Vegetable Thai Red Curry

Are you doing the Veganuary Challenge this January? This is a fantastically fragrant Vegetable Thai Red Curry which will make you forget all about meat! We bulked it out with sweet potato, butternut and mushrooms – and cooked the veg to perfection before adding to the sauce. If you aren’t keen on giving up meat, add some diced chicken. Serve over rice noodles (if your macros will allow it) or courgetti or shirataki noodles. The macros are based on the curry alone.

Ingredients

• 150g sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks (approx. 1-inch)
• 150g butternut, peeled and cut into chunks (approx. 1-inch)
• 1 TB olive oil
• salt
• 2 TB flaked almonds
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 180g white mushrooms, quartered
• 50g red Thai curry paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tin reduced-fat coconut milk
• 2 dried kaffir lime leaves
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• small handful chopped coriander

Method

1. Place the prepped sweet potato and butternut chunks into a bowl. Drizzle over the olive oil and toss well to evenly coat. Spread out on a greased roasting tray and season with a little salt. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until they have cooked through (and partially caramelised on the edges.)
2. In the meantime, toast the almond flakes in a hot, dry pan until golden. Set aside.
3. Heat the teaspoon olive oil in a wok and add the mushrooms, cooking over high heat until they have caramelised but still holding their shape, approx. 3-4 minutes. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. Over low-moderate heat (using the same wok) add the red curry paste, garlic paste and ginger paste. Cook for a minute, then tip in the coconut milk (shake the tin well before opening) and kaffir lime leaves, whisking the mixture well to combine.
5. Increase the heat and cook until the mixture reduces and thickens, stirring continuously (this can take up to 10-15 minutes.) Add the soy sauce and a very small drizzle of maple syrup, then add the cooked sweet potato, butternut and mushrooms back to the pan, ensuring the creamy mixture coats the vegetables. (The curry benefits from a bit of sweetness. If you prefer not to use maple syrup or sugar, you can use sweetener. If you are not worried about keeping it vegan, you can use honey as well.)
6. Once everything has warmed through, remove and discard the kaffir limes leaves.
7. Serve garnished with the toasted almonds and chopped coriander.

Excellent with rice noodles, shirataki noodles or courgetti*

*accompanying dishes not included in the macros.