Tasting Tuesday: Red Curry & Miso Veggie Bowl

I mentioned recently how Husband and I have been working on being more adventurous cooks. Part of this process has been baby steps as we start with a guide and then slowly become brave enough to create something on our own. Husband LOVES Thai food, so we started making it at home using the Marion’s Kitchen brand of boxed kits where we added our own veggies and meat. After doing that for a while, we realized we no longer needed the kits as we gradually accumulated enough coconut milk, red curry paste, and bamboo shoots to make our own meals. Since we still have a giant tub of white miso paste in our fridge from the previously mentioned salad, I searched for a Thai dinner recipe that could help us use some up.

I started with Love & Lemons recipe and then made some of our own variations along the way. I’ve learned that with Thai food, you can often make a meal with a few staples and whatever else you have on hand. I like switching things up to avoid monotony and make good use of what ingredients we have around the house. So, here’s the recipe, but feel free to play with it!

Here’s what you need:

• 1 cup cooked rice
• 2 yellow summer squash, sliced into roughly 1-inch pieces
• 3 small red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 bunch of spinach, kale, or Swiss chard, chopped
• 4-5 basil leaves, sliced
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds, optional
• 1/2 cup peanuts, chopped, optional
• 1 teaspoon red curry paste
• 1 teaspoon white miso paste
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
• 2/3 cup coconut milk
• salt and pepper

And here’s what you do:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in saucepan on medium heat. Add veggies, except for greens, and begin to cook until soft.
2. Whisk together red curry paste, miso paste, honey, remaining olive oil, honey, Srirach, and coconut milk.
3. Continue to stir veggies. Once softened, add in liquid curry mixture. Allow to simmer on stove top for 20 minutes. Add in greens during last 5 minutes until gently wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Serve alongside cooked rice. Top with basil and chopped peanuts or sesame seeds. (Serves 2 hungry people)

Ta da! Yummy Thai food time! The veggies and spices are so good that I don’t even miss the meat (although Husband may have).

Let me know if you’ve discovered any Thai food creations!