Vegan Thai Yellow Curry is a delectable vegetable loaded soy-free curry. Comes together in a pinch and does not need any curry paste. No grinding. No roasting.
The moment you think of Thai food and their bewitching curries, you simply cannot dismiss the prospects of making curry paste. Right? Well, this vegan thai yellow curry with mixed vegetables does not use any curry paste. This is a mildly spiced, flavorful and light curry that is also soy-free. Yep, you heard me right. No tofu here as well.
Jump to:
Thai yellow curry without yellow curry paste
Wait, I hear ya! I mean, is this even possible? Is this even Thai curry then? This flavorful and nutritious vegetable curry uses all sorts of Thai flavors and the essential components to make a great Thai yellow curry. But, without the hassle of grinding, pounding and staining your hands yellow.
If you do not count the chopping time involved, this recipe comes together in precisely 15 mins.
And I will not claim any authenticity in this recipe. This is a quick shortcut Thai yellow curry for those people who do not have source to the curry paste.
Ingredients & Substitutes
There are some basic building blocks to a good Thai curry. And these include veggies or meat or tofu, coconut milk and Asian herbs like lemon grass and lime leaves. The authentic Thai curry paste calls for Galangal, shrimp paste and such ingredients that are either too expensive or difficult to source. Enter this yellow curry.
Other than the basic veggies and coconut milk, we will also be using lemon grass, basil, lime leaves and ground turmeric.
I have used Thai basil leaves. However, if you cannot source these, feel free to use sweet basil. The flavor will be slightly different but the curry tastes delicious nevertheless.
Making ahead, Shelf life, Storage and Prep work
This curry keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 days. If you want to reheat, allow the curry to sit at room temperature for 20 mins. Transfer it to a heavy bottomed saucepan. And simmer on low flame for 3 to 4 mins.
To store leftover curry, allow it to cool down fully. When cool, divide into portions and transfer into fridge-safe and air-tight containers. Refrigerate.
The most time consuming prep work in this recipe is chopping the veggies. In case you plan to make this on a weekday, I suggest chopping veggies over the weekend and storing them in a fridge-safe container. You can chop all the veggies except the onions and bell peppers.
Serving suggestions for Thai Yellow Curry
This curry tastes best with some steamed jasmine rice. You can check how to cook jasmine rice in the instant pot in my Thai basil fried rice post. I enjoy this curry with some quinoa as well.
Thai Yellow Curry- Method
Heat a heavy bottomed pan with oil. You can use any neutral flavored vegetable oil or sesame oil too. Even cold-pressed coconut oil works here.
Add the onions and saute till they turn pink and soft. Now, add the lime leaves and lemon grass. Mix and saute for 10 secs on medium flame. Now, add the ginger garlic paste, mix well and saute for 20 secs on medium flame. Add the spice powders next and mix well.
Immediately, add the chopped veggies. Toss the veggies once and add the salt and sugar. Mix well. Next, add the peanut butter. Add 2 c water to this and mix well using a ladle. Simmer this for 5 mins until veggies turn fork tender but are still crunchy.
At this stage, add the coconut milk. Combine well and add the turmeric.
Simmer on low flame till you see tiny bubbles on the surface. This takes roughly 4 to 5 mins.
Sprinkle the ground pepper and mix well.
Toss in the torn lime leaves and basil leaves next. Cover and let sit for 5 mins. Serve hot with rice or fried rice.
Explore More Asian Recipes
Follow me on Instagram or Facebook for regular cooking updates and short videos. Find us on Pinterest for delicious content. Tried our Vegan Thai Yellow Curry? We value your thoughts and comments! Leave a comment and tell us how it worked for you. Email us your questions to anusapraj@gmail.com if you need any guidance in making this.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Thai Yellow Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Canola oil
- ¾ c Thinly sliced onions
- 1 tbsp finely chopped Kaffir lime leaves
- ½ tbsp Roughly chopped lemon grass stalks
- 1 teaspoon Ginger garlic paste
- 1.5 teaspoon Curry powder
- 1 teaspoon Ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon Ground turmeric
- ½ c roughly chopped carrots
- ½ c cauliflower florets
- 1 medium Bok Choy quartered
- ¼ c Roughly chopped zucchini
- ¼ c Cubed bell peppers
- ¼ c Chopped french beans chopped into 1 inch long pieces
- ¼ c Chopped baby corn chopped into 1 inch long pieces
- 1 tsp Salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon Crunchy peanut butter
- 2 c Water
- 200 ml Coconut milk
- 1 tsp Ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon Ground Turmeric
- 2 small Kaffir lime leaves torn
- 1 tbsp finely chopped basil leaves I have used Thai basil leaves ( refer post)
Instructions
- Heat a heavy bottomed pan with oil.
- Add the onions and saute till they turn pink and soft.
- Now, add the lime leaves and lemon grass.
- Mix and saute for 10 secs on medium flame.
- Now, add the ginger garlic paste, mix well and saute for 20 secs on medium flame.
- Add the spice powders next and mix well.
- Immediately, add the chopped veggies.
- Toss the veggies once and add the salt and sugar. Mix well.
- Next, add the peanut butter.
- Add 2 c water to this and mix well using a ladle.
- Simmer this for 5 mins until veggies turn fork tender but are still crunchy.
- At this stage, add the coconut milk.
- Combine well and add the turmeric.
- Simmer on low flame till you see tiny bubbles on the surface. This takes roughly 4 to 5 mins.
- Sprinkle the ground pepper and mix well.
- Toss in the torn lime leaves and basil leaves next.
- Cover and let sit for 5 mins.
- Serve hot with rice or fried rice.
For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes
Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.
Leave a Reply