Vegan & soyfree Thai green curry with sweet potato, spinach and mushrooms

Thai curry is my go to on busy weekdays or when I have too little energy to spend much time in the kitchen. It does take just a bit of work to chop, grind and blend all the fresh herbs and veggies, but then you can just let it simmer. And the reward is so tasteful, healthy and comforting!

Fan of currys? Check out al my curry recipes here.

Thai green curry with sweet potato, shiitake and spinach in a pink bowl, on a dark grey background, taken from above. Square.

Not complicated: quite fool proof

Thai cuisine is not as hard as some people seem to make it out to be. You almost always start off with the same spices and herbs: as fresh as possible (contrary to Indian cuisine that uses more ground spices). And almost all ingredients are added to taste. Sure, you can follow the measurements, but you can adjust according to what you like or what you have available. A Thai recipe is more of a guide than a strict code to follow.

Fresh spices and herbs

The most important for any curry are: garlic, ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass and some or several kinds of chili (preferably the small ones, but use what you have). You can also add in shallots or scallions/green onions and lemon zest and juice.Preferably you pound or blend those into a paste before you start making your curry, but you can also add them separately into your sauce later on. A Thai curry sauce can be made from coconut milk or tomato paste or broth. And you use this sauce to cook all the other ingredients in. One pot heaven.

Thai green curry paste

All the fresh herbs are mixed together into a paste. If you want to make the paste the authentic way you pound the herbs (a lot) in a mortar. I don’t. I don’t have enough energy to do that. I use a blender. Best not to use just a kitchenaid with an S-blade because you really want a soft paste without any chunky bits.

Cilantro

For a green curry you add fresh cilantro into your basic paste. If you don’t like the taste of cilantro, try to find some Thai basil and mix it with a hint of mint and parsley. I can’t buy Thai basil easily, and I expect it’s hard for others as well, so I won’t use it in my recipe.

Save some paste in the freezer

When you make a curry paste from scratch, it’s best to make more servings at once. It’s easier to blend that way. You can save it a few days in the fridge. I make icecubes and save those about a month in the freezer.

Making the curry itself

When you have a paste, the rest of the curry is easy. Start with finely chopped onion and again garlic. Bake those in coconut oil. Add the sweet potato and bake so it can suck up the flavours. Then add the paste and try to fry it a bit (shove the potatoes aside and use the free skillet space). Then add broth and coconut milk. Don’t add soft veggies until the end, especially spinach, but also mushrooms taste way nicer if not overcooked as well (in my opinion).

Ingredients for the paste

I tried to use ingredients you probably will be able to buy even without Asian stores nearby. For the paste I use:

  • Cilantro – I love the taste and it’s great to me make sure you get a paste with a vibrant green colour.
  • Thai basil – If you don’t like the taste of cilantro, try to find some Thai basil and mix with some mint and a hint of parsley. I can’t buy Thai basil easily, and I expect it’s hard for others as well, so I won’t use it in this recipe.
  • Shallots – Red or yellow onions will do as well.
  • Garlic – Adjust the amount to taste.
  • Lime – Preferably you use fresh kaffir limes, but I don’t have those available anywhere near me so I always use regular limes. You will use the juice and the zest, so buy organic and wash thoroughly (with baking soda if you wish).
  • Lemongrass – Fresh stalks, you use the inside for the paste and you can cook the outer leaves with your curry (fish them out before serving).
  • Ginger – Freshly grated, you can also cook some slices with your curry (fish them out later as well).
  • Galangal – Also called laos, freshly grated or cut into small chunks. If you can’t get your hands on it, use ground powder.
  • Turmeric – Use fresh if you can get it, but ground powder will do just fine. When using fresh it might be a good idea to wear gloves or you’ll have yellow fingers for a week.
  • Chili pepper – Preferably use different kinds, I usually take regular green chili’s and small Thai green chili’s for a green curry. But if you just don’t have a lot of choice, any kind will do. How much you use is very personal. Just remember you can always add extra, but making it less spicy is harder! When it got easy too spicy anyway: add sugar and citrus juice.
Ingredients used in the Thai green curry paste

Fish sauce and shrimp paste

An authentic Thai curry paste is not vegan but contains fermented shrimp paste and fish sauce. Although I love those strong umami flavours and I’m not eating completely vegan, I don’t use fish sauce and shrimp paste any more. Shrimp are not the healthiest seafood. Especially not since most shrimp used to make paste are cultivated. Fish sauce sadly contains a highly dosage of concentrated heavy metals.

