Tag: Easy Weeknight Dinner

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Vegan Green Thai Curry

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Who doesn’t love Thai food? I bet everyone’s first Thai dish has always been the Thai curry! I was first introduced to Thai cuisine with the Thai red curry, and ever since Thai has been my favourite cuisine. This Vegan Green Thai Curry is rich and creamy, packed with fresh vegetables, full of authentic Thai flavours and simple enough for weeknight dinners. 

Ever since we have planted lemongrass at home, we pretty much make this Vegan Thai Green Curry every week. It tastes as good as a restaurant dish. We made it three days back, and barely a few days later, there we were craving a green curry again. It is amazingly delicious and you can have it without getting tired of it. I use all the produce I have at home from carrots, green beans, broccoli, zucchini or even green peas. 

Tip – Always use canned coconut milk rather than the tetra pack. The tetra pack coconut milk is watery and doesn’t have the authentic coconut milk taste. For more information on coconut milk, ready my post on the Coconut and Lime Chicken.

green-thai-curry

Who wouldn’t love this vegan Thai curry? It’s hard to come across a person who wouldn’t like its delicious, well balanced flavours – spiciness soothed by the coolness of the coconut milk and set against the freshness of coriander, lime leaves and lemongrass. Because this is a vegan curry I have not used fish sauce and shrimp paste, even though fish sauce and shrimp paste are essential Thai ingredients. 

Vegan Green Thai Curry Paste

Because it is impossible to find vegan Thai curry paste that doesn’t have fish sauce or shrimp paste, so I never use store bought Thai curry paste, I always make it fresh from scratch. The curry paste is simple to make and can be made with easily available ingredients. It is not time consuming at all like the chefs in Thailand who sweat it all out to make the paste. Just grind all the ingredients together and that is it! 

The ingredients required for the curry paste are – 

  • Ginger
  • Green chilli
  • Onions
  • Garlic
  • Lemon zest
  • Coriander powder
  • Cumin powder
  • Turmeric powder
  • Salt 
  • Coriander leaves and stem

If you really like your curry spicy, then add in more green chilli. You can also add in a few sliced Thai red chilli in the curry. 

How to serve the curry?

I always serve the Vegan Green Thai Curry with steamed long grain rice or jasmine rice. But if you want to give it a healthy twist, I bet quinoa would be a great alternative to serve the curry with. 

As it is the curry is loaded with vegetables, I like to enjoy the curry by itself along with steamed rice. But if you do want a side dish you can serve it with

Pairing it up with a fresh and juicy salad is a good idea, to make it a full and refreshing meal! 

If you make my Vegan Thai Green Curry, do not forget to tag me on Instagram as @spoonfulstoriesbyishanapassi I simply love seeing your takes on my recipes! 

Vegan Green Thai Curry
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Vegan Green Thai Curry

Recipe by Ishana PassiCourse: Main Dish, VeganCuisine: ThaiDifficulty: Medium
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes
Total time

45

minutes

This Vegan Green Thai Curry is rich and creamy, packed with fresh vegetables, full of authentic Thai flavours and simple enough for weeknight dinners. 

Ingredients for curry paste

  • 3 green chilli, chopped

  • 2 tsp lemon zest

  • 2 tbsp galangal or ginger, grated

  • 5 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 1 tsp ground cumin

  • 1 tsp ground coriander

  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

  • 1/3 cup coriander leaves and stems

  • 2-3 tbsp water

  • juice of 1/2 lemon

  • Thai Curry Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp coconut oil / olive oil

  • 3-4 lime leaves

  • 1-2 thai red chilli, sliced

  • 4-5 lemongrass stalks, chopped and trimmed

  • 2-3 tsp coconut sugar

  • 1 cup vegetable broth or water

  • 1 can coconut milk, full fat

  • 1/3 cup peas

  • 1 small carrot, chopped

  • 1/3 cup green beans, chopped

  • 1/3 cup broccoli, chopped

  • 1-2 tsp soy sauce

  • 5 thai basil leaves

Directions

  • Combine all the ingredients of the curry paste in a blender. Blend it to a fine paste until it becomes nice thick paste. Use this paste for the Thai curry.
  • Heat oil in a heavy based pan. Add the lemon grass and saute for a minute.
  • Add the curry paste and kaffir lime leaves. Cook for 3-5 minutes until cooked and dried out.
  • Add the broth, coconut milk, sugar, soy sauce and mix well.
  • Add in all the vegetables and let it simmer for 13-15 minutes.
  • Taste the curry and accordingly adjust. Add more salt for saltiness or sugar for sweetness.
  • Serve warm with steam rice.
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Coconut Lime Chicken

Coconut-Lime-Chicken-Spoonful-Stories

This Thai inspired Coconut Lime Chicken is comforting, delicious and easy to make. It is made with chicken breast that is simmered in creamy coconut milk, fresh lime juice, cilantro and red pepper flakes and ready under 30 minutes!

