Thai Coconut Green Curry Vegetables

If you’ve never had coconut green curry, I’m going to warn you right now – it’s totally addictive! Even my 11 year-old is hooked! She recently requested that I make another batch just for her to take for lunches this week. Good thing this dish, start to finish, including rice, cooks up in about 20 minutes.

The inspiration for this dish comes from one of my favorite local restaurants – Cha-Am in Vallejo, CA. They have a coconut green curry chicken dish that I could eat every day. I’m using a green curry paste from Mae Ploy, which is all there on flavor but just a warning – if you use the recipe on the Mae Ploy container the heat is REALLY intense so here is my rendition.

The vegetables I’m using today are what I was able to find fresh locally. I can’t imagine a fresh vegetable that wouldn’t taste awesome in this sauce so use what you have! In all, the vegetables totaled around 6-8 cups raw.

Thai Coconut Green Curry Vegetables

1 tablespoon (25 g +/-) green curry paste
2 tablespoons high heat oil (I’m using coconut oil today)
1 can coconut milk
½ cup water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 small zucchini, cut into chunks
8 ounces mushrooms, cut in half or quarters, depending on size
¼ onion, cut into strips
1 bell pepper, cut into strips
10-12 thin asparagus spears, cut in half
10-12 fresh green beans, destemmed and cut in half
1 cup fresh bamboo shoots, cut into strips
5-6 fresh basil leaves

Prep and rinse all vegetables. Preheat large skillet to medium high heat.

Melt/heat oil. Stir in curry paste and cook for around two minutes. Stir in ½ can coconut milk and bring mixture to a simmer. (If using meat, now would be the time to add in small strips of raw chicken, beef, or shrimp. Otherwise, proceed.) Simmer, stirring frequently, for around 2 minutes.

Stir in the other ½ can of coconut milk, ½ cup of water and sugar and bring mixture to a simmer. Stir in vegetables and cook for another several minutes or until vegetable are hot but still firm.