Vegetarian Thai Red curry recipe is a popular Thai dish made from red curry paste cooked in coconut milk with vegetables and vegetarian protein source such as tofu in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker and is Vegan ,Gluten free & Keto Friendly.
I absolutely love Thai curry.Most times when i am craving for Thai food, i usually check out a local restaurant.With the lockdown due to Covid i started making easy one pot Thai red curry at home in the Instant pot.My Husband who was not a big fan of thai curry also gave me great reviews.
I would place Thai red curry in my top ten list of favorite foods easily.My Other Thai favorites are Thai Basil Fried Rice and Thai Peanut Noodles.
Today i am sharing how to make Authentic Thai red curry recipe in Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT Pressure Cooker. They are so easy to make in this instant pot and takes less than 20 minutes.
What is Thai Red Curry Paste?
Traditional red curry paste is made from red chili peppers, shallot ,garlic, lemongrass, galangal, palm sugar and spices.While you can prepare red curry paste from scratch ,store-bought curry paste works very well too.
Lot of Thai red curry paste brands available in the market contain fish and oyster sauce.So if you are a vegetarian or vegan i highly recommend using Thai Kitchen Red Curry or Maesri Thai Red Curry Paste brands.
Ingredients
These are the main ingredients need for this vegetarian thai red curry recipe.
Vegetables -You can use a mix of colored bell peppers, eggplants ,carrots ,broccoli, mushrooms, pumpkin or butternut squash.
I highly recommend adding slow cooking veggies like egg plants ,carrot, green beans, pumpkin before pressure cooking and fast cooking veggies like bell peppers ,zucchini after pressure cooking, retains the crunch in the vegetables.
Coconut Milk - I like Chaokoh Coconut Milk brand.Full fat works best as it contains the creamiest flavors, but low fat coconut milk works, too.
Thai Red Curry Paste- I have used store bought Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste (vegan) and it can be found in most grocery stores.
Protein -I have used plant based protein organic extra firm tofu in this recipe.
Herbs - Stir in roughly torn thai basil and cilantro just before serving. If you cant find Thai basil, regular basil works well, too.
Kaffir lime leaves - are hard to find outside of Asian markets, but if you are unable to find them ,then add zest of ½ lime.
Lime juice: Squeeze juice of half lime into the curry for added flavor.
Low sodium soy sauce – Or tamari for gluten-free.Ads extra zing to the dish.
Sugar- Use Palm Sugar or Brown Sugar or you can skip it.
How to Make Vegetarian Thai Red Curry
Instant Pot Method
Press Saute.Add oil and once it’s hot ,add minced garlic and ginger, onions ,Saute for about 2 minutes till onions turn soft.
Next add Thai red curry paste and saute for a minute to enhance the flavors of the final dish.
Stir in 1 can of full fat coconut milk and ¼ cup of water.
Close the lid.Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (Low Pressure) and set timer to 1 minute.
If you do not have the low pressure option, you can set the time to zero minutes.
When the instant pot beeps, Allow 5 minutes of natural pressure release and then release the remaining pressure manually.
Stir in soy sauce ,brown sugar (optional), fast cooking veggies like zucchini ,colored peppers, canned baby corn ,tofu ,kaffir lime leaves (or lime zest), salt and mix well.
Boil the curry on the sauté setting for a 3-4 minutes.Do not overcook the veggies.
Press Cancel, add lime juice and basil leaves (roughly torn).Give a quick stir.
Adjust with more soy sauce, brown sugar or lime juice.The curry thickens as it cools down.
Serve Instant pot red curry with vegetables hot with steamed jasmine rice.
Stove Top Pot Method
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan on medium high heat.Add minced garlic ,ginger and onions ,Saute for about 2 minutes till onions turn soft.
- Next add Thai red curry paste and saute for a minute to enhance the flavors of the final dish.
- Stir in 1 can of full fat coconut milk and ¼ cup of water.Bring it to a boil for 4-5 minutes on medium low heat.
- Stir in soy sauce ,brown sugar (optional), fast cooking veggies like zucchini ,colored peppers, canned baby corn ,tofu ,kaffir lime leaves (or lime zest), salt and mix well.
- Cover the pot and let the curry cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes.Do not overcook the veggies.They should be fork tender.Adjust the consistency of the curry at this point. You can add water to thin it out if you desire.
- Turn of the gas and add lime juice and basil leaves (roughly torn).Give a quick stir.Adjust with more soy sauce, brown sugar or lime juice.
- Serve hot with steamed jasmine rice.
