The “trick” I learned from my friend is the cooking of the curry paste in oil for a while. This is the magic of Thai curry paste, which having made Indian food a few times, what with the cooking of spices in oil, I get.
Prep the Curry Paste
In a sturdy pot (I use a cast iron wok) heat up 1/2 cup of oil and add a 14 oz tub of red curry paste (I like Arroy-D, which is reliably vegan)*. Reduce heat to low and cook until curry is highly fragrant. Put into larger jar, cool, put in fridge to use as needed. That’s it, that is the magic.
The Stuff
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 1 can of water (use warm water, helps to rinse coconut milk out of can)
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup of red curry paste, prepared per the above note
- 1 2-3 pound kabocha squash, peeled and in bite-size chunks
- 1 package of water-pack, extra-firm tofu (12-14oz), cut into 1″ cubes
- 1 pound of green beans, stringed and snapped into bite-sized pieces (or 2 crowns of broccoli)
The Making
Into a slow-cooker set on high add the green beans, coconut milk, water, curry paste, and pumpkin.
Cook for a 2 hours and add tofu*. Cook another 45 minutes. *If you’re using broccoli instead of or in addition to green beans, add it now)
Enjoy with rice noodles, rice, or with a spoon.
*A note about oil:curry paste ratio. The 1/2 cup to 14 ounces of curry paste works out to around 2 teaspoons per ounce of curry. The smallest jar you can purchase is 4 ounces, which would be just a little more than 2.5 Tablespoons needed to cook it. Since it keeps for a while in the fridge once prepared, I always just use a 14 ounce tub of curry paste and use it as needed.