When I first made Thai Green Lentil Curry it reminded me a lot of my favorite dish, Panang Curry at True Foods Kitchen. Every time I go there, it is THE dish I must order on repeat! Poppa Tim is not a spicy kind of guy in the kitchen, elsewhere yes… winky…but in the kitchen he did not grow up, nor did I, with spicy hot foods. Thai cooking was not a part of our childhood. However, once I hit 40, things changed. I began to love the rush from the hot spices! And I learned why! There’s science and benefits from curry and the spices used in this cuisine.
In my pantry, this little jar of Mekhala’s Organic Green Curry Paste kept calling me, begging me to use it in some delicious dish. Full disclosure, I’ve always been curious about Thai food, but never cooked it. The girls discovered it way before me, and for my birthday last year, they hired a dear chef friend of theirs who cooked me an exquisite and most delicious Thai dinner! I was hooked! So that little jar staring back at me, was actually perfect. A little internal heat was sounding pretty darn good since its been one of the coldest and rainiest winters in California we can remember. A little spice to warm us up was actually sounding pretty perfect!
If you are plant based, you will love this tasty Thai Green Curry! All the veggies are really the stars. However, if you are or have an animal crustacean lover in the family, adding chicken, beef or shrimp is delish! The veggies and its yummy flavorful sauce go well with whatever you prefer to add in! Tim was happy with the addition of the chicken. ☺
Curry is so dang good for our bodies!
Spices like turmeric and curry blends are so good for our bodies because of their anti-inflammatory and powerful antioxidant properties. But what got me curious was, as I got older I started really enjoying spicier foods. My body was actually craving them. So, I wondered, was it a thing that our bodies can all of a sudden like spicy food? Yes, they can. Our bodies change as we age. We do develop cravings and they are another way our body speaks to us. It can be a sign that we have an imbalance or our body is deficient and needs something from the foods we crave.
Interestingly, when cravings or changes in our tastes for certain foods happen, it can be there is an imbalance somewhere in our bodies. Various hormones might also trigger specific food cravings. I started perimenopause after 40! I would say there were definitely hormones changing!
Eating spicy foods cause our pituitary gland and hypothalamus to release endorphins! Endorphins are our bodies happy chemical and are known to give us an instant feeling of pleasure from head to toe! So, cravings happen with any of our tastes, sweet, salty or spicy.
What I also loved in the Thai Curry dish is the ability to vary the veggies, leafy greens and proteins. I loved the addition of leafy greens. I used spinach, but if you prefer other greens, go for it! I would totally use beet greens, swiss chard, baby bok choy or baby kale. Any of these leafy greens would add a lovely sweetness. Other greens might be too bitter, like a mustard or fully matured curly kale.
I recently wrote a blog on Why Green Foods are so Darn Good for our bodies and how to incorporate more of them in our everyday diet, as well as how to help our kiddos to learn to love them too! It takes time for kids to like foods that they haven’t been introduced to before. As parents it helps kids learn a variety of foods, cultural foods, when given the opportunity to try them and not assume they won’t like them. Encouraging eating something new in a relaxing fun manner. The idea is to keep trying. Thai food is a fun way to introduce a new cuisine to your older kids. It can be made flavorful by adding in less curry paste and ginger. Having fun and making it enjoyable is key. I served it with short grain brown rice.
Another stew we make with less heat, is Meg’s Mushroom Kale Stew or my Chicken Stew.
We can’t wait for you to try our new recipe Thai Green Curry. Please comment below letting us know how it turned out, what you liked and what modifications you made.
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Thai Green Lentil Curry (Chicken and) Lentil Stew
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. virgin coconut oil
4–6 chicken thighs, bone in with skin
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1″ piece peeled ginger, finely chopped ( 1/2 tsp.-1 tsp.)
1 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
2 Tbsp-1/4 cup Organic Thai Green Curry Paste (add more for great heat. Do you ☺ )
1 medium sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2” cubes
3/4 cup French green lentils
2-cups Imagines’ No-Chicken vegetable broth (add 1–2 more cups for a soup)
Add 2–3 Kaffir lime leaves ( optional)
1–13.5-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk, shaken well
4 cups (loosely packed) baby spinach leaves, or other mild or sweet leafy greens
1/2 tsp. (or more) fish sauce
Garnish: Small handful cilantro leaves and lime wedges
Instructions
METHOD FOR COOKING THAI GREEN CURRY
- Heat oil on medium heat in a large saucepan. Add onions, garlic, and ginger. Lower heat. Add in sea salt. Simmer on low, stirring often, until onion start to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Add curry paste and cook, stirring bottom of pan. Paste will get slightly darker and stick to pot, so keep stirring for a few minutes.
- Add in diced sweet potatoes and green lentils. Stir.
- Add in the vegetable broth, Kaffir lime leaves and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook soup, stirring occasionally, until sweet potatoes are lentils are soft and tender, not mushy. Simmer for about 20–25 minutes.
- Last stir in coconut milk and return to a simmer.
- Toss in baby spinach and fish sauce.
- Cook until spinach is just wilted, about 30 seconds. Keep greens vibrant green.
- Taste soup and adjust seasonings to your liking. Add more salt and/or fish sauce if needed.
- Ladle stew into bowls and garnish with fresh minced cilantro.
- Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
Variations:
- Swap Patagonia red shrimp for chicken.
- Omit chicken and let veggies stand alone. Add King oysters sliced in rounds. Sear them first and they take on a scallop consistency.
- Use 4 cups of the veggie broth and it becomes a soup instead of a stew! Add in Pad Thai noodles or short grain brown rice for a heartier soup.
- Swap spinach for chard, bok choy, baby kale or beet green leaves.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
We hope you enjoy this recipe. If you made this dish, added variations, please comment below.
