Quick and highly modifiable, this Thai chickpea curry is a great healthy option for weeknight dinners or meal prep.
This is vegetarian comfort food at its best.
This Thai chickpea curry recipe is good for what ails ya.
Thai curries from the south tend to contain a good amount of coconut milk. Curries from the north have quite a bit less and are more broth-based. This recipe has enough coconut milk to make it reminiscent of curries from the south.
Green curry is milder than its red cousin. With green curry paste, you’ll taste basil, cilantro, kaffir lime leaves, and milder green chiles.
Here, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and onions make the base of this dish. The hardier vegetables like carrots and cauliflower are added early. Ingredients that don’t need as much cook time are added next, with some veggie stock (or water), and a healthy dose of turmeric and curry paste. At our place, it comes together in around 45 minutes and is served over brown coconut rice for a healthy balanced dinner. This recipe is also vegan and gluten free.
This recipe is also highly modifiable. If you don’t have access to lemongrass, no problem. Leave it out. Feel free to use different vegetables. We’ve used broccoli, spinach, potatoes, asparagus or green beans – sometimes whatever we can find in our refrigerator at the time. Substitute green, yellow or orange bell peppers for the red. Or add a protein like chicken thighs or tofu. Spice-heads can use red curry paste or a squirt of Sriracha sauce to up the heat a notch or two. If you want to bump up the umami, try mixing in a dollop of peanut butter or a splash of fish sauce. Use less coconut milk and more broth like they tend to do in the north. How much flavor can you handle? It’s all good. Serving over cauliflower rice, rice noodles or other whole grain is perfectly acceptable.
Thai Chickpea Curry
Equipment
- medium pot with lid
- Large pot
Ingredients
Make the brown rice
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 c long grain brown rice
- 2 1/2 c vegetable stock or water
Make the curry
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp lemongrass inner white bulb only, minced
- 4 ea cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 1/2 c red onion minced
- 1/4 c basil chopped
- 4 ea carrots, medium peeled and sliced into 1/2" pieces
- 2 c cauliflower florets
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1/4 c Thai green chili paste
- 1 ea 15 oz. can lite coconut milk
- 1 c vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp lime juice fresh squeezed
- 1 c red bell pepper cut into 1/2" slices
- 1 ea zucchini halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2" pieces
- 1/2 c frozen peas
- salt to taste
Instructions
Make the rice
- Heat coconut oil in a medium pan over medium heat
- Add the brown rice and sauté a couple of minutes, until the rice starts to brown slightly
- Add the stock or water, raise the heat to bring to a boil; cover and reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes.
Make the curry
- Heat coconut oil in large, heavy pot over medium heat, and add the lemongrass, garlic, ginger, red onion and basil and sauté one minute, until fragrant.
- Add the carrots and cauliflower and stir to combine. Cook 5 minutes.
- Add the turmeric and green curry paste, stir to combine, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the coconut milk, broth, soy sauce (or aminos), lime juice, red bell peppers and zucchini, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender, but al dente.