Here is a vegetarian recipe for thanksgiving that is both easy to make AND a show stopper! With this baked acorn squash stuffed with brown rice mushroom pilaf, you won’t even miss the turkey. And you can easily make this dish the day before and just warm it in the microwave – so it’s a stress free thanksgiving main dish!

If you are making this dish ahead of time. Keep the baked squash and the pilaf separate. Heat them separately in the microwave and then spoon the pilaf into the squash just before serving.

Keep in mind that different brown rices need different amounts of water. And they may also have different cooking times. The 1 cup water and 50 minute cooking time I’ve given you is a guideline. So check the package instructions on your brown rice.

Mushrooms will let out water, so its important to cook them on high heat. I find that crimins dont let out as much water and recommend you use criminis if you can.

I love halloumi cheese and will find an excuse to put it in anything! But this recipe is stellar even without it, so leave out the halloumi if you wish. But if you do use the halloumi, keep in mind it’s a salty cheese – so add less salt to the rice to compensate.

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Brown Rice Mushroom Pilaf

serves 2

Ingredients
For the squash
1 acorn squash
For the Pilaf
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
½ a cinnamon stick
2 cloves, optional
5  oz (about 2 cups) chopped mushrooms – either white button, crimini or portobello.
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 sprig of thyme
1/2 cup brown basmati or long grain brown rice
Salt
¼ scant cup cubed halloumi cheese, optional
1 tablespoon dried cranberries or raisin, optional

Method
Pre heat oven to 400f

1. Cut the squash in half. Using a spoon, scrape out the membrane and seeds. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet, cut side down, for about 30 minutes or till the squash is fork tender.
2. When the squash is done, cut off the tips to that the squash sits up steadily.
3. While squash is baking, work on the mushroom pilaf – heat butter in a large, deep skillet. Add cinnamon and cloves and let sizzle for 30 seconds.
4. Toss in the mushrooms and cook undisturbed on medium-high heat, till the mushrooms brown.
5. Then reduce heat to medium, add garlic, thyme, rice and salt. Stir for about 2 minutes.
6. Pour 1 cups water and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover the pan and simmer till the rice is done, about 50 minutes.
7. When the rice is cooked (but shouldn’t be mushy), turn off the heat and let it sit covered for 10 minutes. Then fluff with a fork. Fish out and discard the cinnamon stick and cloves.
8. Stir in halloumi cubes if using.
9. Spoon the pilaf into the squash cavities.
10. Sprinkle with dried cranberries or raisins, if using.

Dried porcini mushrooms are a beautiful thing. They have a meaty flavor, and a deep umami taste. Boil dried porcinis in water, and you have yourself the best vegetarian substitute for beef broth.  I always rehydrate extra porcinis, and freeze the stock in ice cube trays. This way I always have a flavorful stock on hand for soups.

Try to buy local porcini mushrooms if you can; they will be cheaper than the imported ones. And remember, fresh porcinis are not the same as the dried ones. Dried porcini mushrooms have a lovely, depth of taste that the fresh ones simply don’t have.

Because dried mushrooms vary in size, its best to weigh them (cup measurements wont work). In case you are in the market for a great kitchen scale, Escali scales are great.

I like to soak and cook my own beans. It’s healthier, cheaper and tastier. Soak beans overnight in water, and drain. Then cover them with fresh water, and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid, and let the beans simmer till done – about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Then drain. I know this sounds like a long time, but you don’t have to baby sit the beans, they pretty much take care of themselves. You can cook any kind of bean this way and save it in the fridge for several days to use in soups, salads, chili etc.

White beans like cannellini or navy are so silky and creamy when cooked, you really dont need to add any milk or cream to this. So this white bean and porcini soup is vegan. However, if you want to make this soup richer and creamier, just add 1/4 cup heavy cream right at the end.

White Bean and Porcini Mushroom Soup Recipe

serves about 4

Ingredients
1 cup dried white beans (cannellini or navy beans)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
¼ cup dry white wine, optional
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms

Method
Soak the dried white beans overnight in water. Then drain them.

