We made this for dinner recently and, while not a favourite, it was tasty. The Kidlet even ate the squash, which she has been averse to lately. It may have helped that we had a surplus of chicken and made it with 750g instead of the 500g called for, so the chicken-to-squash ratio was enhanced.

Thai Pumpkin & Chicken Curry

Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan (p. 270)

Ingredients

• one 750g baking pumpkin or butternut squash, halved, seeded, peeled, and cut into 2cm cubes
• 2 shallots
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 400mL coconut milk
• 1 tbsp red Thai curry paste
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• juice of one lime
• 2 tsp firmly packed brown sugar
• 2+1 tbsp oil, divided
• 500g boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 2cm cubes
• 2 tbsp sliced fresh thai basil (or 1 tbsp lightly dried basil)

Directions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the pumpkin and cook until just tender, 6-7 minutes. Drain.
2. Combine shallots, garlic, curry paste, and 2 tbsp of water in a blender, and process until smooth.
3. Whisk together coconut milk, fish sauce, lime, and brown sugar in a bowl.
4. In a large, steep-sided skillet, heat 2 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add chicken and sear until browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and buffer.
6. Reduce heat to medium and add remaining oil.
7. Add the curry paste mixture and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 10-20 seconds.
8. Stir in the coconut milk mixture and bring to a boil.
9. Add chicken and pumpkin, reduce heat, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the pumpkin is tender.
10. Top with basil and serve over rice.

This curry contains an unusual combination of vegetables: sweet potato, celery root, and delicata squash. Sweet potato and squash are not that surprising, but it never would have occurred to me to put celery root in a curry before this recipe! It works pretty well though. It's not going to become a new favourite or anything, but it was nice to try something a bit different.

Winter Vegetable Red Curry

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredinets

• 2 tsp. coconut oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6mm piece of ginger, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste
• 1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 sweet potato (~225g), peeled and cubed
• ~250g celery root, peeled and cubed
• 3 c. coconut milk
• 1 delicata squash (200-250g), seeded and cubed
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Melt oil over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for ~1 minute.
3. Add the curry paste and cook for another minute or so.
4. Add the fish sauce, sweet potato, and celery root and stir to combine.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, add coconut milk, and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Add the squash and cook until vegetables are tender (10-15 minutes longer).
7. Stir in the lime zest, remove from heat, and stir in the lime juice.
8. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with rice.

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Variants

Vegetarian/Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. coconut oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6mm piece of ginger, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste
• 1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce substitute
• 1 sweet potato (~225g), peeled and cubed
• ~250g celery root, peeled and cubed
• 3 c. coconut milk
• 1 delicata squash (200-250g), seeded and cubed
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

I thought this looked like a nice veggie curry. I like that the inclusion of tofu gives it a bit of protein, although I think it would've been nice with a few more different kinds of vegetables in. I added an onion, but I think carrot and/or bell pepper would have been nice too.

Vietnamese-Style Eggplant-Tofu Curry

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola or peanut oil
• 680g Asian eggplant, cubed
• 1 onion, sliced lengthwise
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. red curry paste
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 (420mL) can coconut milk
• 1 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tsp. lime zest
• 375g extra-firm tofu, cubed
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Thai basil (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add eggplant and stir-fry until slightly browned (~4 minutes).
3. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for another minute or so.
4. Add the curry paste, fish sauce, coconut milk, chicken stock, and tofu and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Add green onions, cilantro, basil (if using), and lime juice.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with rice.

This is a fastasic, easy-to-make soup. I've seen the combination of coconut and lime before, but the idea of using mandarin as the citrus element was new to me. It works quite well though! It makes for a nice, light meal or first course.

The original recipe called for a combination of enoki and oyster mushrooms. I didn't have either of those, but I did have some shiitake and cremini. I used those instead and I was quite happy with my results.

Coconut-Mandarin Soup with Mushrooms

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 c. chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 (430mL) can lite coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. mandarin orange zest
• 1/2 c. mandarin orange juice (from 3 mandarins)
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. Thai red curry paste
• 1 serrano chile¹, seeded and minced
• 2-3 c. chopped mushrooms (preferably a mix of enoki, oyster, shiitake, and/or cremini)
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh Thai basil
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 c. steamed rice

Directions

1. Combine the broth, coconut milk, orange zest, orange juice, fish sauce, red curry paste, and chile and bring to a boil.
2. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook for another 5-6 minutes.
3. Stir in basil, salt, and pepper.
4. Serve over steamed rice.

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 1 c. vegetable broth
• 1 (430mL) can lite coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. mandarin orange zest
• 1/2 c. mandarin orange juice (from 3 mandarins)
• 1/2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. Thai red curry paste
• 1 serrano chile¹, seeded and minced
• 2-3 c. chopped mushrooms (preferably a mix of enoki, oyster, shiitake, and/or cremini)
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh Thai basil
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 c. steamed rice

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¹ I didn't add the chile to my soup since I was worried about making it too spicy for the Kidlet. I do think that it would have been nice though. I had actually intended to use a thinly sliced red Thai chile as a garnish that could be individually applied, but I forgot. ^Back

I haven't been writing up a lot of the Hello Fresh recipes, largely because most of them are repeats of recipes we already have with minor variations. This one was new, though, and also a huge hit with everyone, and a nice dinner (or brunch!) on a cold winter day.

We had some extra coconut milk in the fridge, so we replaced some of the water in the recipe with additional coconut milk, making it a roughly 1:1 ratio for the same total volume. I've written it up without this modification.

