Easy & Healthy Thai Red Curry Stew

This post was sponsored by Lightlife

I can’t believe it’s been more than a decade since I ventured on my very first backpacking trip through the beautiful country of Thailand. That trip was truly the birth of my love for travel and while I’ve never been back (my travels have since taken me through the United States, Central America, and many places in Europe) Thailand still one of my most cherished places in the world.

The trip was such a memorable and amazing experience filled with laughter, adventure, sun, sand, and the most delicious food. When I returned home I made a goal to learn how to make Thai curries in my own kitchen that tasted like the ones I enjoyed in Thailand. After more than 10 years of trying I can confidently say I’m finally there!

Thai red curry is one of my favourite dishes and I make it often during the winter as it’s such a comforting, warm and nourishing meal, and one that can be prepared ahead of time as a batch meal! Since I’ve been experimenting in the kitch with Lightlife’s plant-based products recently, I came up with the idea to use their tempeh in a delicious red Thai curry stew which I’m sharing with you today!

I have to admit, I’m pretty new to the tempeh world but I am super impressed with this plant-based product. What is tempeh exactly? Tempeh is bound together soybeans that have gone through a fermentation process over several days. The whole soy beans are still detectable giving the tempeh a beany texture and the flavour is nutty and earthy. Tempeh differs from tofu by the process in which it is made and the overall final taste and texture, although both are made from soybeans.

Lightlife has a variety of plant-based products (remember my plant-based recipe for healthy lasagna with cashew spinach ricotta??) and different types of tempeh so for this Thai red curry stew I went with the Original Organic Soy Tempeh as I love that it contains only three whole food ingredients; organic soybeans, water, and organic brown rice!

This delicious and filling Thai red curry stew is loaded with ingredients and flavours including lime, lemongrass, red chilies, sweet potato, chickpeas, onion, garlic, spinach, and peppers, so the tempeh blends in wonderfully and brings in a perfect hearty texture as a plant-based meat alternative with 16g of protein per 3 ounce serving!

Tempeh is also a source of fibre, iron, calcium, and magnesium which amps up the nutrition in my stew.

Over the last year I’ve noticed I lean more and more to plant-based main meals. While I tend to naturally choose plant-based snacks and desserts, I’ve always felt the need to include an animal-based product into my meals for sufficient protein, iron, and B12. But, since being introduced to Lightlife I’ve actually found I can make a lot of different entrees that are nutritionally balanced with a great amount of protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats while keeping them plant-based!

I still choose to eat both animal and plant-based products as part of my diet but it’s nice to be able to have so many amazing and healthy options and not feel stuck to any particular way of eating. I’m certain that tempeh will now become a new kitchen staple of mine and I’m excited to continue to experiment with this amazing ingredient and try out some of the seriously drool-worthy tempeh recipes on the Lightlife website!

With only a couple days to Christmas I am all for quick and easy recipes! This Thai red curry stew comes together in less than 30-minutes, can really be made with any veggies that need to be used up in the fridge, and will easily become a favourite, especially if you love Thai food as much as I do.

Have you tried tempeh before? What’s your favourite way to use it in a recipe? I’d love to read about it in the comments below! Before signing off I want to also wish you all a very, very joyful and Merry Christmas! I hope you have a chance to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of the online world and find space to connect with those around you in the coming days.

Stay safe and have a wonderful holiday!

5.0 from 2 reviews

Easy & Healthy Thai Red Curry Stew

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

30 mins

Author: Christal

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ tsp crushed garlic
¼ cup sliced onion
1 package ]Lightlife Original Organic Soy Tempeh (or 9 oz of protein of choice)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1¼ cup diced sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste*
1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar (or cane sugar)
½ tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
1 15 oz can full fat coconut milk
juice from ½ lime
½ cup vegetable broth
½ cup fresh or frozen pineapple, diced
1 cup chickpeas
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro to garnish
4 lime wedges to garnish

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pot at medium heat, add in garlic, onion, tempeh, and bell pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes until the tempeh begins to brown and the onion starts to go translucent.
Add in the diced sweet potato and sauté for 2 more minutes.
Add in the red curry paste, sugar, coconut milk, broth, and lime juice and stir to combine, then bring everything to a boil.
Once boiling add in the chickpeas and diced pineapple and reduce heat to low-medium.
Simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add in spinach and stir until spinach is wilted.
Divide curry stew between 4 bowls and serve curry on it’s own or over ½ cup of cooked rice.
Garnish each bowl with fresh roughly chopped cilantro leaves and a lime wedge.

Notes

*When choosing a store-bought Thai red curry paste be sure to check the ingredients label for "fish sauce" as this can sometimes be included in curry paste, if you don't need the dish to be vegetarian or vegan you can use any red curry paste you prefer!