honey; stir to incorporate.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat for 10-12 minutes to reduce and thicken sauce. Add salt and pepper, taste, taste, and taste again until it reaches the right ZING. Serve over jasmine rice, garnish with fresh cilantro and a slice of fresh lime.
Notes
Take precautions by wear gloves and do not touch your face when working with hot peppers like jalapenos.
For Perfect Jasmine Rice: Soak 1 cup of uncooked rice in water for 15 minutes. Strain and place soaked rice in a 3 quart pan with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, cover with lid, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 18 minutes. Turn to high for 10 seconds. Remove from heat and allow to sit with the lid on for 5 minutes.
Ingredient Tips
- Lemongrass is not always available at the store but TRUST ME it makes all the difference. When it's available, buy it and cut it into the 5” pieces and then freeze. I use a microplane to get fine shavings of lemongrass into the curry, simply because the flavor is amazing but the grass itself is tough to chew and can be somewhat off-putting while you’re chowing down. Freezing it will make it easier to grate/zest, and then just throw it in the pot!
- Substitutealmond butter for peanut butter if you have an allergy. Nut butter adds a subtle nutty flavor and texture to the curry.
- Red chili flakestakes this recipe to the next level if you’re craving spice. The beautiful balance of coconut cream, curry, and heat makes for a truly delicious dinner.
Variations
- Make it vegan: Omit the honey and fish sauce. Balance with a bit more salt and a touch of pure maple syrup.
- Make it Paleo: Substitute the almond butter for peanut butter, and cauliflower rice ormalanga ricefor jasmine rice.
- Make it Keto: Omit the honey and substitute almond butter for peanut butter, and cauliflower rice or shirataki rice forjasmine rice.
- Add pan-seared chicken to this recipe for an even heartier meal.
- Use only one type of curry if you have a preference.I use all three to create a dynamic mix, especially if I can't decide on a single flavor profile.
Nutrition
Calories: 496kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Sodium: 308mg | Potassium: 735mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2625IU | Vitamin C: 92.4mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 6mg
Learn how to make this and all recipes even easier!Check out our Monthly Meal Prep System!
More Thai Recipes You’ll Love
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Pad Thai with Beef
Basic Chicken Curry
This recipe is by our Content Partner, Kayla Purcell.
Kayla’s creativity spills over into everything she does, especially in the kitchen. She is passionate about bringing people together around tasty food that’s good for you. We love that too.
