Easy Instant Pot recipe for vegan Thai Green Curry with Quinoa and assorted fresh vegetables, that could also be modified to make gluten free. Do most of the preparation over the weekends and then prepare a quick fresh meal during weeknights with tight schedule. Your whole family will devour into this vegan Thai Green Curry Quinoa delicacy, leaving them asking for more as their palate would be gratified.
If health benefits play a major role in selection of recipes you make, then this Vegetarian Thai Green Curry with Quinoa and Spring Vegetables recipe is for you.
Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipe for Busy Families
Cooking is not just for those who have a lot of pleasure time to spend in kitchen. Busy families also want to put healthy and fresh meals on the family dinner table. This vegetarian Thai Green Curry Quinoa recipe is one such dish for hard working families. You can make the Thai Green Curry paste over the weekend and freeze it. Then during the weekdays, just saute the vegetables of your choice in Instant pot, add quinoa, frozen curry paste cubes and coconut milk. Let the IP (Instant Pot) cook while you set up the dinner table and your warm fresh healthy meal will be ready just-in-time.
Made-from-Scratch with No Preservatives or other Adulterants
One of the key ingredients for any Thai green curry recipe is the Thai green curry paste. Most people would usually buy it from a store assuming it is complicated to make. More effluent and health conscious consumers will go for the high-end organic brands of green curry paste. However, you’ll be surprised to see how simple it is to make your own Thai Green Curry paste from scratch at home and then store it for extended use later. Please refer to EYPs Thai Green Curry Paste recipe for step by step guidance on how to make your own paste at home.
Modify Recipe Based on Taste or Dietary Preference
Other big advantage of making Thai Green Curry paste at home is that you can modify the ingredients as you need. For example, I need my Thai curry paste to be vegetarian and especially do not like the smell or taste of fish oil. So, my recipe of that green curry paste is completely vegetarian and has no fish oil . To make it Gluten free and wheat free substitute soy sauce with Tamari.
When it comes to adding vegetables to curry, I struggle with what to add and what to leave. You can pick the vegetable you want to add based on your preference. Sometimes, I pick based on what is available at home, while other times I may pick just based on taste or health benefits. In this recipe, I have used onions, Bok choy, Asparagus, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Eggplant, Zucchini and Mix color peppers. I also add Indian Cottage cheese (Paneer) or Tofu for dairy free option.
Vegetarian Quinoa Recipe
My followers know that I am always trying to switch from rice to quinoa to add more quinoa in my family’s daily diet. I have several recipes on my blog, where I have substituted rice with quinoa while keeping the same mouthwatering flavors. For example, Mexican Quinoa is a modified healthy version of Mexican Fried rice. In this Vegetarian Thai Green Curry Quinoa recipe, I have substituted Quinoa for rice. Quinoa is now available in different varieties among which red, black and white varieties are most popular. Red and black quinoa are commonly used in cold salad. Most cooked quinoa recipes, such as this vegetarian Thai green curry recipe uses creamy white variety of quinoa. Finally, substituting rice for quinoa allows you to serve this dish as a one pot meal.
Healthy Family Meal – Loaded with Veggies
If health benefits play a major role in your selection of recipes to make, then this vegetarian Thai Green curry with quinoa and spring vegetables recipe is for you. Quinoa has much lower amount of carbohydrates, compared to the same serving size of rice, and at the same time has much higher plant-based protein content with all 9 amino acids. It also has low glycemic index for help controlling blood sugar and high in anti-oxidants.
This recipe is loaded with green healthy vegetables, roots and herbs like bok choy, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant, zucchini, mix color peppers, lemon grass, green Thai chilies, galangal, cilantro and basil to name a few. Go wild on your veggie shopping!
Serve as One-Pot-Meal or as Part of more Elaborate Dinner Menu
Vegetarian Thai Green Curry Quinoa is a warm, comforting, satisfying and rich in flavors dish that will excite your taste buds, and satiate your appetite. This dish may be served alone as one-pot-meal or with other accompaniments in any meal. Left overs work great to pack as lunch for the next day.
Vegan Thai Green Curry Quinoa Ingredients:
From Pantry
- Quinoa – 1 cup
- Homemade Green Thai Curry Paste – 6 tbs
- Coconut Milk – 1/2 cup
- Roasted Cashews for topping – 1/4 cup
- Oil – 2 tbs
- Spices
- Salt to taste
Produce
- Ginger – 1″ piece
- Celery – 2 stalk
- Onions – 1 medium sized chopped in 1 in cubes
- Bok Choy – 1 cup chopped in cubes, only stems
- Asparagus – 1/2 bunch chopped
- Cauliflower – 1 cup florets
- Broccoli – 1 cup florets
- Eggplant – 1/2 Italian eggplant chopped into 1 in cubes
- Zucchini – 1 big or 2 small chopped into 1 in cubes
- Mix color peppers – 1/2 of each or 2 cups chopped into 1 in pieces
- Snap Peas – 1/2 cup
- Cilantro – Handful or 1/4 cup chopped
- Thai basil – Handful or 1/4 cup chopped
- Scallion – Handful or 1/4 cup chopped
- Tofu – 1 cup in 1 in cubes
- Lime Juice – 2 tbsp or juice of half medium sized lime
Above list of vegetables is what I used. You may adjust the quantity and add or remove as per your preference or availability.
Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Method:
- Start the IP in sauté mode on high heat and add two tbsp oil.
- Prepare the tofu for sauté by pressing tpfu wrapped in kitchen paper towel between palms to squeeze the water out. Then crisp cubed tofu in the pan for two minute each side.
- Take tofu out and keep it aside when done.
- Add ginger and celery in the left-over oil; sauté it on high for a minute.
- After that add onions and bok choy stems while continuing to sauté it. Don’t let it cook too much to maintain the crunchiness.
- Now add homemade green Thai curry paste frozen cubes. Stir it into onions and celery. Roast it for 30 seconds.
- Now add carrots, asparagus and eggplant into the curry pot. Give it a good stir.
- Add washed and drained raw quinoa.
- Now add coconut milk, water and salt.
- Mix well to combine all ingredients.
- Close the Instant pot lid. Cancel the saute mode and set on high pressure cook for ZERO minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid, once the pressure is completely released.
- Then fluff the quinoa with light hand and add rest of the vegetables (zucchini, squash, bell peppers, cauliflowers, broccoli and snap-peas.
- Mix all ingredients to incorporate into cooked quinoa.
- Close the lid again and set IP on low pressure for ZERO This will allow the vegetable to get cooked with steam without getting mushy.
- Let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid, once the pressure is completely released.
- Now the Thai green curry quinoa is cooked. Add lime juice of half lime and handful of chopped cilantro, Thai basil and scallion into quinoa and combined everything.