Ingredients for the curry

  • Sweet potatoes – Peeled and diced.
  • Spinach – Washed and measured tightly packed.
  • Mushrooms – Shiitake or other firm mushrooms.
  • Coconut milk – Half a can.
  • Broth – Preferably Medical Medium healing broth, but any kind will do. Even water will do the trick.

Optional ingredients

  • Coconut aminos – if you just eat vegan, you would probably use soy sauce. But since I don’t eat soy either I need to replace that as well. Coconut aminos taste very much alike. I use just about half a teaspoon per serving to get the same umami taste. I don’t use it in the paste, but I usually add it to my curry at the end so I can taste.
  • Sesame oil – I also use it in my curry, at the end, just to get a little bit of different taste. Use just a few drops per serving.
  • Coconut flower sugar – if you like your curry a bit sweeter.
Thai green curry with sweet potato, shiitake and spinach in a pink bowl, on a dark grey background, taken from the front. Horizontal orientation.

FAQ’s

Is this curry vegan?

Yes, it’s made from just veggies, spices, herbs and coconut milk. I don’t use shrimp paste or fish sauce.

Is this curry Medical Medium?

Yes, it is but only if you dont eat fatfree. You prepare your curry in coconut milk, you bake your onion and potatoes in coconut oil and you might even want to add some drops of sesame oil. If you eat fermented foods you can also add some coconut aminos.

What about coconut oil and Medical Medium?

Although coconut milk and oil contain fat it has really good MM qualities as well. Coconut enhances the power of anything it touches. Read more on the official MM webiste (including another grate coconut curry).

Is this paste AIP paleo?

No, not AIP: chili’s are nightshades. Some people do eat peppers on a paleo diet though, but don’t add them when you’re still in the AIP elimination phase.

Help! My curry turned out way too hot. What can I do!?

Add extra cucumber juice or citrus juice and coconut flower sugar. Especially sugar is a great fire extinguisher. Pickle some thin sliced onion with sugar and lemon juice and serve on the side. Also serve steamed (basmati) rice on the side. If that still is not enough, poor some sauce in a cup and add new coconut milk. Don’t throw away the spicy sauce, use it within 2 days to build up a new curry again.

Thai green curry with sweet potato, spinach and mushrooms

Marjolein

This recipe may contain

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Easy to make vegan and soyfree Thai green curry with sweet potato, spinach and shiitake mushrooms. Cooked in broth and coconut milk. With home made green curry paste from scratch.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 2 bowls
Calories 478
Cuisine Asian, Thai

Equipment

  • blender for the paste
  • or mortar
  • large ceramic non-stick pan with lid
  • or or medium/large cast iron skillet with lid
  • garlic press
  • grater
  • knife

Ingredients
 

  • 3 cups sweet potatoes peeled and diced (450 grams)
  • 4 cups spinach
  • 2 cups shiitake mushrooms or any kind you like, preferably as firm as possible (150 grams)
  • 2 yellow onions
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 4 generous tbsp homemade Thai green curry paste
  • or 3 tablespoons store bought Thai green curry paste is usually a bit more concentrated
  • ½ can coconut milk
  • 1 cup MM healing broth or mushroom broth
  • or any vegetable broth you usually use
  • extra water if needed
  • 1 handful fresh cilantro or some left over from making the paste
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil to bake in, more if needed
Optional

Instructions

  • Make the paste as described in this recipe. The paste you don't use right away can be kept in the fridge for 2 to maybe 3 days. The rest can be frozen (I use an ice cube tray for that).
  • Finely chop the onions and fry in coconut oil untill translucent.
  • Press the garlic and add.
  • Peel and dice the sweet potatoes. Add and bake until browned just a little bit.
  • Shove the potatoes aside, add just a bit of oil again if needed and bake the paste briefly in the free space.
  • Poor in the broth and coconut milk and stir. Make sure the potatoes are fully covered. Bring to a soft boil. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes with the lid on, but with a small opening.
  • The potatoes need to soften completely. Therefor stir once in a while to make sure no parts stick out from the sauce for long (so they won't get under cooked). If needed add some water, but preferably your sauce should thicken a bit.
  • When the potatoes are soft chop up the mushrooms roughly and add.
  • Lower the heat. Add in the spinach hand by hand and let it shrink. As soon as all the spinach has shrunk turn off the heat and serve.
  • Top with extra cilantro.

Nutrition

Calories: 478kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 667mg | Potassium: 1744mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 34317IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 171mg | Iron: 7mg

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