I have been experimenting with a few vegetarian meals recently. Not because I am veggie myself but because I quite like not having to make every meal revolve around meat. Good meat is expensive, so I do try to concoct mid-week meals that are more vegetable orientated with some protein added through ingredients such as pulses, nuts and dare I say it, tofu.
Coriander & coconut vegetable curry
On the subject of tofu, although it is not part of this recipe, I would just like to say it really is good stuff. If you think it is just a bland, weird textured blob of curd then you are wrong. Take some. Squeeze all the water out by putting kitchen roll on the top and base of it (on a plate), then place a weight on it (a couple of food tins) for a couple of hours to draw out all the moisture. Then coat it in seasoned flour and fry. It is marvellous. Especially if you serve it with a dipping sauce or add it to this coriander and coconut vegetable curry. You won’t regret it.
Coriander & coconut curry sauce
This curry is my version of a Thai green vegetable curry but it is lighter and it uses less ingredients. I guess you could almost call it an Asian style pesto/paste which tastes equally good used as a dressing and as a cooked sauce much in the same way as you could do with a traditional pesto. I whizzed this up in my Froothie blender which took a minute at most.
I kept the sauce in a sterilised jar in the fridge and used it a couple of times during the week to make up this herbily aromatic curry sauce. If you like the idea of using it as a dressing then I would recommend stirring it through some veggie noodles or spooning it over some roasted vegetables. You could even add a dollop or two to a soup. It would also make a refreshing dip to accompany a Thai style starter such as sweetcorn cakes, spring or rice paper rolls.
If you are partial to vegetable curries then you may also like these recipes:
Paneer Koftae in a curried spinach sauce – Mamtas Kitchen
Green tomato & onion curry – Gujarati Girl
Courgette curry – Mamtas Kitchen
Sweetcorn & coconut shak – Gujarati Girl
Butternut squash chickpea & spinach curry – A Glug of Oil
Sag Aloo – Tinned Tomatoes
Butternut squash lentil & lemongrass curry – Food to Glow
I am linking up to Extra Veg which is hosted this month by A Mummy Too, Fuss Free Flavours and Utterly Scrummy and Recipe of the Week also hosted by A Mummy Too.
I received my Froothie Optimum 9400 blender for review purposes but all views expressed here are my own. If you buy a Froothie Optimum 9400 blender by clicking on my banner it will earn me a small commission via the affiliate links widget on my sidebar.
Coriander & Coconut Curry
Ingredients
- For the paste 🙂
- Lrge bunch of coriander both leaves and stalks roughly chopped,
- 1 Red chilli chopped finely
- 1 Garlic clove chopped finely
- 1 knob Ginger peeled and chopped finely
- 1 Lime zest & juice
- 2 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- 100 g Coconut cream or 1/2 a tin of coconut milk OR 1/2 a tin of coconut milk
- Splash of water/vegetable stock to loosen the curry paste. to loosen the curry paste
- For the curry 🙂
- 1 tbsp Groundnut/sunflower oil
- 1 Garlic clove chopped finely
- 6 Chestnut mushrooms cut into quarters
- 1 Red pepper sliced into thin strips
- 150 g Pre-blanched fine French beans
- Handful of pre-blanched frozen peas
- To garnish 🙂
- 2 Spring onions thinly sliced
- 1 Red chilli chopped
- Handful of toasted cashew nuts Fry in a dry pan until the nuts begin to turn golden brown then remove from the heat.
- To serve 🙂
- Basmati rice which can be cooked at the same time as the curry
Instructions
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For the paste 🙂
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1.Place all of the ingredients into a Froothie or high powered blender and blitz until all the ingredients form a thick paste. This takes about a minute. Add a splash of water to loosen the paste if necessary.
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2. Store in a sterilised jam jar/glass bottle until you need to use it. It will keep in the fridge for up to four days.
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For the curry 🙂
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1. Heat the oil in a wok until very hot then add in the chopped garlic, fry until the edges turn golden brown,
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2. Next, add in the mushrooms and red pepper strips and fry for a couple of minutes over a high heat before adding in half the quantity of the curry paste (keep the other half for another curry) and continue frying for a further 2 minutes,
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3. Now put the pre-cooked peas, French beans, salt & pepper into the wok and add a few splashes of water/vegetable stock to loosen the curry sauce,
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4. Allow the flavours to cook together for 2 more minutes then remove the curry from the heat, check the seasoning and add more if necessary.
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To serve 🙂
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Place rice in a couple of shallow bowls before adding your coriander & coconut vegetable curry. Sprinkle over the spring onions, red chilli and toasted cashew nuts.
Mmm! This looks perfect for the weather we are getting of late. I may add some heart but that’s just the Caribbean in me! Great post Laura
Yes go ahead. I love adapting recipes to suit my taste too. That’s what cooking’s all about!
That looks fantastic! And with all those cashews my husband might not miss the meat!
I love how cashews add flavour to a savoury dish, hope it works for your husband. Think he might forgive your leaving out the meat!
No bought sauce can beat a good homemade effort such as this. Or perhaps not effort, as this is obviously so easy when blended in something powerful, like your Froothie. I like that you refer to it as an Asian pesto: an apt description. Thanks so much for linking to my curry. 🙂
Thanks Kellie, yes this sauce is a weird one. art sauce, part pesto, part dressing. Versatile!
Looks so fresh and light x
Thanks Deena, it is a lighter dish, love using fresh herbs 🙂
Yummy, we seem to be eating more vegetarian dishes and I think it does open your eyes to a lot of ingredients you might never think of using. We tried tofu recently and all really like it. I actually dried a soft one and wondered why it was quite so breakable only to realise there a 2 types but we really enjoyed our creamy fried treat all the same. Must get hold of some firm tofu!
I think you must have had the silken tofu, that is meant to break up more easily. I think it definitely needs light handling. I just ordered mine with my online shop. Great that you all enjoyed it, must see what my kids make of it!
What lovely bright colours.
Thanks Sally 🙂
I buy coriander in large bunches from my indian greengrocer and i always just chop them up and put them in the freezer for later. this is a perfect use for the third bunch which I always struggle to get into the freezer bag! I love the cashews also. Lovely touch
That is always the best idea, Coriander from supermarkets is one of the biggest rip offs there must be. Cashews are so good in curries and also stir fries, I love nuts in savoury dishes 🙂
Nice flavours Laura. Ive not tried to make a curry sauce in my froothie yet, Great idea!
WHat a gorgeous curry. And great tip about tofu. I don’t use it nearly enough – but squeezing the water out like that is a great idea.
Thanks Kate, tofu when cooked well with crisp edges and drained first is so so good!
Delicious Laura, I need to dig the bags of frozen herbs out of the depths of the freezer and whizz up a green sauce.
Thanks for sending to #ExtraVeg
This was best meal I’ve made in ages! I improvised with the veg and just added whatever I had in the fridge but the curry paste recipe was glorious! Will be making again, thank you!