Serving Suggestions
Thai Red curry with vegetables recipe can generally be eaten with jasmine rice or naan, or both.Also it can be served as a soup.
Tips
- Choose full-fat coconut milk for creamy and rich curry
- Add the fast cooking veggies in the end and simmer for few minutes to keep them tender and crunchy.
- Some store brought curry pastes can be hot ,so try adding a tablespoon first and increase as you need.
- You can also pan fry tofu and add to the thai red curry to make restaurant style.
- Add Kafir lime leaves for a unique Thai flavor.
Variations for Thai Red Curry
- Feel free to get creative with the vegetables you use here. You could try baby spinach ,broccoli ,mushrooms ,snow peas ,diced butternut ,potato or sweet potato and for protein canned chickpeas, tempeh , edamame.
FAQs
Thai Red Curry can be keto as its low in net carbs.However, pair it with low-carb cauliflower rice for keto–friendly diet meal.Make sure to add only low carb/keto friendly vegetables like broccoli ,mushrooms ,bell pepper or zucchini.
If you are on a Keto or Low Carb Diet.Checkout my Keto Indian Food Recipes Collection.
Is the lime necessary?
YES! Limes are keystone in Thai cooking.Lime juice gives a much richer flavor to the dish.
More Asian Recipes
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Instant Pot Thai Red Curry
Equipment
Ingredients
Measuring cup used 1 cup = 250ml
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ inch ginger minced
- 1 small yellow onion finely chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons thai red curry paste i used thai kitchen
- 1 can 14 oz full fat coconut milk (about 400 ml)
- ¼ cup water (Or vegetable broth)
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (Or tamari for gluten free)
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar optional
- 1 medium zucchini diced
- 1 medium colored bell peppers thinly sliced
- 1 medium green bell pepper thinly sliced
- ½ cup canned baby corn
- ½ cup extra firm tofu cubed
- 3-4 kaffir lime leaves (Or zest of ½ lime)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ cup thai basil
- salt adjust to taste
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add oil and once it’s hot ,add minced garlic ,ginger and onions ,Saute for about 2 minutes till onions turn soft.
- Next add Thai red curry paste and saute for a minute to enhance the flavors of the final dish.
- Stir in 1 can of full fat coconut milk and ¼ cup of water.
- Close the lid.Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (Low Pressure) and set timer to 1 minute.If you do not have the low pressure option, you can set the time to zero minutes.
- When the instant pot beeps, Allow 5 minutes of natural pressure release and then release the remaining pressure manually.
- Stir in soy sauce ,brown sugar (optional), fast cooking veggies like zucchini ,colored peppers, canned baby corn ,tofu ,kaffir lime leaves (or lime zest), salt and mix well.
- Boil the curry on the sauté setting for a 4-5 minutes.Do not overcook the veggies.
- Press Cancel, add lime juice and basil leaves (roughly torn).Give a quick stir.Adjust with more soy sauce, brown sugar or lime juice.
- Serve hot with steamed jasmine rice.
Stove Top Pot Method:
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan on medium high heat.Add minced garlic ,ginger and onions ,Saute for about 2 minutes till onions turn soft.
- Next add Thai red curry paste and saute for a minute to enhance the flavors of the final dish.
- Stir in 1 can of full fat coconut milk and ¼ cup of water.Bring it to a boil for 4-5 minutes on medium low heat.
- Stir in soy sauce ,brown sugar (optional), fast cooking veggies like zucchini ,colored peppers, canned baby corn ,tofu ,kaffir lime leaves (or lime zest), salt and mix well.
- Cover the pot and let the curry cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes.Do not overcook the veggies.They should be fork tender.Adjust the consistency of the curry at this point. You can add water to thin it out if you desire.
- Turn of the gas and add lime juice and basil leaves (roughly torn).Give a quick stir.Adjust with more soy sauce, brown sugar or lime juice.
- Serve hot with steamed jasmine rice.
Notes
Tips
- Choose full-fat coconut milk for creamy and rich curry
- Add the fast cooking veggies in the end and simmer for few minutes to keep them tender and crunchy.
- Some store brought curry pastes can be hot ,so try adding a tablespoon first and increase as you need.
- You can also pan fry tofu and add to the thai red curry to make restaurant style.
- Add Kafir lime leaves for a unique Thai flavor.
Variations for Thai Red Curry
- Feel free to get creative with the vegetables you use here. You could try baby spinach ,broccoli ,mushrooms ,snow peas ,diced butternut ,potato or sweet potato and for protein canned chickpeas, tempeh , edamame.
Nutrition
Turned out perfect in IP!