In a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil, and cook the onions on low heat till they are translucent. Don’t let the onions brown. Then add the garlic, rosemary, cracked black pepper, and salt. Cook 30 seconds, or till the garlic is fragrant. Don’t let the garlic brown.

Pour in white wine if using, increase heat to medium-high and let the wine bubble away, till most of it evaporates.

Then add the beans, and 4 cups of water. Bring the soup to a rolling boil on high heat. Then reduce heat to a simmer, cover the pan with a lid, and let the soup simmer till the beans are very soft – about 1 to 1.5 hour.

While the beans are cooking, rehydrate the mushrooms.

Boil 3 cup water in a medium saucepan. When the water boils, add the dried porcinis to the water. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low. Cover the pan, and let it simmer gently for about 20 minutes or till the mushrooms are rehydrated and soft. The mushrooms are done when you prick them with a fork, and they feel soft. If the mushrooms feel leathery, tough or hard, they need to cook more.

Depending on the size of the mushrooms, this may take more or less time, so check on the mushrooms periodically.

Turn off heat, and let the mushrooms sit in the stock for about 10 minutes. This will allow the sandy sediments to settle in the bottom of the pan. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the rehydrated porcinis from the liquid. Using a wooden spoon, press on the mushrooms to squeeze out some of the water back into the pan. Reserve the mushrooms.

When the sediment has settled to the bottom of the pan, pour the mushroom cooking liquid into a measuring cup. Do not use the sediment at the bottom. Measure out 2 cups of mushroom stock. Reserve this stock.

When the beans are cooked, add the rehydrated mushrooms, and the mushroom stock and boil for 1 more minute. Turn off heat. If you want a richer soup, add ¼ cup of heavy cream at this point.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup till it is smooth. You can also use a blender or food processor to puree the soup.
Remember to vent the lid a little when blending hot liquids.

Garnish with chopped rosemary, and a drizzle of olive oil, and serve soup with crusty bread.

This easy spinach and mushroom soup makes me feel good that I’m eating my vegetables. It’s packed with lots of fresh spinach and the great umami flavor of mushrooms. I allow myself a little butter in this recipe; but you can use olive oil instead and make it a vegan soup.

When I make pureed spinach dishes like this soup or palak paneer (Indian spinach curry with cheese), I like my spinach to remain green. But cooking spinach will turn it a dark color. The solution is easy. Add a pinch of baking soda when cooking spinach in water – it will help retain its green color. And don’t overcook the spinach.

Spinach Mushroom Soup Recipe

Serves about 3

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped onions
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup peeled, diced potatoes
3 cups tightly packed fresh, tender spinach leaves
½ teaspoon dried oregano
A pinch of baking soda, optional
10 large button mushroom caps
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method
Heat a medium, heavy bottom sauce pan with the butter. Add onions, and sauté on medium heat till translucent.  Add the garlic cloves and cook 30 seconds or till the garlic is fragrant.

Add the mushrooms and sauté on medium heat till they brown a little, about 5 minutes. Then add the potatoes, a pinch of salt and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer till the potato cubes are cooked.

Add washed spinach leaves, oregano and salt to the pot (keeping mind you’ve already added a little salt to the soup in the previous stage). Immediately add a pinch of baking soda to the spinach; this will keep the spinach green when cooking; but this step is optional.

Boil for about 1 minute or till the spinach is wilted.

Turn off the heat. Using a hand/immersion blender, puree the soup till smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, pour the soup into a regular blender and carefully puree. If the soup is too thick, add ½ cup water and blend again.

Serve warm, with a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.

I always enjoy the time I spend with my cousin Meena. She is such a pleasant and genuine person, and the time we spend together is always special. When we met last week (after more than a year!), we spent lazy afternoons gossipping, playing pallankuzhi, and cooking.

 This delicious vegetable, pasta and paneer bake recipe comes from Meena. She makes this vegetarian bake recipe for her post-swim meal. It is filling, and delicious without being heavy.

Meena didnt use cheese in this recipe, to keep it on the lighter side. But you can add some cheese on the top before baking. Vegans can use soy milk and tofu cubes instead of paneer (althought, I havent tried making the vegan version of this bake).