Salmon Coconut Soup

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 340g carrots, peeled, bisected lengthwise, and cut into 5mm half-moons
• 340g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 10cm cubes
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 C "red curry base"¹
• 1-2 red Thai chilis, finely chopped
• 500g salmon filets, skin on
• 200mL coconut milk
• 750mL water
• ½ tsp salt
• 450g bok choi, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Add carrots, sweet potatoes, and oil to a large pot.
2. Cook over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften, 5-10 minutes.
3. Add curry base and chilis. Cook, stirring, until coated and fragrant, ~30 seconds.
4. Add coconut milk, water, and salt. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
5. Add salmon. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, covered, until salmon is cooked through, ~5 minutes.
6. Stir in bok choi and cook until wilted.

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¹ This is not the same as red curry paste; symbol suspects it to be red curry paste diluted with fish sauce and possibly other liquids and aromatics. This is sometimes sold as "red curry paste" in grocery stores, but has a lighter colour and consistency and is meant to be used by the cup rather than the teaspoon. ^Back

I originally added this meal to the menu for the week because I had some green beans that needed using. I kept putting off actually making it though and, sadly, by the time I finally got to it, the beans had gone a bit fuzzy. I went ahead with the curry as planned, minus the beans and it was delicious! The beans would've been a welcome addition, but it was still really lovely without them.

My plan was to make this with dried mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tofu, green beans, and bell pepper as the inclusions. That said, it's a very flexible recipe and you could use lots of different things. If you're not worried about keeping it vegetarian, you can use fish sauce in place of some or all of the soy sauce and use meat or seafood in place of the mushrooms and/or tofu. If do want to stick with the vegetarian route, I don't recommend swapping out the dried mushrooms -- they add great flavour and texture! Do feel free to add other veggies as you please though. Depending on what's in season or what you have on hand, I could see lots of different things working well: carrots, onion, baby corn, bok choy, broccoli, sugar snap peas/mangetouts, spinach, eggplant, even pineapple if you'd like a sweet twist to your curry. Play around with it and see which combos you like.

Thai Red Curry

Adapted from Hot Thai Kitchen

Ingredients

• 8 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 2 c. boiling water
• 200-250mL tinned bamboo shoots (slices or matchsticks)
• 400-500mL full-fat coconut milk
• ~1/4 c. red curry paste¹
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. jaggery, palm sugar, or brown sugar
• 6-7 kaffir lime leaves, bruised
• 1 recipe Extra Delicious Tofu
• 450g green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces (optional)
• 1 red bell pepper (optional)
• 1/2 c. Thai basil, bruised

Directions

1. Pour the boiling water over the mushrooms and allow to soak for at least 30 minutes.
2. Drain the bamboo shoots, rinse in cold water, then transfer to a small pot and add just enough water to cover.
3. Place pot over high heat and boil for 3-5 minutes.
4. Drain and rinse again. Set aside.
5. Once mushrooms are done soaking, squeeze to remove excess liquid (reserve the soaking liquid), remove the stems, and cut into slices ~4-5mm thick. Set aside.
6. Heat 3/4 c. of the coconut milk over medium heat until somewhat reduced. Ideally the oil will begin to separate, but apparently this doesn't always happen with tinned coconut milk.
7. Add the curry paste and the tomato paste to the thickened coconut milk, stir to break up and combine well, and fry for a minute or two.
8. Add remaining coconut milk and the mushroom soaking water and bring to a boil.
9. Stir in both types of soy sauce and the sugar.
10. Mix in mushrooms, lime leaves, and tofu. If you're using carrots or other long-cooking/firm vegetables, add them now as well. Simmer for 10 minutes.
11. Add any remaining (more delicate) vegetables and cook for another 2-5 minutes depending on what you've added and how firm/soft you like it.
12. Remove from heat and sprinkle with Thai basil.
13. Serve over rice.

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¹ If you need to make this vegetarian (or vegan) be sure to check the ingredients to make sure your curry paste doesn't include shrimp paste. Also, be sure you're getting curry paste and not "curry sauce" or similar that already has coconut milk and fish sauce added to it. ^Back

Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower

The original recipe is just for cauliflower. I was a little short on cauliflower the first time I made it so I decided to add a bit of tempeh to bulk it out. That turned out so nice that I decided to just keep the tempeh in as a regular part of the recipe.

Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower (and Tempeh)

Slightly adapted from the Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 (400mL) can lite coconut milk
• 3 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. grated lime zest
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. Thai red curry paste
• 1/2 tsp. red chile flakes
• 2 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. peanut oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. ginger paste
• 1 head cauliflower, cored and cut into 3/4" florets
• 200-250g tempeh, roughly chopped
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c. fresh basil, torn into rough pieces

Directions

1. Whisk coconut milk, fish sauce, lime zest, lime juice, sugar, curry paste, and pepper flakes together in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, combine 1 tsp. oil, garlic, and ginger paste.
3. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil over high heat until shimmering.
4. Add cauliflower, water, and salt. Cover and cook until cauliflower is just tender and translucent. (~5 minutes)
5. Uncover, add tempeh, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated and cauliflower is tender and well browned. (~10 minutes)
6. Clear centre of skillet, add garlic mixture, and cook, mashing mixture into skillet until fragrant. (~30 seconds)
7. Stir garlic mixture into cauliflower and reduce heat to medium-high.
8. Whisk coconut milk mixture to recombine. Add to skillet and simmer until slightly thickened. (~4 minutes)
9. Remove from heat and stir in basil.

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Variations

Vegetarian

Ingredients

• 1 (400mL) can lite coconut milk
• 3 Tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos or vegetarian fish sauce substitute
• 1 tsp. grated lime zest
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. Thai red curry paste
• 1/2 tsp. red chile flakes
• 2 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. peanut oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. ginger paste
• 1 head cauliflower, cored and cut into 3/4" florets
• 200-250g tempeh, roughly chopped
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c. fresh basil, torn into rough pieces

Vegan

Same as vegetarian version, just make sure your sugar is vegan.