Thai Red Curry With Vegetables

This Thai Red Curry is loaded with fresh, crisp vegetables. It’s a creamy and comforting meal that’s surprisingly easy to make at home when you’re craving take-out. Serve it over jasmine rice for a quick weeknight dinner.

When my husband and I first started dating, our favorite place to eat at was a local Thai restaurant. I loved their Thai red curry. It was so flavorful and better than any other Thai restaurant I’ve been to.

Since we moved to a different neighborhood, I’ve been trying to recreate their Thai red curry at home. While this recipe is not entirely authentic, it’s truly the best curry I’ve ever had!

Thai Red Curry with Vegetables Ingredients

Below is everything you’ll need to make this delicious Thai red curry with vegetables.

You should be able to find all the ingredients on this list at most well-stocked grocery stores or an Asian market. We are so lucky here in Toronto to have so many Asian grocery stores.

Coconut oil: I use coconut oil because I love the flavor. You can use avocado oil or olive oil instead.

Fresh ginger: I like to grate the ginger, so it blends into the curry sauce easily.

Shallots: These have a slightly sweeter and slightly garlicy taste, which goes nicely in this curry. You can substitute with a small yellow onion instead.

Scallions (green onions): This gives the curry sauce good flavor.

Garlic: Fresh garlic tastes best in this Thai red curry recipe.

Green chile: I use 1 small green chile. You can use jalapeño pepper to add a small kick of heat to this curry.

Red curry paste: I use Thai Kitchen brand red curry paste. Store bought curry paste can vary from brand to brand. Some are more concentrated than others. You can add more or less curry paste depending on your taste preferences.

Coconut milk: I recommend using full-fat canned coconut milk to make this recipe.

Soy sauce: This adds a deep umami (savory) flavor to the curry. I like to use this instead of fish sauce to keep it vegan.

Brown sugar: This helps to balance the flavors of the curry. You can use palm sugar if you prefer.  

Kaffir lime leaves: This adds a vibrant citrusy flavor, which makes it taste like restaurant-quality Thai red curry. I can usually find kaffir lime leaves at my local Asian market.

If you can’t find them, add a little fresh lime zest instead at the end when you stir in the lime juice.

Broccoli: I love adding broccoli to this recipe because it soaks up all the tasty red curry sauce.

Red bell pepper: Bell peppers add a touch of sweetness to the sauce.

Carrot: Carrot adds a nice crunch to this recipe.

Bok choy: This is a type of Chinese cabbage. It tastes like a mild cabbage and spinach.

Frozen peas: While not traditional, I like to add a handful of frozen green peas to this curry. You can substitute with fresh green peas, snap peas, or snow peas if you prefer.

Vegetable broth: If you need to add a little more liquid to the curry, you can low-sodium vegetable broth, water, or more canned coconut milk.

Lime: Adding freshly squeezed lime juice to this curry helps to enhance the flavor and balance the spices.

Thai basil or cilantro: This variety of basil has a slightly spicy and licorice-like flavor. It’s a popular ingredient to add to Asian dishes like Thai curry, Vietnamese pho, or stir-fries.

If you can’t find Thai basil, you can substitute with fresh chopped cilantro or regular basil.

How to make Thai Red Curry with Vegetables

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ginger, shallots, scallions, garlic, and green chilie (or jalapeño pepper if using), and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until the shallots have softened.

Add the red curry paste and cook, stirring continuously, for 2 to 3 minutes. You can add a little bit of water if the paste starts to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Pour in the coconut milk, soy sauce, and brown sugar (or palm sugar if using), kaffir lime leaves, and bring to a simmer. Use a spoon or spatula to scrap up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add the broccoli, bell pepper, carrots, baby bok choy, and frozen green peas, and return to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are crisp-tender, adding some vegetable broth if needed to keep everything moist.

Stir in the lime juice (and lime zest if you’re not using lime leaves), and Thai basil or cilantro (if using). Season with salt if needed. Serve hot with jasmine rice.

Tips for making Thai Red Curry

Use full-fat coconut milk. This will give you a rich and creamy texture. Avoid using light coconut milk.

Choose a good quality curry paste. I use Thai kitchen brand because it’s vegetarian and easy to find at most grocery stores. Other popular brands include Maesri and Mae Ploy. You may need to use more or less curry paste depending on your taste preferences.

“Bloom” the curry paste. This is an important step because it helps develop a robust flavor to the curry.

To do this, you can add a little bit of coconut cream from an unshaken can of full-fat coconut milk to the pan, along with the curry paste. Or you can add coconut oil, which is what I do, and let the curry paste cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring continuously, until it’s fragrant.

Simmer the coconut milk. Let the coconut milk gently simmer in the pan. Avoid letting it come to a roiling boil, which can cause the coconut milk to become grainy.

Use fresh herbs. Adding Thai basil or cilantro at the end can help give the curry a fresh and bright flavor. If you can’t find Thai basil, you can use regular basil in a pinch.

Please let me know how you like this Thai Red Curry with Vegetables recipe in the comments below! Your feedback and review encourages me to keep creating new and yummy recipes. I hope you love this Thai red curry as much as I do.

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