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Don't just make a vegan curry, make an AWESOME vegan curry! In this video I share with you my tricks and tips on how to maximize the umami in red curry without a drop of fish sauce!
You all know I love my meat and fish sauce, but I absolutely LOVED this curry and I did not miss the meat at all, and it's because of the little decisions you make along the way, and also one secret ingredient!
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Watch The Full Video Tutorial!
All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!
Vegan Red Curry แกงเผ็ดมังสวิรัติ
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups hot water
- 6-8 pc dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 cup bamboo shoots, canned, strips or sticks
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 3-5 Tbsp red curry paste (make your own with this recipe and omit shrimp paste, or choose one with no shrimp paste if buying)
- 1 heaping Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- ½ Tbsp Golden Mountain Sauce
- 2 Tbsb palm sugar, chopped
- 6-7 kaffir lime leaves
- 300 g medium firm tofu (smooth variety if possible)
- A handful red peppers for colour (optional)
- 1 big handful Thai basil
Instructions
Soak shiitake mushrooms in hot water for at least 30 minutes or until the mushrooms are fully hydrated. Remove from water (reserve the water) and squeeze out water from the mushrooms. Slice off the stems and discard, and cut the cap into ¼-inch slices.
Rinse bamboo shoots well, then boil in water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse. This will remove the odour from the bamboo which some find unpleasant.
Add ¾ cup of the coconut milk into a heavy bottomed pot and reduce over medium heat until thick and the coconut oil starts separating from the coconut milk. If using canned coconut milk, this may not happen, in which case just proceed with the recipe.
Add curry paste and stir to break it up and mix with coconut milk, then and tomato paste and keep stirring until the oil starts to sizzle around the edges of the paste.
Add remaining coconut milk and 1 cup of mushroom water and bring to a boil. Add soy sauce, Golden Mountain sauce and palm sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and tear in kaffir lime leaves and stir. Then gently add the tofu pieces and push them down so they are submerged, being careful not to break the tofu. Simmer for at least 10 minutes, if it looks a little thick, you can add more mushroom water. Add red peppers and cook for 1 minute. Stir in Thai basil and remove from heat. Serve with jasmine rice. Enjoy!
Keywords: vegan, curry, red curry, mushroom, tofu, vegetarian
Miggy
Thank you! I can't wait to try it.
★★★★★
Karen Corbett
Thank you for this recipe. So delicious! (Even though I forgot to buy the basil.) I am happy to learn your technique with the dried mushrooms- using them and the soaking liquid. Will definitely be using that idea in future dishes.
★★★★★
Sam
Wow! I had been craving this dish since my fave local Thai place closed after COVID and this was PERFECT!!! Thank you so much for such a great recipe and your curry testing video on YT was very helpful! I used 4 TB of Aroy-D and had the perfect level of spice/flavor!!!
★★★★★
Jean
Can I replace the red curry paste with panang curry paste?
Pailin Chongchitnant
For sure!
Winnie
Hi, I am just wondering what can be substitute for shitake mushrooms as I am allergic to mushrooms. Or if I leave out the mushrooms, will it taste okay? Thank you.
Pailin Chongchitnant
You can definitely leave it out and it might be lacking a bit in umami but it will still be delicious!
Priya
Where can I find kaffir lime leaves. I checked at the local and huge Asian store but couldn’t find it. 🙁
any recommendations?
Adam from HTK
Hi Priya! Anything near you on here? https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/locate-a-thai-grocer/
Meme
Use dried, freezed or kaffir lime essential oil. Note that you should add them at different stages. I recommend the oil. There's no fresh kaffir lime leaves where I live either.
Meme
So yummy!
★★★★★
Jannette Norodom Joly
Soooo delicious 🤤
★★★★★
Adam The HTK Intern
Awesome!
Cameron S, Washington DC
My partner and I have made this dish three times now because it's so good. We visited Thailand in Dec 2019 and came home in love with the cuisine and its ability to be vegan, and this recipe was the first we found that really felt authentic! Thank You, Pai!
Tip for future recipe followers (that we learned while in Thailand): you can "liven up" store bought curry paste by cooking it with fresh garlic, ginger, & shallots (we did it as a step 0 before starting the coconut milk)
★★★★★
Futile Resistance
A great way to have a vaguely healthy coconut milk curry
★★★★★
Jessie
This is the only curry recipe I need and I make this curry monthly. It is so delicious!!!!
★★★★★