Meena microwaves the bake, which makes things very quick and easy. You can bake it as well, see instructions below. Remember, all the ingredients here already cooked – you only want to bake or microwave this dish just till the sauces bubble and the mushrooms cook.

Thanks meena, for your precious friendship, and for this delicious recipe that I know I will be making again and again.

There are multiple steps in this recipe, but dont let that put you off. Its well worth the effort. And you can make a big batch of this vegetable, paneer and pasta bake and freeze it.

Watch a step-by-step on how to make vegetable paneer and pasta bake

Vegetable Paneer and Pasta Bake Recipe

3 cups fresh spinach, tightly packed
3.5 oz white button mushrooms (about 15 medium sized mushrooms)

Method
Cube the paneer and set aside.

Wash the spinach, and chop it. Place the washed, chopped spinach on a small wok. Cover it with a lid. Heat the wok on low heat, just untill the spinach wilts. Then remove from heat and sprinkle a little salt. Set aside.

Wipe the mushrooms clean with a paper towel. If the mushrooms have too much dirt, wash them in water, and drain well.

If the mushrooms are large, cut them in 4, if they are small, cut them in half. Set aside.

Ingredients for the pasta
1 1/2 cups cooked pasta*, such as elbow macaroni, shells, fusili, or penne
*Make sure the pasta is cooked al dente – it should not be over cooked or mushy.

Ingredients for the tomato sauce
4 small tomatoes
1 small onion (1/4th cup when chopped)
4 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Salt & cracked pepper

Method
Core the tomato, chop it roughly and puree it in a blender.

Peel and chop the onion and garlic finely.

Heat olive oil in a small skillet. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat till the onion gets translucent, about 2 minutes.

Add the pureed tomatoes and 1/4 cup water to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Now add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Let the sauce gently boil, till it thickens a little, about 3 minutes.

Ingredients for the white sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour (maida) or wheat flour
1 cup room temperature or cold milk, preferably whole milk
1/4 teaspoon or to taste, dried Italian seasoning
Salt and cracked pepper

Method
Place the oil or butter in a non stick sauce pan (without heat). Sprinkle the flour over the oil or melted butter. Using a whisk, stir the flour into the oil or butter to incorporate. Place the pan on a stove over low heat. Immediately, pour in milk. Whisk again till the flour dissolves.

Increase heat to medium. Cook the sauce, whisking constantly, till the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Now add Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Turn off heat.

To assemble and cook the vegetable paneer and pasta bake

Take a medium baking dish, about 8 inches in diameter. Line the bottom with the paneer cubes. Layer the wilted spinach on top of the paneer. Pour the tomato sauce all over. Next, pour the white sauce. Arrange the mushrooms and pasta on top of the white sauce.

Optional step: sprinkle 1/2 cup grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese on top. Meena didnt use cheese in this recipe.

Place the bake in a 400 f oven and bake for 15 minutes or till the sauce is bubbling. If you are baking this in the oven without cheese, you need to pour the white sauce on top of the pasta, so that the pasta doesnt dry out in the oven.

Alternatively, microwave the bake on full power for 5-8 minutes or till the sauce bubbles. Microwave ovens vary.

Serve warm with a green salad.

For many years, I have visited the Rasa Malaysia blog and drooled at the recipes and admired Bee’s photograpic talent. I was thrilled to bits when Bee invited me to guest blog for her! We picked a restaurant style vegetarian mushroom tikka masala for my guest post on Rasa Malaysia.

This mushroom tikka masala recipe is easy to make and is rich with flavors of Indian spices. Read my post over at Rasa Malaysia for this mushroom tikka masala recipe and for a great tip on how to make it taste like a restaurant’s.

After youve read my guest post, make sure you hop over to Amazon and pre-order Bee’s soon-to-be-published cookbook “Easy Chinese Recipes: Family Favorites from Dim Sum to Kung Pao”. I cant wait to get my hands on a copy!

This is an easy, vegan thanksgiving main dish. The baked tofu is flavorful and chewy. And the vegan mushroom gravy has great meatiness, making this a very satisfying dish overall. Serve this thanksgiving entrée with some stuffing, and few vegetable side dishes.

