Tag: Thai Food

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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

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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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Tom Kha Gai

Tom-Kha-Gai-Soup-Spoonful-stories.

Need a delicious and flavourful soup ready under 30 minutes, then this is the perfect choice for you! It is Rich and creamy, silky and aromatic, tangy and salty. Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup) is a complete meal in itself. It is light but filing at the same time and bursting with fresh flavours! This is the best Tom Kha Gai recipe you’ll come across.

This authentic Thai soup is made with the classic combination of chicken and coconut. It gets its rich flavours from the classic Thai ingredients; galangal, lemongrass, coconut milk, fish sauce, Thai basil, chilli paste and kaffir lime. All these fresh and divine ingredients make the soup smell so heavenly. 

This Thai Coconut Soup is truly comforting and comes together quickly. Obviously if you have it the next day it’s even better. This way the flavours have time to rest and meld within the rich and tangy broth. So don’t think twice before doubling the recipe and saving some for the next day.

Tom Kha Gai is healthy, comforting, creamy, sweet, salty, bright, tangy and aromatic! 

Secret Ingredient for Tom Kha Gai

Want the soup to taste exactly as it would in Thailand? Simply add red curry paste to the soup for an authentic Thai taste. Using this secret ingredient also makes it easier to make this soup on a regular basis. If you are not able to get a hold of the galangal, use ginger instead and substitute lime for kaffir lime leaves. 

Ingredients for Tom Kha Gai

The good thing about this delicious recipe is that all ingredients should be easily available at your grocery store. It doesn’t require too many weird ingredients. 

Coconut milk – The base of the Thai coconut chicken soup is made with coconut milk. This is the ingredient that makes it different from other soups. The coconut milk gives the soup a rich and creamy texture. If coconut milk is not available you can use coconut cream instead. 

Galangal – Galangal is known as Thai ginger. Galangal adds a significant taste to the soup. It is different from ginger, but if galangal isn’t available use ginger instead. Most of the time, vegetable shops don’t have galangal. So this is a hard ingredient to get a hold of! 

Lemongrass  and Kaffir Lime Leaves – These two ingredients add the most flavour to the soup which makes a world of a difference. Make sure you don’t miss them! Lemongrass and Kaffir Lime Leaves are authentic Thai ingredients which should be easily available. 

Vegetables – I have mainly used carrots, beans, mushrooms and onions. Feel free to add your favourite vegetables to add more flavour and texture to the soup. Snow peas and  broccoli are good options too.

Vegetable or Chicken Broth – To balance the creamy texture of the coconut milk in the soup, and to get a soupy consistency it is important to add vegetable or chicken broth. Vegetable and chicken broth are flavourful itself, thus enhancing the flavour of the soup. 

The other ingredients used in the soup are lime juice, fish sauce, light soy sauce, red Thai curry paste and garlic. 

Serve this chicken soup with the Asian Kale Salad or Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles to make it the perfect Thai cuisine meal! 

Tom Kha Gai
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Tom Kha Gai

Recipe by Ishana PassiCourse: Non-Vegetarian, Side DishCuisine: ThaiDifficulty: Easy
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

35

minutes
Total time

40

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil

  • 1/2 onion sliced

  • 1/2 cup mushroom sliced

  • 2 cloves garlic minced

  • 4 quarter inch slices galangal or ginger

  • 4 cups chicken broth

  • juice of 1 lime or lemon

  • 1 lemongrass stalk, pounded with a knife and cut into 2 inch long pieces

  • 1 tbsp fish sauce or Worcestershire sauce

  • 2 1/2 tsp red Thai curry paste

  • 3-4 kaffir lime leaves

  • salt according to taste

  • 1 spoon sriracha

  • 1/4 cup carrots sliced

  • 1/4 cup green beans sliced

  • 2 tsp light soy sauce

  • fresh cilantro chopped for garnish

  • 1/2 can or 250 ml coconut milk or cream

  • 2 medium chicken breast cut into bite size

Directions

  • In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the garlic, red Thai curry paste, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, onion, and cook stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
  • Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Allow it to simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered.
  • Add in the coconut milk, chicken pieces, mushrooms, beans and carrots. Strain out the galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and discard. Simmer until chicken is just cooked through, add the lime juice, soy sauce, sriracha, fish sauce and salt.
  • Allow it to cook for 2-4 minutes. Serve hot and garnish with freshly chopped coriander.
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15 Minute Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles

15-Minute-Spicy-Thai-Noodles-recipe-spoonful-stories

Craving Thai food? No time to cook? This 15 Minute Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles recipe is just the right pick for you! Packed with delicious flavour, vegan, gluten free and super easy to whip up! 

