So the Panther got an assignment to make dinner, and it was suggested that this meal be at least vegetarian. Awesome, no problem. Except… I happened to be craving something with a Thai swing to it. A general scan of various recipes found a few things, but here was the kicker: this needed to be a slow cooker recipe.
Challenge accepted! Actually, after a Twitter pal (Hi @evelinruns) mentioned #PlantPower, I decided to up the ante even more and do this full vegan style. Let the AWWW SNAPPING begin.
Ingredients:
canola oil (to saute the garlic)
2 shallots (minced)
5 cloves garlic (minced)
6 tablespoons peeled fresh ginger (minced)
1 cup water
8 tablespoons red curry paste (organic if possible)
2 cans light coconut milk (organic if possible)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 large yam (cubed)
1 turnip (cubed)
2 large carrots (chopped into 1/2 inch pieces)
3 Sweet Onions (skinned with ends chopped)
1 medium red onion (sliced thin)
1 cup snap peas
Limes, halved
Let’s do this:
1) Saute the shallots, garlic, ginger until the shallots begin to turn clear. Use medium heat to avoid burning the garlic. Add in red onion and cook until it begins to soften.
2) Add curry, water, sugar, coconut milk and soy sauce and bring to a simmer. Turn down heat and let cook for a few minutes, just to tighten up the sauce a bit.
3) Arrange the root veggie cubes in the slow cooker with the whole sweet onions in a row atop them.
4) Pour sauce into slow cooker. Set cook time for 6 hours (should say High 6 hours) and let cook for 5 hours.
5) 10 minutes before you’re ready to serve, add snap peas.
6) Serve in a bowl, squeezing a lime over each serving. You can chop up the sweet onions and place on top.
Makes, like, a freaking ton of servings. Seriously, I have no idea how I’m going to eat all that. You might consider freezing some. Or having a party. What time should I be there?
Modifications:
Honestly the sugar is not super needed. There’s tons of sweetness coming from the coconut milk, carrots and onions. You can also use agave, or honey (though honey would make this not vegan). Remember that you can also add some sweetness in at the end.
You’ll notice I’m not using any salt or pepper. My wife is a bit sensitive to spice and very sensitive to salt. The curry paste brings a touch of heat, anything more would not be good. You can always rooster sauce this into the the stratosphere. If you want more salt, use it at the end to taste or add a bit more soy sauce.
You can also add more protein by using a textured protein crumble. It will add a bit of ground-beef texture, add protein. Use a non-GMO brand. Pour it into the slow cooker just before adding the sauce. You can also add coconut shavings (non-sweetened) for a bit more chew.
As far as the root veggies go, you can basically use whatever you have at hand. Keep in mind that if you go with mostly non-sweet varieties, you might want to add that flavor profile back in. I used a Japanese Yam, but you can use parsnips, yams, sweet potatoes, yukon golds, turnips, celery root, whatever. One pro tip though: chop it big. After 5 hours, small pieces will disintegrate.
Let me know what you think in the comments (along with any mods you try) and please retweet this out! Yum!
