Bowls, main dish, Stir Fry

The Easiest Curry

Posted by Good Food Vegan on
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I always thought curry was a spice that was made of one thing…the curry plant or something. Many years after I first heard of curry, I learned that curry powder is a spice blend.

With my limited knowledge of curry, I’m not sure if the blend for this recipe is typical, but I found it simple to make and with a nice taste.

This is the easiest curry because you only have to cook rice and vegetables, then just add the sauce ingredients and seasonings directly to your bowl. It makes the dish quick, simple, and customizable.

Instructions for Individual Curry Bowls

  • Cook rice in rice cooker.
  • Cook mixed vegetables. The fastest option is to microwave some frozen vegetables or reheat leftover stir fry vegetables. Or you can steam, stir fry, or bake vegetables in the oven to make them fresh. Baking in the oven is a quick hands-off way to make vegetables.
  • Scoop rice (1 cup) and vegetables (1 cup) into large serving bowls – one bowl per person. Add the following ingredients to each bowl, stir and serve:
  • Coconut milk (1/3 cup)
  • Soy sauce (2 tsp)
  • Lime juice (1 tsp)
  • Turmeric (1/2 tsp)
  • Coriander (1/2 tsp)
  • Allspice (1/2 tsp)
  • Cumin (1/4 tsp)

Adjust the spices to taste.

Instructions for 4 Servings

To quickly make several dishes of the easiest curry, you can mix the coconut milk and spices in a bowl or blender (on low speed for 5 seconds) and then pour the sauce mixture over the hot vegetables. Follow the instructions in the recipe below for 4 servings (or just follow the steps above if you would like to make individual servings).

Rice

  • Option 1: Use a rice cooker for parboiled rice, basmati rice, or brown rice. Add 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of water to a rice cooker and start the  rice cooker. It will take about 20 minutes for the rice to cook. Parboiled rice is a robust rice with a nice texture, and it works well in this recipe.
  • Option 2: Cook jasmine rice on the stove top. Put the rice in a fine strainer and rinse the rice under cool water until the water comes through clear instead of cloudy. Add the rice to boiling water in a pot on the stove (4 cups of water to 2 cups of rice). Boil for 13 minutes. Drain away excess water by pouring the rice and water into a fine strainer. Put the rice back in the cooking pot and cover it with a lid. Let sit for 5 minutes, and then the rice is ready.

Vegetables

  • Option 1: Microwave frozen or leftover vegetables. Put vegetables in a microwave-safe bowl (a large glass bowl works well). Microwave on high heat for 3 minutes. Stir the vegetables and see how hot they are. If they are still frozen, microwave for 3 more minutes and check again. Add time as needed until vegetables are hot.
  • Option 2: Cook fresh vegetables in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (convection oven) or 375 degrees (non-convection oven). While the oven is heating up, wash and cut the vegetables into bite size pieces. You can bake the vegetables directly, or add a bit of olive oil first. To add olive oil, put the chopped vegetables in a large bowl, pour 1 tsp of olive oil over them, and stir thoroughly until all the vegetables are coated.
     

    Once the oven is hot, spread the vegetables out in an even layer on the baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the oven, and cook the vegetables for 15 minutes.

  • Option 3: Stir fry vegetables. Heat a frying pan on medium-high heat with 1 tsp of olive oil or coconut oil. When the pan is hot (after about 4 minutes or when the oil starts to smoke a bit), add the fresh or frozen vegetables to the pan. Stir the vegetables continually (every 10 seconds or so) to keep them moving so they cook evenly. It will take about 5 – 8 minutes for the vegetables to cook. They should be a bit crisp but starting to soften (tender-crisp), but you can cook them more if you prefer softer vegetables. Turn the heat off but keep the pan on the burner when finished.

Sauce

  • Option 1: Big bowl of vegetables and sauce. If vegetables were microwaved or cooked in the oven, get a large bowl (big enough to hold all the vegetables without filling more than 3/4 of the bowl). Add all the sauce ingredients to this large bowl and stir with a whisk or fork. Put all the cooked vegetables into the bowl and stir to coat them with sauce.
  • Option 2: Frying pan. Pour the coconut milk into the hot pan. Sprinkle all the spices over the vegetables and coconut milk. Stir to mix all the vegetables and sauce together.
  • Option 3: Separate sauce. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a blender jar, measuring cup, or small bowl. Stir with a fork or whisk, or blend for 5 seconds, to combine. Heat the sauce for 1 minute in the microwave  (optional).

