I already told you I’ve had an endless Thai curries craving.
Well, that also had me on a search for the perfect Thai red curry paste. An excessive search. That had me in grocery stores too many times, which is really dangerous for me because I love grocery shopping and I want everything right now!
It took awhile to occur to me to make my own curry paste. I looked up a few recipes, most of which were pretty similar. I threw things in my food processor, tasted, adjusted. It was simple. It was delicious.
It wasn’t right. It doesn’t satisfy my takeout Thai red curry craving. No matter how I tweaked it.
After all that insanity over one dish, the ridiculously simple solution that I discovered is this: just spruce up store bought curry paste so it tastes like what I want. Using the easiest-to-find curry paste, and easy-to-find ingredients. No more excessive trips to stores.
Just a couple quick fixes and you can elevate a simple store-bought paste! I thing all you need is some extra flavor. Extra lemongrass, extra ginger, extra spice. Extra garlic, of course.
All in all, it doesn’t take long at all. You still have a meal on the table in just about twenty minutes! And you can buy all of these things at your local supermarket (that is if yours is awesome like mine and carries fresh lemongrass!!! But you can definitely find that ground tube of lemongrass, which is a totally acceptable replacement.)
broccoli & soy curl red curry:
serves 2
1 T vegetable oil
3 T red curry paste (I used Thai Kitchen)
1 can light coconut milk
1/2 C vegetable broth
1 large clove garlic, freshly grated
1 t freshly grated lemongrass
2 t freshly grated ginger
1 T sriracha (use a little less if you’re not a big fan of spice)
1 C broccoli florets
1 C dehydrated soy curls
1 dry kaffir lime leaf (optional – you could add the juice of one lime instead or just omit)
a few basil leaves (optional – if you can easily get your hands on some Thai basil, use that!)
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the curry paste and sauté for about two minutes, stirring constantly.
Whisk in coconut milk and broth. Add broccoli, soy curls, lime and basil leaves, and bring to a simmer, stirring every now and then. Let it simmer until the broccoli is tender and the soy curls are completely rehydrated. Remove the lime and basil leaves.
Serve over rice or noodles.
Nutrition facts per serving: Calories: 390; Calories from Fat: 320; Total Fat: 35.5g; Saturated Fat: 26.6g; Sodium: 193mg; Total Carbohydrates: 13.6g; Dietary Fiber: 5.2g; Sugars: 5.4g; Protein: 9.3g
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