Thai-Style Vegetable Green Curry
Before I started studying Thai as part of my undergraduate degree at the University of Leeds, I had never been to Thailand or tried Thai food. I was also not a major meat eater and I didn’t like spicy food. Not the greatest starting point for someone who was about to spend a year in Chiang Mai, Thailand’s northern ‘capital.’
Most people I knew were telling me that it was impossible to avoid eating meat, but thankfully Thai cuisine is pretty flexible and so are Thai cooks. I quickly discovered that I could ask the lovely mae/pho khrua (female/male cooks in Thai) to swap meats in at least some of the dishes for either fish, seafood, or tofu, which was great. So, I survived the year, mostly unscathed in this respect…
The trickier bit was getting used to the Thai level of spiciness. I vividly remember ordering a pomelo salad at a street restaurant near where I was staying, asking for a ‘not spicy’ version and the good-natured mae khrua humoured me by adding five bird’s eye chillies to the salad instead of her usual 10. I was in tears by the time I finished eating it, but I guess my taste buds adjusted through sheer terror and bit by bit I was able to handle at least some level of spice. I was still way off the Thai standard, but at least I wasn’t crying my eyes out with every mouthful and learned to enjoy a range of spicy foods.
One of them is Thai green curry. My version is not authentic - for a start, it uses tempeh which is Indonesian, not Thai, but that’s mostly because my husband prefers tempeh over tofu. For me, both work equally well. I also like to use a range of different vegetables to up my plant points. If you order a green curry in Thailand, chances are that it will come with small round aubergines, which I love, but they are more difficult to source in the UK unless you live near a Thai or Asian food store.
The key to a tasty curry is a good quality paste and fish sauce. You can try making your own curry paste (I have done that several times and it was great), but again, getting hold of the different ingredients might be tricky. Plus, you really don’t want to keep the pungent shrimp paste in your fridge for long, trust me on that 😅
As for the fish sauce, avoid all the supermarket-own brand versions - they are miles away from what a good fish sauce should taste like! Instead, look for a good Thai brand fish sauce that is properly pungent and salty. You will only ever need to use a small amount.
Prep time: 35 minutes | Serves: 4 people | Plant points: 7+
Ingredients
1 cup (~190g) of brown rice, rinsed
200g firm tofu or tempeh, cut to bite-size pieces
400ml full fat coconut milk (this is one tin)
220g mixed vegetables (I love using stir fry veggie mixes), cut to bite-size pieces
4 tbsps good quality Thai curry paste (I like to use the Mae Ploy brand which is widely available across UK supermarkets)
1 1/2 tbsps of good quality fish sauce (I like to use the Squid Brand fish sauce which is widely available across UK supermarkets)
1 tsp coconut sugar or maple syrup
2 kaffir lime leaves, hard stems removed and torn to small pieces
30g Thai basil, stalks removed
1 big red chilli, roughly chopped
Method
Start by cooking the rice. I usually cook mine in a pot on the hob: add the rice and two cups of boiled water, bring to a gentle boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for about 30–35 minutes, until all the water is absorbed.
While the rice is cooking, prepare the remaining ingredients. When there are about 10 minutes left on the rice, heat a wok or stainless steel pan over medium-high heat.
Carefully open the tin of coconut milk, making sure the separated solid fat doesn’t mix with the thinner liquid beneath it. Scoop out the solid fat and add it to the hot pan. Fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring continuously, until the coconut oil begins to separate.
Add the green curry paste and fry for 1–2 minutes. Once the paste is cooked, add the cubed tofu or tempeh and stir until it’s thoroughly coated in the curry sauce.
Pour in the remaining thin coconut milk and bring to the boil. Add the mixed vegetables and bring to the boil again. Cook for 3–4 minutes, until the vegetables are tender but still slightly crisp.
Gradually stir in the fish sauce, maple syrup or coconut sugar, kaffir lime leaves, and half of the basil leaves. Mix well and cook for another minute.
Serve garnished with the remaining basil, alongside the brown rice.
Why It Works
This recipe strikes the perfect balance between comfort and freshness. The coconut milk keeps it rich and satisfying, while the green curry paste, fish sauce, and kaffir lime leaves add those unmistakable Thai flavours that make every mouthful sing. Using tofu or tempeh gives the dish a good dose of plant-based protein and keeps it light enough for a weekday lunch or dinner. It’s also endlessly adaptable — you can swap in whatever vegetables you have at the back of your fridge. And since it all comes together in around 35 minutes, it’s ideal for those busy days when you want something nourishing but don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen.
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