It’s been awhile since i’ve created a Thai inspired recipe, so I am really excited for this. And I love Thai! I have also been getting quite a few requests for the recipe for this dish so I am eager to see how many of you will make this dish! I had some left over coconut milk, and I decided to make a chicken dish out of it. This recipe is ideal for weeknights or if you have guests coming in last minute. 

The sweetness of the coconut milk combined with the freshness and tanginess of the lemon juice and spiciness of the red pepper flakes is truly one of the best combinations!  This dish is best served steamed rice.

Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is the hero of this Thai inspired creamy Coconut and Lime Chicken dish.  It gives the dish a creamy texture, nuttiness and sweetness. Also, as coconut milk is thick itself, you do not need a thickening agent. 

There are many varieties in the market when it comes to coconut milk. So here are a few tips to help you choose the right one.

Unsweetened – Make sure to buy unsweetened coconut milk. Coconut milk itself is on the sweeter side, whereas sweetened coconut milk and cream of coconut both contain added sugar and are often placed near the coconut milk in shops. 

Canned – Many varieties are available like I said. Canned, boxed, powder or refrigerated. Make sure to buy the canned coconut milk, this usually placed near the Asian sauces. Canned coconut milk is the most flavourful.

Full Fat Milk – For the best taste and texture use full fat coconut milk. Lite coconut milk obviously has less fat, but then tends to  be watery. This will not give you a rich and creamy texture.

Shake the can – It’s important you shake the can before opening it, because there is often a white solid layer on top that is formed which is known as coconut cream. Vigorously shake it before opening to combine the cream and liquid together. 

My favourite brand to use is Chaokoh Coconut Milk. It is easily available in most of the grocery stores. It truly tastes and looks the best, the perfect texture you would want for your Coconut and Lime Chicken. The other brand that you can also use is Real Thai Coconut Milk. This is equally good. 

Recipe tips and notes for Coconut Lime Chicken

  • Like the spice? If you like your food spicy, try adding in a few chopped Thai Chilli Pepper.
  • Fish Sauce – Try adding in a tsp of fish sauce to enhance the flavour of the dish. It is completely optional but it will give the dish a more authentic Thai flavour. I haven’t included it in the recipe since many people don’t stock up on fish sauce. Fish sauce and even Lemongrass would be a great addition to the dish.
  • Lite Coconut Milk – Feel free to use lite coconut milk, but keep in mind the dish won’t be as rich and creamy as it would be if you use full fat milk. The sauce will definitely be thinner. 
  • Don’t like cilantro? If you are one of those people who don’t fancy cilantro, then leave it out! Instead you can use basil or lime leaves. 

Want to try more Thai inspired recipes?

Coconut Lime Chicken
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Coconut Lime Chicken

Recipe by Ishana PassiCourse: Main Dish, Non-VegetarianCuisine: ThaiDifficulty: Medium
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes
Total time

45

minutes

This Thai inspired Coconut Lime Chicken is comforting, delicious and easy to make.

Ingredients

  • 500 gm boneless, skinless chicken breast

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 tbsp butter

  • 1 onion, sliced

  • 1/2 cup chicken stock

  • 1 can full fat, unsweetened coconut milk

  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

  • zest of 1 lemon

  • 2 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro

  • 1 tbsp red pepper flakes

  • salt and pepper to taste

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 tbsp honey

Directions

  • Slice the chicken into small chunks and season with salt and pepper.
  • Heat a large pan over medium heat. Melt the butter in it with 1 tbsp oil. When hot, add the chicken and cook until golden brown or slightly cooked. Transfer to a plate.
  • In the same pan, add the remaining oil and cook the onions and the garlic until fragrant. About 30-45 seconds.
  • Stir in the chicken stock, lemon juice, lemon zest, red pepper flakes and honey. Simmer on low heat until reduced by half for about 5 minutes. Keep stirring and scrapping the pan from the sides.
  • Stir in the coconut milk and season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the pan and cook until chicken is fully cooked.
  • Stir in the cilantro and serve with steamed rice.
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Sun Dried Tomato Spaghetti

Sun-Dried-Tomato-Spaghetti-Recipe-Spoonful-Stories.