This recipe is perfect if you are having a lazy and dull day. They make for the perfect comfort food and are ready under 15 minutes. 

These Peanut Noodles taste amazing. They are sweet, spicy, tangy and crunchy! Smothered in the most luscious peanut sauce, they will be gobbled up within minutes! I made these noodles experimenting with a few different ingredients, but they turned out amazingly delicious that I had to share it with all of you! I assure you that these spicy peanut noodles will be gobbled up within minutes, because my siblings definitely did so! 

There is no exact way of making these 15 Minute Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles. Like I said I was simply experimenting with a few different ingredients and just followed my gut instinct and the result was mouth watering. But this is the best part about dishes like this, you can adjust them according to your taste buds. 

How To Make The Thai Peanut Sauce

Ingredients-peanut-noodles-spoonful-stories

This Thai Peanut Sauce is easy to make and can be used as a salad dressing, meat marinade or simply as a dipping sauce. It is ready within minutes and the best part is it only requires ingredients which are easily available in your pantry. 

Simply start by sautéing the minced garlic in 1 tbsp oil. You can use any oil here, even avocado or coconut oil will work well. Sauté over low heat until the garlic is golden brown. Add in the remaining ingredients except the noodles and whisk together until fully incorporated. Bring to a boil and adjust the consistency of the sauce however you like it  by adding in water. 

Once the sauce is ready, add half of it to the cooked noodles and mix together. I suggest don’t add all of the sauce all at once, as it may be too much and can also get too salty. Start by adding half of the Thai peanut sauce and then add more according to your taste buds. 

You can serve this dish hot or cold as you prefer or also add veggies like tofu, carrots, cabbage, bell pepper, green beans or chicken and tofu. Serve it as a side dish when having a Thai meal or simply have it as a main dish. I personally like it the most with grilled chicken on the side.  

Tips and Tricks for Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles 

  • Any noodle or pasta works well for this recipe. But to make the recipe vegan or if you have an egg allergy, use rice noodles. 
  • Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles can be eaten hot or cold. Make this recipe a stir fry by adding in some vegetables. Or simply make it a salad by serving it cold along with some freshly cut vegetables. To make it an easy weeknight meal serve the noodles with grilled chicken or fish.
  • The Peanut Thai Sauce can get very salty, so be careful! Try using unsalted peanut butter if available and low sodium soy sauce as this would control the salt levels. 
  • The noodles can be stored for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. The sauce will dry up a little, but don’t worry you can fix this by adding a splash of water, broth or soy sauce in the pan and heat until warm. 

Pair this recipe with the Asian Kale Salad or the Thai Cucumber Salad for the perfect Thai meal! Lastly, if you make this recipe don’t forget to tag me on instagram and leave a comment below! 

15 Minute Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles
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15 Minute Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles

Recipe by Ishana PassiCourse: Main Dish, Non-Vegetarian, Side DishDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

12

minutes
Total time

27

minutes

These Peanut Noodles taste amazing. They are sweet, spicy, tangy and crunchy! Smothered in the most luscious peanut sauce, they will be gobbled up within minutes!

Ingredients

  • 1 packet rice/normal noodles

  • 1 tbsp oil

  • 1 tbsp sesame oil

  • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste

  • 2/3 cup peanut butter

  • 3 tbsp soy sauce

  • 1/4 cup water or chicken/vegetable broth

  • 1 tbsp vinegar

  • 1 tbsp honey

  • 2 tbsp sriracha

  • 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes

Directions

  • In a large pot, bring water to boil and cook the noodles as per the instructions on the packet.
  • In a pan saute the ginger garlic paste in 1 tbsp oil over low heat until golden brown.
  • Add the remaining ingredients except the noodles and whisk together well. Add water to adjust the consistency as per your preference and bring to a boil.
  • Add 1/2 of the peanut sauce to the cooked noodles and mix together. Do not add all of the sauce at once as it can get too salty. Start by adding half and keep adding more as per your taste buds.
  • Serve with crushed peanuts, chopped coriander or red chilli flakes.