Jump to video!
Don't just make a vegan curry, make an AWESOME vegan curry! In this video I share with you my tricks and tips on how to maximize the umami in red curry without a drop of fish sauce!
You all know I love my meat and fish sauce, but I absolutely LOVED this curry and I did not miss the meat at all, and it's because of the little decisions you make along the way, and also one secret ingredient!
RELATED VIDEOS:
How to Make Red Curry Paste (part of the red curry chicken recipe)
The Best Coconut Milk to Buy
Want to save this recipe?
We can email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Watch The Full Video Tutorial!
All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!
Vegan Red Curry แกงเผ็ดมังสวิรัติ
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups hot water
- 6-8 pc dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 cup bamboo shoots, canned, strips or sticks
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 3-5 tablespoon red curry paste (make your own with this recipe and omit shrimp paste, or choose one with no shrimp paste if buying)
- 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- ½ Tbsp Golden Mountain Sauce
- 2 Tbsb palm sugar, chopped
- 6-7 kaffir lime leaves
- 300 g medium firm tofu (smooth variety if possible)
- A handful red peppers for colour (optional)
- 1 big handful Thai basil
Want to save this recipe?
We can email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
Soak shiitake mushrooms in hot water for at least 30 minutes or until the mushrooms are fully hydrated. Remove from water (reserve the water) and squeeze out water from the mushrooms. Slice off the stems and discard, and cut the cap into ¼-inch slices.
Rinse bamboo shoots well, then boil in water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse. This will remove the odour from the bamboo which some find unpleasant.
Add ¾ cup of the coconut milk into a heavy bottomed pot and reduce over medium heat until thick and the coconut oil starts separating from the coconut milk. If using canned coconut milk, this may not happen, in which case just proceed with the recipe.
Add curry paste and stir to break it up and mix with coconut milk, then and tomato paste and keep stirring until the oil starts to sizzle around the edges of the paste.
Add remaining coconut milk and 1 cup of mushroom water and bring to a boil. Add soy sauce, Golden Mountain sauce and palm sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and tear in kaffir lime leaves and stir. Then gently add the tofu pieces and push them down so they are submerged, being careful not to break the tofu. Simmer for at least 10 minutes, if it looks a little thick, you can add more mushroom water. Add red peppers and cook for 1 minute. Stir in Thai basil and remove from heat. Serve with jasmine rice. Enjoy!
Rachel Hoke says
I’ve made this many times for my vegan daughter and it’s delish! Can I sub in fresh shitake for dried? Making this tomorrow and no Asian grocer or anyone near me that has the dried.
Carol says
Top notch. I used shrimp instead of tofu in this. I didn't have any tomato paste or golden mtn sauce, but had everything else and it was delish! Will add this to my rotation and make it vegan. Didn't have anything but extra firm tofu and it was already here for another dish for this week.
Leo Nicandro says
love it but i did shrimp for protein instead,. also added eggplant and sweet potatoes! thank you.
Clara Maria says
Thank you for this wonderful recipe, it really tastes like eating a curry at a restaurant! I have cooked this curry two times already in the past two weeks.
The only thing I couldn't find was Thai basil, but maybe one day I will find a store that sells it. But it tasted incredible even without the basil.
Next I will try your Green Thai Curry recipe, I am so excited!
Greetings and love from Vienna! <3
Miggy says
Thank you! I can't wait to try it.
Karen Corbett says
Thank you for this recipe. So delicious! (Even though I forgot to buy the basil.) I am happy to learn your technique with the dried mushrooms- using them and the soaking liquid. Will definitely be using that idea in future dishes.
Sam says
Wow! I had been craving this dish since my fave local Thai place closed after COVID and this was PERFECT!!! Thank you so much for such a great recipe and your curry testing video on YT was very helpful! I used 4 TB of Aroy-D and had the perfect level of spice/flavor!!!
Jean says
Can I replace the red curry paste with panang curry paste?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
For sure!
Winnie says
Hi, I am just wondering what can be substitute for shitake mushrooms as I am allergic to mushrooms. Or if I leave out the mushrooms, will it taste okay? Thank you.
Pailin Chongchitnant says
You can definitely leave it out and it might be lacking a bit in umami but it will still be delicious!
Priya says
Where can I find kaffir lime leaves. I checked at the local and huge Asian store but couldn’t find it. 🙁
any recommendations?
Adam from HTK says
Hi Priya! Anything near you on here? https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/locate-a-thai-grocer/
Meme says
Use dried, freezed or kaffir lime essential oil. Note that you should add them at different stages. I recommend the oil. There's no fresh kaffir lime leaves where I live either.
Meme says
So yummy!
Jannette Norodom Joly says
Soooo delicious 🤤
Adam The HTK Intern says
Awesome!
Cameron S, Washington DC says
My partner and I have made this dish three times now because it's so good. We visited Thailand in Dec 2019 and came home in love with the cuisine and its ability to be vegan, and this recipe was the first we found that really felt authentic! Thank You, Pai!
Tip for future recipe followers (that we learned while in Thailand): you can "liven up" store bought curry paste by cooking it with fresh garlic, ginger, & shallots (we did it as a step 0 before starting the coconut milk)
Futile Resistance says
A great way to have a vaguely healthy coconut milk curry
Jessie says
This is the only curry recipe I need and I make this curry monthly. It is so delicious!!!!