Who doesn’t love an easy and yet delicious weeknight dinner! If you’re a lover of simple pasta, then you will love this recipe for Sun Dried Tomato Spaghetti. Tender spaghetti, fresh basil, bits of sun dried tomato and the richness of the parmesan, all the goodness in one dish!

This recipe makes for an easy, quick and delicious weeknight meal. It is flavourful, savoury, fresh, simple and satisfying. Also, it makes a perfect summer easy dish for the hot weather when you’re craving light and refreshing dishes. 

Sun Dried Tomato Spaghetti Ingredients 

Very few ingredients are needed for this spaghetti recipe. Handful of fresh basil leaves, few cloves of garlic, jarred sun dried tomatoes in oil, freshly grated parmesan, diced tomatoes, olive oil and dry spaghetti. Feel free to add vegetables or chunks of cooked chicken if you want to make it a full meal. This is the easiest pasta recipe out there.

The sweetness of the sun dried tomatoes and freshness of the basil leaves is exactly what you would like on a hot summer evening. This is an easy dinner recipe which is amazingly delicious and can be served as a complete meal or nicely pair it with a bowl of Green Pea and Peanut Quinoa or Homemade Garlic Bread.

Eat this Sun Dried Tomato Spaghetti warm, cold or lukewarm – it still tastes amazing. That is why it makes for an easy yet tasty summer dinner recipe. 

For everyone who is gluten free and vegan, don’t worry you too can enjoy this recipe with a few variations. Simply use gluten free pasta and vegan parmesan. In just a few minutes you have a vegan and gluten free pasta ready! 

How to prevent spaghetti from sticking together 

If the noodles aren’t cooked correctly they can get quite sticky. But that won’t happen anymore if you follow the steps i’ve mentioned below. 

  • Make sure water is boiling – Before adding the spaghetti to the pot of water, make sure it is boiling. If you add the dry spaghetti to the pot of water which is not truly boiling then they would simply sit there in not hot enough water. This would make the spaghetti soggy and clumpy. 
  • Stir the spaghetti – As the spaghetti is coated with a sticky layer of starch, it is essential you stir them in the first two minutes of dumping them in boiling water. If you don’t stir them, the spaghetti will stick together and will remain stuck. 
  • Add salt to the water – Adding salt to the boiling water prevents the spaghetti from sticking together and also enhances the flavour. The salt has contact with the surface of the pasta and prevents it from getting slimy while being cooked. The salt roughs up the surface of the spaghetti. This is essential for dried pasta. 
  • Adding oil to the water – Many people believe this step prevents the spaghetti from sticking. But if you use plenty of water and keep stirring it, you wouldn’t need oil. Adding oil to the water will make the spaghetti slippery and the sauce will  not adhere to the spaghetti. Even adding oil to cooked spaghetti will have the same effect. The sauce will simply slide off. Simply toss the pasta in a bit of sauce immediately after cooking to prevent it from sticking. 

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. And don’t forget to take a picture and tag me on Facebook / Instagram SpoonfulStoriesbyIshanaPassi so we can be pasta pals! 

Sun Dried Tomato Spaghetti
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Sun Dried Tomato Spaghetti

Recipe by Ishana PassiCourse: UncategorizedDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes
Total time

25

minutes

This recipe makes for an easy, quick and delicious weeknight meal. It is flavourful, savoury, fresh, simple and satisfying.

Ingredients

  • 1 packet dry spaghetti or gluten free pasta

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed

  • 1/2 cup jarred sun dried tomatoes, sliced

  • 1 tbsp oil of jarred sun dried tomatoes

  • 1/2 cup freshly chopped basil leaves

  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan or vegan parmesan

  • 1/2 cup boiled vegetables or shredded chicken

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

  • 1/2 tsp oregano

  • 1/2 cup diced tomatoes

Directions

  • Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted boiling water until tender but still firm to bite. Keep stirring occasionally. Drain the spaghetti, reserving 1 cup of the liquid.
  • Heat olive oil in a large pan, add the garlic and sliced sun dried tomatoes. Saute for 5 minutes over medium heat and add the diced tomatoes. Add the salt, pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes.
  • Bring to a boil and reduce it to medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened and fragrant. Stir in the basil. Adjust the consistency of the sauce according to your prefernce by adding in the pasta cooking liquid.
  • Add pasta to the sauce along with the vegetables or chicken if using. Toss together until fully combined.
  • Add the grated parmesan and drizzle the sun dried tomato oil on top. Serve hot.