This is just that recipe that we go back to time after time, year after year.
This is just that recipe that doesn’t require a lot of thinking. This is that recipe that is a real crowd pleaser and a recipe that has been one of our most requested.
Thai vegetable curry is a recipe that we’ve been cooking for over two decades. We both have our own take—Rachel still adds apple to hers—but we both include it on our menus all the time. Our families love it, especially the vegetarians. It’s amazing to watch the littlest kids gobble it up. And to make his curry hot, hot, hot, Sharon’s husband Alan, pours a generous amount of Sriracha Sauce into his bowl of curry.
The spices that are featured in this Thai vegetable curry—turmeric, cumin, paprika, cinnamon and ginger—are common to the Sephardic kitchen. It’s so simple to prepare but serves up complexly rich flavor. The curry spice adds a savory, earthy depth, the cinnamon and sugar add a pleasant warmth and sweetness, the coconut milk is dreamily creamy and the sautéed onions, garlic, fresh ginger, fresh basil and cherry tomatoes add brightness and pep.
This recipe is easily adaptable and very forgiving: you can add, subtract or replace the lineup of vegetables. Eggplant, cauliflower, green beans, butternut squash, zucchini, potato, broccoli, baby corn and peppers are all excellent contenders. Every combination works.
Make it anyway you like.
Serve it on a bed of fluffy white rice or nutty brown rice or even toasty quinoa.
Just make it.
Thai Vegetable Curry
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
4 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 can of full fat coconut milk
2 cups of water
2 tablespoons parve chicken consommé
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
14oz cherry tomatoes
1 small butternut squash, chopped in a 2 inch dice
1 cauliflower, chopped into florets
2 cups frozen green peas
1 14oz garbanzo beans, drained and washed
1/2 cup cashews
1 bunch basil, washed
In a large pot, warm oil over medium heat, then add onions and sauté until they are translucent.
Add garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric and paprika and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add coconut milk and water, stir well and bring to a high simmer.
Add consommé, sugar, salt and pepper, cherry tomatoes, butternut squash and cauliflower, stir well and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
Just before serving, add peas, garbanzo beans, cashews and basil leaves and cook for 5 minutes.
Serve over jasmine or basmati rice.
Eggplant curry
¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
4 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can full fat coconut milk or cream
1 cup water
1 tablespoon parve chicken consommé
2 medium eggplants, cubed and salted
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
4 medium zucchini, sliced into ½ inch rounds
1 granny smith apple, peeled and cubed.
1 bunch lemon basil, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot, warm oil over medium heat, add onions and sauté until they start to turn golden.
Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and sauté for 2 more minutes.
Add the eggplant and sauté until it turns translucent, keep stirring.
Add the rest of the vegetables and coat in spices.
Add the water and coconut milk, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the basil, salt and pepper to taste.
Rachel Sheff and Sharon Gomperts have been friends since high school. They love cooking and sharing recipes. They have collaborated on Sephardic Educational Center projects and community cooking classes. Follow them on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food.
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