I like to insert a few thin slices of garlic into the tofu before baking. I enjoy the little bits of garlic in the tofu. You could do this with carrots or celery as well, or just leave this step out.

I love chanterelle mushrooms and always use them in gravy. They have a nice meaty texture, and chicken like flavor. You could use a mix of whatever mushrooms you like. I’ve used buttom mushrooms, criminis, shiitakes and chanterelles.

The mushroom gravy with thyme and sage goes really well with the chewy baked tofu. You could easily make the gravy the previous day and re-heat it in the microwave. You could also marinate the tofu the previous day (flavor will be stronger), and throw it in the oven about an hour before you eat.

Some great baked tofu recipes..

Baked tofu recipe on Fat free vegan
Baked tofu recipe on the kitchn
Kalyn’s baked tofu recipe with soy and sesame
Simple baked tofu recipe on Vegweb
Smokey miso baked tofu recipe on vegan yumyum

Some great mushroom gravy recipes..

Mushroom gravy recipe on Epicurious

Martha Stewart’s vegetarian mushroom gravy recipe
Home brew chef’s wild mushroom gravy recipe using beer
Vegan mushroom gravy recipe on what do I know blog

Baked tofu steaks and Mushroom gravy recipe

serves about 2

One 14 oz block extra firm tofu, drained
1 tiny garlic clove, peeled

For the marinade
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
A pinch of dried Italian seasoning or poultry seasoning, optional
Cracked black pepper

Cut the tofu vertically in half. Then cut each half widthwise into two pieces. You will have 4 tofu pieces. Using a kitchen towel, pat the tofu pieces to absorb as much moisture as you can.

Make 2 small slits on top of each tofu piece. Thinly slice the garlic clove into 8 slices. Insert one slice of garlic into each slit on the tofu. Skip this step if you don’t like garlic.

Whisk together all marinade ingredients and pour into a dish. Place the tofu slices in the dish with the marinade. Carefully flip the tofu pieces so they are covered all over by the marinade. Let the tofu marinade for about 15 minutes.

Pre heat oven to 350f

Remove the tofu pieces from the marinade and place on a non-stick baking dish. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, flipping the tofu pieces every 20 minutes. Cooking times will vary depending on your oven and thickness of tofu slices.

Tofu is done when it is firm and browned all over.

Mushroom gravy with thyme and sage

makes about 3 cups

12oz  fresh mushrooms (a mix of white, crimini, shiitake, chanterelle etc)
2 tablespoons olive oil, butter or margarine
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
3 large sage leaves, chopped
3 splashes sherry or red wine

For gravy
½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 cups vegetable stock or water (I used water)
2 tablespoons flour
Salt & pepper

Clean the mushrooms using a paper towel. Then slice them into even sized pieces. If using shiitakes, remember to remove and discard the stems.

Heat oil, butter or margarine in a large skillet. Add onions and cook on medium-low. When onions are soft, add garlic, thyme and sage. Stir for 30 seconds. Add chopped mushrooms. Increase heat to high and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the sherry or wine and continue cooking another minute or till the alcohol evaporates.

Whisk together all the gravy ingredients (balsamic vinegar through salt and pepper). Make sure there are no lumps. Pour this mixture over the mushrooms. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar if needed.

Ingudai tibs or Inguday tibs is an Ethiopian mushroom sauté that is simple to make but tastes wonderfully complex. Ingudai means mushroom and tibs means to saute.

Traditional tibs recipes use an Ethiopian spice blend called berbere. My berbere recipe is here.

If you can’t find Ethiopian berbere spice for this recipe you can make your own berbere. Or you could get away with substituting Berbere with Indian garam Masala and a little cayenne or paprika. Take a look at the spices in Ethiopian berbere powder and Indian garam Masala powder.

Ethiopian Berbere    Indian Garam Masala
Coriander                           Coriander
Cumin                                  Cumin
Cinnamon                          Cinnamon
Cloves                                 Cloves
Cardamom                        Cardamom
Pepper                                Peppercorns
Nutmeg                              Nutmeg
Fenugreek
Cayenne pepper or paprika
Ginger
Garlic

The spices are almost the same, expect for the added fenugreek, cayenne or paprika, ginger and garlic in berbere. If you used equal amounts of garam masala and cayenne or paprika, you will get pretty close to Berbere flavor ( not traditional, but still tasty).

