Thai Red Coconut Curry

It's hard for me to choose my favorite aspect of this recipe as it is quick to make and accommodates many seasonal vegetables that you enjoy or have on hand. The amounts of seasonings I've listed make a medium spicy curry but can be adapted to suit your own personal taste preferences. If you use different vegetables add them based on length of time needed to cook and use the separation of sweet potatoes and bell pepper as your guide. Here are a few other curry addition suggestions- shrimp, bok choy, carrots, mushrooms, thai eggplant, etc.

Thai Red Coconut Curry

1 lemongrass stalk-  remove ends and roughly cut into 1 inch pieces (do not eat!)
1-2 tablespoons red curry paste (I use Mae Ploy Curry Paste)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 can coconut milk
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
2 garlic cloves- pressed or minced
2 inches of ginger- peeled and finely grated (~2 tablespoons)
2 sweet potatoes- peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 package extra firm tofu- cut into ~1/2 inch cubes
2-3 bell peppers- diced into 1 inch cubes
1 bunch of asparagus- ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch stalks
1 bunch of thai basil- 1+ cup of leaves

Place coconut milk, stock, lemongrass, curry paste, brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic, and ginger in a large saucepan and whisk until it is well combined. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and add the sweet potatoes. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Once the sweet potatoes are fork tender, add the tofu, bell peppers, and asparagus and simmer. Gently stir occassionally until the vegetables are tender but still slightly crisp, about 5 minutes. Taste curry sauce and adjust flavors as necessary. Remove from heat and add the thai basil leaves. Serve over rice.