Thai coconut curry and pea pasta
Welcome to To Vegetables, With Love, a celebration of a vegetable life, less ordinary. ‘ Find archived recipes on my recipe index.
My book Tenderheart is available from Books are Magic, Kitchen, Arts and Letters, Book Larder, Bold Fork Books and also here or here.
Lately I’ve been learning about letting go. And it is a lesson that doesn’t come easy.
Letting go is one of the ways I’ve coped with the recent changes in my life. Child leaving home, other children growing up, a far-away mother getting older. Life choices weigh heavily on me sometimes. I wonder how we could have done things differently. I want to control both the past, the present and the future. It frustrates me that I can’t.
The other morning, I woke up feeling uninspired to cook. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. I felt creatively spent, mentally weary. Acutely aware that I needed to create a recipe for this newsletter, I sat at my computer, now temporarily situated in my daughter’s room, took a deep breath and uttered to myself let go.
I went to the supermarket, my happy place. Instantly calmer, I started filling my basket with the ingredients I felt I needed. A plump branch of ginger, a fat stalk of lemongrass, a bag of frozen peas, coconut milk, red curry paste, a frilly bunch of coriander (cilantro). When I got home, I spied the heap of high fiber spaghetti that 3 Farm Daughters had sent me and just like that, the idea for this dish came together. I let go, and cooked exactly what I wanted to eat. I gave myself the license to create freely.
If I thought about this recipe too much, I may not have created it. In theory, it doesn’t really make sense - Thai coconut curry, but it is served with spaghetti, and finished with cheese and coriander (cilantro) - but the proof is in the eating. Let yourself go and enjoy this dish.
COOK / EAT / SHARE
In honor of their 10th anniversary, NYT Cooking shared 50 of the best recipes they have ever published and my beloved tomato dumpling salad made the list. Check out the list - all the recipes are not paywalled (for now).
This is the one time of year when I feel like the climate is fairly similar in both Australia and New York? Some cool days, others sweaty hot. What do we eat when we are feeling all the feels? Here are some suggestions:
I made Singapore noodles tonight, so should you.
My go-to when I want healthy yet still interesting is gado-gado. I can drink peanut sauce, I love it so much. For those of you who have Tenderheart, there is a gado-gado esque dish in the cauliflower chapter which an even quicker peanut sauce.
Gnocchi is on my mind lately. Such an easy weeknight ingredient. Try this crispy gnocchi with spinach and feta which packs in the greens.
Don’t forget store-bought pierogies. I made this Sheet-Pan Pierogies With Brussels Sprouts and Kimchi again this week and it’s like hanging with an old friend. So much flavour, so little effort. If you can’t get brussels, sub with broccoli or carrots
Reminder to make this vegetarian muffuletta. I want to eat this every day.
EVENT: PHILLY!
Join me in Philadelphia this October for a beautiful TENDERHEART-inspired dinner developed by Chef Tyler Atkins at the beautiful new Bastia in Fishtown. This event is part of the annual Cookbooks and Convos, a celebration of chefs, authors and the Philadelphia Food Community. Reserve your seats here.
🥦 My cookbook, Tenderheart is for cooking vegetables, all year round. Pick up your copy here. It is also mostly vegan (or vegan-izable) and gluten-free adaptable.
THIS WEEK’S RECIPE
Thai coconut curry and pea pasta
© Hetty Lui McKinnon for To Vegetables, With Love
This recipe is a hybrid - Thai curry meets Italian style pasta. It sounds unhinged, but it really works. You could use rice or ramen noodles of course, but where is the fun in that?
Store bought Thai curry pastes vary in spice and saltiness so use accordingly. The first time I made this, I used a whole can of Maesri red curry paste and it was way too hot. I always have to learn the hard way. And a reminder, some curry pastes contain belacan (shrimp paste) or other seafood enhancers, so make sure you check the ingredients. I begin the dish with more aromatics - ginger, garlic and lemongrass - to bolster the flavours, but feel free to skip if you’re crunched for time.
Most store bought pastes, which are basically concentrated spices and aromatics, benefit from being cooked for a few minutes - this allows the water to cook out and concentrates the flavours even further.
To double down on the ‘fusion’ feel of this dish, I’ve finished it with coriander (cilantro) and parmesan cheese (though I used a vegan parmesan). I’m committed to this dish, I hope you do too.
Serves 4
450g (1 pound) spaghetti, or other long pasta
extra virgin olive oil
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 stalk lemongrass, white part finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium (200g / 7 ounces) tomato, roughly chopped
sea salt and black pepper
2-3 tablespoons red curry paste
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 can (400ml / 13.5 ounces) coconut milk
1 cup (250ml) vegetable stock
375g (3 cups) peas, thawed from frozen
Finely grated vegan or dairy Parmesan cheese, for serving
Handful coriander leaves, for serving
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions, until al dente. Drain and keep 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
Meanwhile, place a large, wide Dutch oven or pot on medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with the ginger, lemongrass, and garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the tomato, and season with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and black pepper and stir until the tomato is soft, about 2-3 minutes.
Next, add the curry paste and the sugar and cook until the tomatoes have fallen apart and the paste turns darker and starts sticking to the pot, 2 - 3 minutes. Add the coconut milk and vegetable stock stir to combine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld.
Add the peas and cook just until they are warmed through, about 1 minute.
Add the pasta and toss to coat, adding some pasta cooking water if the mixture seems dry.
To serve, drizzle with olive oil, top with grated Parmesan and coriander leaves.
Io Vegetables, With Love is my love letter to vegetables and it is a joy to bring you a new recipe every week. Thank you to everyone who subscribes, especially to paid subscribers who make this work possible.
Thank you for sharing your shopping trip, recipe and NYT recipes also. How wonderful that you were on the list of top choices, and no wonder!
I made your tomato dumpling salad several times this summer. Last time was the best. I cut the corn kernels off of two ears and sautéed them. I added them to the salad. So delicious.