With fall here, it was easy and inspiring to make a moringa Thai green curry with pumpkin and vegetables. Buying Thai curry paste from the store is always an option, but nothing will beat the flavor of made-from-scratch curry paste. There is only one serving of moringa in the paste, but more can be added after the vegetables finish simmering in your curry! The best part – the flavor stays authentic while the nutrition is multiplied.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THAI GREEN MORINGA CURRY PASTE
- 2 bouillon cubes (any flavor, but seafood if you have it)
- 1 Tbsp Coriander
- 1 Tbsp Cumin
- 1 Tbsp Black Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Moringa Powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 stalk of Lemongrass, diced (about 3 Tbsps, remove outer leaves)
- 1 inch Piece of Ginger, peeled
- 10-12 Thai basil leaves, fresh
- 2 Tbsp fresh Coriander stalks
- 5-10 medium Green Chilies (depending on spice preference)
- 1 Bulb Garlic
- 1 Lime, Zest and Juice (Kaffir, if you can find it)
- 3 Shallots
- 2 Tbsp oil (preferably Peanut Oil)
- 2 Tbsp Fish Sauce (optional, use Soy Sauce or Liquid Aminos to make this dish vegetarian)
DIRECTIONS
Put all ingredients into a small food processor and blend until smooth (2-3 minutes). Set aside two tablespoons (more if you’d like more flavor) for your pumpkin curry and put the remainder into a sterilized container, preferably glass.
For the curry, gather any root or fall vegetables you may have – pumpkin, onions, carrots, green beans, bell peppers, sugar snap peas, and asparagus. In the recipe below are the vegetables used and portrayed, but keep the vegetables to less than 2 cups total.
GET YOUR CURRY ON!
This recipe is also easy to make vegetarian. Just swap the bouillon cube and fish sauce for vegetarian/vegan friendly options and leave out the chicken for the actual curry dish.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THAI GREEN MORINGA CURRY
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- 2 Chicken breasts, sliced (about ¾ cup)
- 1 Yellow Onion
- 1 Cup Pumpkin (or acorn squash)
- 1 Large Carrot
- 1 Bell Pepper (preferably red, orange, or yellow, for color)
- 2 Tbsp Thai green moringa curry paste
- 1 Can Organic Coconut Milk (full fat, about 400 mL)
- 2 Tbsp Fish Sauce (again, substitute Liquid Aminos for vegetarians)
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Sugar
- 1 Handful fresh Cilantro leaves, chopped (to garnish)
- 1 Red Chili (optional, for garnish)
DIRECTIONS
Dice chicken and all vegetables into easy to eat pieces and set to side.
Heat a large wok or medium sized pot and add coconut oil.
Cook chicken until golden, 2-3 minutes.
Add onions and cook until softened, 1-2 minutes.
Top with coconut milk, fish sauce and coconut sugar. Add any harder root vegetables, like the pumpkin and carrots. Allow everything to simmer for about 3-5 minutes then add softer vegetables like bell peppers (and beans).
Cover the dish and simmer until all the vegetables are soft and flavor is absorbed. Remove from heat. Add another spoonful of moringa to your desire. Serve with your choice of rice and garnish with fresh cilantro, thinly sliced red chilies, lime slices, or brown sugar.
Also, this recipe got two-thumbs-up kid approval without the green chilies and people went back for seconds. Will serve about four adults… or maybe just three very hungry ones. Beware – you may get asked to make this for dinner again, tomorrow night.
