Coconut Vegetable Curry
This coconut vegetable curry is a superb dish to make in summer when all the herbs are fresh in the garden and you can just pick handfuls to add to the curry. Or, freeze whole basil, parsley and mint leaves in air tight containers in summer and use them all year.
The choice of herbs will take this dish in a range of different directions so you can really change it up. Find your favorite.
- Servings: 4 as side dish, 2 as main dish
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced small
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 ½ Tbsp. curry powder
- 1 ½ cups homemade coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp. organic tamari
- 2 tsp. coconut sugar
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ½ cup chopped fresh herbs of your choice. We like basil, Italian or curly parsley, mint, Melissa (lemon balm), oregano, and sweet marjoram.
- 2 cups total of about 4 of your favorite vegetables, chopped. We like any of these:
- Carrots cut on the bias
- Beets, cubed
- Broccoli florets and stems (peeled stems, please!)
- Zucchini or summer squash cut on the bias
- Cauliflower florets and small pieces of stem
- Brussels sprouts quartered
- Asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces
- Sweet potatoes or winter squash in ¾ inch chunks (peeled first!)
- Optional: 2 tsp. red pepper flakes and/or ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
Directions:
As soon as the oil is hot (300°F), add the curry powder and stir, the seasoning should “pop” and crackle a little which releases the flavor. Now add the lemon zest and any other seasonings you are using (if you use the red pepper or cayenne, add them now).
Reduce heat to medium and stir for about 30 seconds until totally heated and aromatic. Keep the seasonings moving in the pan. Add the minced garlic and onion and continue to stir as the onions get soft – another two to three minutes.
Gradually add the coconut milk so that the pan stays hot and the milk heats as you add it in, rather than cooling the pan down. When the coconut milk is fully mixed in, add your tamari and coconut sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar completely.
As the sauce begins to simmer, add your chopped herbs of choice and then stir in your chopped vegetables. Continue stirring to mix the sauce around all the vegetables. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender but not mushy.
Serve with coconut quinoa, basmati or jasmine rice. You can also serve this in shallow soup bowls and skip the carbs if you prefer to go ‘paleo’, as we often do.
So how to make an elevated dish of Coconut Chicken and Vegetable Curry?
Make the same dish as above, but start by cutting up two medium boneless chicken breasts crosswise into 1 inch by 3 to 4 inch strips.
Lightly salt and pepper the strips and toss them into the hot skillet when the herbs, onions and garlic are cooking. Add the chicken before you add the liquid. Turn the chicken pieces until they change color all over, and then add the liquid and continue with the recipe.
Remember to wash the cutting board with hot soapy water after cutting up raw chicken and before cutting vegetables in it, or to use a separate cutting board for each task.
Another way to add the chicken is to add left-over cooked chicken at the end of cooking the recipe, about five minutes before you are ready to serve. This will allow the cooked chicken to heat nicely without becoming overly tough from overcooking.
Voilà! Hope you enjoy!
Originally posted 2020-04-21 08:23:57.