Since I’ve been living in Como, I’ve been eating Thai almost every Thursday. It’s a cuisine I love. I often order the red curry with chicken or the green curry with prawns.

When I’m in Rome and don’t have a favorite restaurant nearby, I make this vegetarian version. My version is obviously Italianized and uses much fewer spices and ingredients. I love it!

Vegetarian Red Curry with Coconut Milk

  • Preparation time: 40 minutes
  • Ingredients for 4 servings
  • Difficulty: Easy recipe

  • Ingredients
  • 2 medium red potatoes
  • 200 grams of spinach
  • 1 red onion
  • 250 grams of boiled chickpeas
  • For the curry:
  • 2 onions
  • 1 small piece of fresh chili pepper
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 small piece of fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons Thai Red Curry
  • 3/4-liter vegetable broth
  • 120 ml coconut milk
  • Extra virgin olive oil to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Chopped cilantro or basil (optional) to taste.
  1. Instructions
  2. Clean the red onion and thinly slice it.
  3. Wash the potatoes, peel them, and dice them.
  4. Wash the boiled chickpeas thoroughly, especially if canned.
  5. Wash the spinach leaves thoroughly.
  6. Clean the white onions and finely chop them. Peel and grate the garlic and ginger.
  7. In a large pot, sauté the onions with the chili pepper, garlic, and ginger for about ten minutes with plenty of oil.
  8. Add a little water if necessary.
  9. Remove the chili pepper and stir in the spices and tomato paste. Add the potatoes, chickpeas, and broth and cook for thirty to forty minutes over low heat with the lid on, adding water if necessary.
  10. Add the spinach and coconut milk and cook for at least another ten to twenty minutes.
  11. Add the chopped cilantro, season with salt, and serve in a bowl with steamed rice.

Tips to ensure the success of the dish:

  • The flavor of this dish depends greatly on the quality of the curry. I recommend purchasing it from specialized spice shops.
  • For those with allergies like me, coriander can be replaced with parsley if desired, or even better, Thai basil.
  • The mixture should be soupy, so add water or broth if it’s too dry.