Recipe: Thai Green Curry From ‘Vegan Street Food’ by Jackie Kearney
Impressed by the sheer quantity of delicious, healthy, vegan street food on offer while travelling around Asia, MasterChef finalist Jackie Kearney started to note down recipes for meat- and dairy-free dishes.Her new book, Vegan Street Food, is full of recipes inspired by her travels – from classic dishes like dal or cauliflower pakora to exotic regional specialities like Javanese fried tofu and Indian vegetable crumpets.
Try this recipe for tasty vegan Thai green curry with all the flavour and none of the animal ingredients!
Gaeng Keow Wan – Thai Green Curry by Jackie Kearney
There are numerous sources for recipes for Thai green curry. I’ve included this one here because I think it’s a fairly authentic and super-easy version to make, and it’s always a crowd-pleaser, both at the family dinner table and in a field full of festival goers. The paste will keep for at least 1 month in the fridge. Roasting some of the vegetables adds some depth of flavour and means that the sauce can be cooked for a shorter time, so it maintains the fresh taste of the herbs and prevents the coconut milk from splitting. You can add baked tofu or tofu puffs to this recipe for extra protein and texture.
1⁄2 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 aubergine, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 carrots, thinly sliced diagonally
100 g green beans, trimmed
120 g cauliflower florets
400 ml coconut milk
1⁄2 tsp salt, or to taste
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 litre vegetable stock
Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
Green Curry Paste
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 green jalapeño chillies, trimmed
8 green bird’s eye chillies, trimmed
2 small red onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
5-cm piece of galangal or root ginger, peeled and chopped
4 lemongrass stalks, chopped
8 kaffir lime leaves
1⁄2 bunch of fresh coriander including stems
1 bunch of Thai basil, including stems
2 baking sheets, generously greased
Serves 4–5
- To make the green curry paste, toast the ground coriander and cumin in a dry pan over medium heat for 30 seconds, stirring occasionally, to release the aroma, and then add the ground black pepper. Put the spices and all the remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend together until smooth. Alternatively, use a pestle and mortar, which is more authentic but rather time-consuming.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C Gas 7.
- Put the squash and aubergine on the prepared baking sheets, and season with salt.
- Roast for about 15–20 minutes, or until soft and the edges are browned.
- To make the curry, add 1 generous tablespoon green curry paste per person to a large pan and fry gently for 5 minutes. Add the prepared vegetables (including the roast squash and aubergine), the coconut milk, salt, soy sauce and vegetable stock. Stir and bring to the boil. Simmer for 7–8 minutes. Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
© Vegan Street Food by Jackie Kearney (RPS, £16.99)
Photography by Clare Winfield