This mushroom ingudai tibs recipe on mushroom info by Ethiopian restaurant chefs uses portobello mushrooms and sounds delicious.

Ethiopian Sautéed Mushrooms with Onions and Peppers or Ingudai Tibs Recipe

serves about 6 as a side dish

2 tablespoons clarified butter or olive oil
1 large green pepper, cut into strips
1 large red onion, cut into strips
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 lb button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

for the spice mix  (Awaze sauce)
2 teaspoons Ethiopian berbere (substitute with 1 teaspoon garam masala + 1 teaspoon paprika)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon white wine (substitute with lemon juice)

Heat butter or oil in your largest skillet. Add onions, peppers and tomato. Cook on medium high heat till the vegetables have softened a little, about 4 minutes. Then add mushrooms. Crank up heat to high. Mix all ingredients for spice mix and add to the mushrooms.  Sauté on high for about 3 minutes or till mushrooms are done. Add salt at the end. Garnish with cilantro or parsley. Serve with rice, bread or Ethiopian Injera.

I received the below facebook message one day from my friend, Aditya. Being the great mushroom aficionado that I am, how could I have posted all  but one portobello recipe on this site?!  Ive featured other mushrooms on Veggie Belly, like the shitake mushroom soup, morel mushrooms over polenta, beech mushroom flat bread, and my recent morel mushroom pasta with fiddleheads. But the mighty, meaty portobello has been in all but one recipe on veggie belly. I defenitely had to remedy that!

Aditya, this one is for you  ♥ 

These portobellos were larger than the palm of my hand! But they turned out to be the perfect size for these sandwiches/burgers; they shrunk just enough while cooking on the grill, to fit in the kaiser roll. Portobello or portabella mushrooms are delicious in burger style sandwiches because they are meaty in taste and texture. They are often called the ‘steak of all mushrooms’! They also take to grilling very well. I used beefsteak tomatoes in this sandwich, again, for their meaty texture. But any tomato will do.

Grilled Portobello Roasted Red Pepper and Mozzarella Sandwich/Burger Recipe

makes 4 sandwiches

4 large portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
salt & pepper
4 kaiser rolls or burger buns or 8 slices of any other loaf bread
2-4 tablespoons mayonnaise or my white bean asparagus hummus
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
4 slices beefsteak tomato
4 slices fresh mozzarella (or whatever cheese you like)
4 large pieces of store bought, jarred roasted red pepper
1 cup salad leaves or lettuce of your choice

Heat an outdoor grill to 400f.

Wipe the mushrooms clean. Using a spoon, scrape off the gills from the mushrooms. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Brush the olive oil and vinegar mixture all over the mushrooms.

Place the mushroom caps on the grill and grill about 2-3 minutes on one side. Flip the mushroom caps, and grill another 2-3 minutes. (If you like your cheese melted, place cheese slices on portobello caps (gill side) after you have flipped them). Remove grilled mushrooms to a plate, and cover to keep warm. If you are not using an outdoor grill, broil the mushrooms in the oven; about 3-4 minutes (or till browned a little) per side.

Cut the bread roll in half. Spread some mayonnaise or my white bean asparagus hummus  on both halves. Sprinkle some basil on top. On the bottom half of the bread roll, arrange the grilled portobello mushroom, tomato slice, mozzarella slice, and roasted red pepper. Top with lettuce or salad greens. Place the other bread slice on top. Secure sandwich with a toothpick. Serve with a side of soup or salad and fries or chips.

Fiddleheads are young, coiled fronds of the Ostrich Fern. They appear during a short window in the spring and are usually foraged. They have a very mild flavor and a pleasant crunch. To me, they taste somewhat like broccoli stems. Fiddleheads taste great with morel mushrooms. Both fiddleheads and morels come into season at the same time; so it makes sense to use them together. The bright delicate flavor of fiddleheads paired with the earthiness of morels is just exquisite.

