The 30-Minute Vegan's Taste of the East: 150 Asian-Inspired Recipes--from Soba Noodles to Summer Rolls by Mark Reinfeld, Jennifer Murray Page A

chile’s level of spiciness. This will vary greatly from pepper to pepper and largely depend on the season as well as many other factors. The seeds inside the peppers are particularly hot and should always be removed unless you are looking for a fire-hot dish. If you aren’t sure how hot your pepper is, slice off a tiny strip at the end with no seeds on it and taste it. If jalapeño is the only green pepper you can buy, for example, you may only want to use one rather than the five to ten called for in the Green Curry recipe.

RED CURRY
    This beloved sister of green curry takes a bit less time to make because the curry paste ingredients are not roasted. What is the most fun here is that you can really start to get a sense of how the different chiles taste. Red curry is generally hotter than green curry, and the flavors are a little brighter. When we sit down at a Thai restaurant, our question is always the same: Red curry, or green? What are you in the mood for? As most things do, this dish goes great with Green Papaya Salad (page 53), Cucumber Salad (page 54), or Tempeh Lettuce Wraps (page 61).
    SERVES 6
     
    RED CURRY PASTE
5 to 10 red chiles, halved and seeded, to taste (see Note on page 69)
1½ stalks lemongrass, chopped in ½-inch pieces,
white part only (about 6 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons diced galangal or peeled fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic
4 kaffir lime leaves, or 2 teaspoons lime zest
1 teaspoon sea salt
     
    RED CURRY
2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk
6 to 8 cups assorted chopped vegetables
(eggplant, onions, carrots, zucchini, cabbage, green beans, bamboo shoots,
oyster mushrooms, baby corn, water chestnuts, etc.)
1 tablespoon soy sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, or to taste
1 teaspoon agave nectar, or to taste
    1. Place the chiles in a blender with the lemongrass, galangal, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, and salt. Blend on high speed for 20 to 30 seconds or until you have a thoroughly blended thick paste. You may need to add a bit of the coconut milk to the blender to get the ingredients moving and well blended. Start with ¼ cup and work your way up as needed.
    2. Transfer the paste to a large sauté pan or pot, add the coconut milk, and cook over medium-low heat while you add the vegetables. Start with the hardest veggies that will take the longest to cook.
    3. When all of the veggies are just soft, add the soy sauce and agave nectar and stir well. Cook for 2 more minutes. Serve immediately.

Variations
    • Protein lovers can follow the directions on page 227 for adding marinated, roasted tofu or tempeh to this dish.
    • Add a bit of green to your red with 2 tablespoons of thinly sliced Thai basil (add just before removing the curry from the heat).
    Chefs’ Tips and Tricks
    Though some recipes offer several suggestions of foods you can use as “assorted vegetables,” the fewer you choose, the less time the dish will take you to prepare. Choosing two or three veggies is a good start. As your speed and skills develop, adding more variety and special ingredients becomes easier, faster, and more gratifying.

LOVING JUNGLE PRINCESS
    We always feel a little funny about ordering a dish called Evil Jungle Prince. It just sounds so . . . severe. Why is he evil? Was he banished to the jungle? At our restaurant, the Blossoming Lotus, we would call this dish Curry by Murray in a Hurry. The Loving Jungle Princess is the gentle speed-dial version of the other more elaborate curries. Serve with brown rice, Green Papaya Salad (page 53), and Black Rice Pudding (page 81) for a Thai feast.
    SERVES 6
     
    CURRY PASTE
4 red chiles, halved and seeded, to taste
(see Note on page 69)
1 stalk lemongrass, cut in ½-inch pieces,
white part only (2 tablespoons chopped)
4 kaffir lime leaves or
2 teaspoons lime zest
3 cloves garlic
¾ teaspoon sea salt
    CURRY
2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk
6 cups chopped mixed vegetables
(carrots, zucchini, green beans,
onions, eggplant, bamboo shoots,
oyster mushrooms, baby corn, water
chestnuts, bean