It's easier than you might think to make this vegetarian Thai red curry from scratch. Packed with delicious flavor, it's a warming bowl of comfort.

Vegetarian Thai red curry - an easy vegan curry from scratch that's full of veggies, creamy coconut and spicy flavor.

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For whatever reason, we've been getting a lot of Asian eggplant and bok choy in our vegetable box recently. I do like them both, but I do sometimes wonder what to make with them. Maybe it's partly I seem to have gone off the simple stir fries we used to have often in the past (for reasons I can't really explain). Or maybe I keep thinking I can make something my son will eat too. But then I come round to the fact his days of expanding palette are gone for a little while.

I can sneak eggplant into moussaka, as long as I take the skins off what I serve him, but that's about it. Then I decided I may as well use them in something my husband and I could have for lunch. I immediately decided to make a vegetarian Thai red curry, and we both loved it.

Spice for some

While fragrant chicken curry is one of my elder son's favorites, he's not good with anything remotely spicy. As a result, I don't make spicy dishes all that often unless I either have two Indian curries, with one being the chicken that he can have, or make something entirely different for him.

He is often happy with the alternative, but I prefer to have us all eating the same as far as possible. That's why I thought this vegetarian Thai red curry would be great as a lunch when he eats at a different time due to school anyway.

We have always loved Thai curries but tended to have Thai green curry more often, as I had a good recipe. However a while back I tried my hand at a Thai red curry and we both loved it. For whatever reason, it has been a while since we had it and making this vegetarian version reminded us we should have it more often.

I say vegetarian Thai red curry, but in actual fact this version is vegan. And not that I have anything against it, but there's no tofu in sight, just lots of tasty vegetables and noodles. Many Thai red curry pastes would include fish sauce, but I have excluded it here to keep it vegetarian. There's plenty of flavor form everything else.

Thai red curry using leftovers curry paste

Here I have used Asian eggplant and bok choy, as I already mentioned, as well as a number of other things I had on hand. However really, you can use whatever you like. Plus, the quantities are simply a guide. You can equally make it more or less soup-like with more or less stock and coconut milk.

Tips for making vegetarian Thai red curry

As with many dishes that are semi-stir fried, it's best to chop up all of your ingredients before you start cooking. That way, you can focus on the cooking and avoid burning anything.

Also blend up the sauce before, ready to add when you need it. You can make extra sauce to use again another day as well, if you like.

Despite the little bit of prep, this is a really easy dish to make.

How to make vegetarian Thai red curry

Cook the vegetables a few minutes.
Add the sauce and cook a minute.
Add the stock and coconut milk.
Let it cook a few minutes as you cook the noodles then add them and serve.

If you are using anything other than somen noodles, as I have here which are really thin, it may be as well to cook them before and set aside to save overcooking the main curry.

Vegetarian Thai red curry is easy to make, full of delicious creamy coconut and spicy flavors but so much better, and no doubt better for you, than any takeout. Give it a try today and see for yourself.

Try these other tasty vegetarian curries:

Chana masala (chickpea curry)
Paneer Makhani (an Indian firm cheese curry)
Plus get more vegetarian meals in the archives.

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5 from 5 votes