Fiddleheads remind me of the beauty of natures creations. These are bright green coils of fern with the delicate flavors of spring tucked into their gorgeous spirals. Dont add too many herbs or spices to fiddlehead dishes; just let their flavor shine through.

How to cook and store fiddleheads

- Remove any brown stuff and dirt on the fiddleheads. Trim the ends

- Wash them throughly in cold water

- Fiddle heads taste best when blanched in salted waterfor 2-4 minutes or until they are tender but crisp. Use blanched fiddleheads in pasta or lightly saute them in butter

- Instead of boiling, fiddleheads can also be steamed till they are crisp-tender

- Blanched/steamed fiddleheads can be patted dry and frozen

- Don’t eat fiddleheads raw, they can make you sick!

- Consume fiddleheads immediately after your purchase or foraging trip. They don’t keep very well

- If you must store fiddleheads, wrap them loosely in a plastic bag and refrigerate them. Use within one day

Fiddlehead Fern and Morel Mushroom Pasta Recipe

serves about 3-4

1/2 oz dried morel mushrooms
3 oz fiddlehead ferns (about 18-20 pieces), washed well
1/2 pound pasta
3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 sprigs of thyme
1/4 cup heavy cream (recommended) or milk
salt and pepper

Boil water in a small pot, add dried morel mushrooms to boiling water. Immediately turn off heat. Cover and let the mushrooms soak for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, drain and squeeze excess liquid from the mushroom. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the mushroom soaking liquid.

In another pot, boil more water, add fiddlehead ferns and boil for about 2 minutes. Then remove from water and submerge in a bowl with cold water and ice cubes. This will stop the cooking process and keep the fiddleheads crisp and green.

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water till pasta is al-dente. Don’t overcook pasta.

While pasta is cooking, heat a skillet and add butter or olive oil. Add chopped garlic, thyme, and drained morel mushrooms. Cook till morels are soft. Add drained fiddleheads, cream, and 2 tablespoons of mushroom soaking liquid. Cook on low heat for about 1 minute. Add salt and pepper. For a thinner sauce, add more mushroom soaking liquid. Add the boiled pasta and toss.

I don’t know what I’d do without an Asian store near me. The one I go to is huge, cheap and stocked with every ingredient you’d need to make any Asian meal imaginable. One of my favorite things at the Asian store is tofu or soy puffs – little cubes of golden fried tofu. When you add tofu/soy puffs to curries, they absorb all the flavor and become incredibly flavorful. If you cant find tofu puffs, oven bake or deep fry some firm tofu and use in this recipe.

I learned how to make fresh green curry paste when I was in Thailand (more about that in future posts!), but I think store bought green curry paste is good enough when you are in a hurry. No pounding lemon grass in a mortar and pestle here! Freshly made curry paste ofcourse is much tastier, but if you are in a rush, canned paste is just fine.

 The Maesri brand green curry paste I use contains:

green chili
shallots
ginger, garlic
lemon grass
kaffir lime
sugar
galangal
turmeric
coriander
cardamom
cumin

You simply add coconut milk to the paste, boil, then add vegetables, boil again and you are done!

I like to garnish my thai curries with lots of fresh thai basil. Cilantro or green onions will also make great garnishes.

Thai Green Curry (Gaeng Keow Wan) Recipe

serves about 4

1 can (4 tablespoons) green curry paste (you may need to use more or less depending on the brand)
1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
1/2 cup water
2 cups napa cabbage or chinese cabbage, shredded
1 medium red pepper, cut into thin strips
1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 cup fresh or canned straw mushrooms
1/2 cup canned baby corn
1 cup tofu puffs (or firm tofu cubes that have been deep fried)
1/4 – 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves, loosely packed.

Heat a large wok and place the green curry paste, coconut milk and water in it. Bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients, except Thai basil, and boil gently for about 4 minutes or till the cabbage has wilted and the vegetables are cooked but not mushy. Turn off heat. (If the green curry is too spicy for you, add more coconut milk). Sprinkle chopped Thai basil on top. Serve with jasmine rice.