Serve

  • When the rice is finished cooking and the vegetables are ready, serve by adding a cup of rice and a cup of vegetables to each individual bowl. If sauce was made separately, pour 1/3 cup of sauce over the rice and vegetables in each individual bowl.
You can choose from various options when making this dish. Pick the one that is easiest for you. Using a rice cooker and the oven or microwave provides the most hands-off time, but stir frying is quick, too.  This is the easiest curry!
 

the easiest currythe easiest curry

the easiest curry
Print Recipe

The Easiest Curry

If you are looking for a quick and simple dish without much fuss, this is the easiest curry. It is quick to make and can be prepared as individual dishes or one larger meal with multiple servings.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian, Thai
Keyword: coconut curry, curry, easy, quick, rice
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Rice

  • 2 cups Rice Parboiled rice works well.
  • 4 cups Water

Vegetables

  • 5 cups Frozen mixed vegetables
  • 5 cups Chopped fresh vegetables (broccoli, peppers, onions, carrots, snap peas, etc).

Sauce

  • 1 1/3 cup Coconut milk Make sure to use coconut milk, not coconut beverage.
  • 3 tbsp Soy sauce
  • 3 tsp Lime juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp Turmeric
  • 1 1/2 tsp Coriander
  • 1 1/2 tsp Allspice
  • 3/4 tsp Cumin

Instructions

Rice

  • Option 1: Use a rice cooker for parboiled rice, basmati rice, or brown rice. Add 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of water to a rice cooker and start the  rice cooker. It will take about 20 minutes for the rice to cook. Parboiled rice is a robust rice with a nice texture, and it works well in this recipe.
  • Option 2: Cook jasmine rice on the stove top. Put the rice in a fine strainer and rinse the rice under cool water until the water comes through clear instead of cloudy. Add the rice to boiling water in a pot on the stove (4 cups of water to 2 cups of rice). Boil for 13 minutes. Drain away excess water by pouring the rice and water into a fine strainer. Put the rice back in the cooking pot and cover it with a lid. Let sit for 5 minutes, and then the rice is ready.

Vegetables

  • Option 1: Microwave frozen or leftover vegetables. Put vegetables in a microwave-safe bowl (a large glass bowl works well). Microwave on high heat for 3 minutes. Stir the vegetables and see how hot they are. If they are still frozen, microwave for 3 more minutes and check again. Add time as needed until vegetables are hot.
  • Option 2: Cook fresh vegetables in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (convection oven) or 375 degrees (non-convection oven). While the oven is heating up, wash and cut the vegetables into bite size pieces. You can bake the vegetables directly, or add a bit of olive oil first. To add olive oil, put the chopped vegetables in a large bowl, pour 1 tsp of olive oil over them, and stir thoroughly until all the vegetables are coated. 
    Once the oven is hot, the vegetables can be placed on a baking sheet and cooked. A silicone baking sheet works well to keep the vegetables from sticking, but they can also be cooked directly on a metal or glass baking sheet. Spread the vegetables out in an even layer on the baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the oven, and cook the vegetables for 15 minutes.
  • Option 3: Stir fry vegetables. Heat a frying pan on medium-high heat with 1 tsp of olive oil or coconut oil. When the pan is hot (after about 4 minutes or when the oil starts to smoke a bit), add the fresh or frozen vegetables to the pan. Stir the vegetables continually (every 10 seconds or so) to keep them moving so they cook evenly. It will take about 5 – 8 minutes for the vegetables to cook. They should be a bit crisp but starting to soften (tender-crisp), but you can cook them more if you prefer softer vegetables. Turn the heat off but keep the pan on the burner when finished.

Sauce

  • Option 1: Big bowl of vegetables and sauce. If vegetables were microwaved or cooked in the oven, get a large bowl (big enough to hold all the vegetables without filling more than 3/4 of the bowl). Add all the sauce ingredients to this large bowl and stir with a whisk or fork. Put all the cooked vegetables into the bowl and stir to coat them with sauce.
  • Option 2: If vegetables were cooked in a frying pan, pour the coconut milk into the hot pan. Sprinkle all the spices over the vegetables and coconut milk. Stir to mix all the vegetables and sauce together.
  • Option 3: Separate sauce. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a blender jar, measuring cup, or small bowl. Stir with a fork or whisk, or blend for 5 seconds, to combine. Heat the sauce for 1 minute in the microwave  (optional).

Serve

  • When the rice is finished cooking and the vegetables are ready, serve by adding a cup of rice and a cup of vegetables to each individual bowl. If sauce was made separately, pour 1/3 cup of sauce over the rice and vegetables in each individual bowl.

Notes

There are various options to choose from when making this dish. Choose the one that is easiest for you. Using a rice cooker and the oven or microwave provides the most hands-off time, but stir frying is quick, too.