Creamy rice, cooked with coconut milk, peanut butter, and Thai flavors for a satisfying, comforting, easy meal!
Rice is one of my favorite comfort foods, and I absolutely love Thai curry, so today I bring to you Creamy Thai Peanut Curry Rice, a one-pot wonder when it comes to easy, hands off cooking! Along with being easy, this recipe is gluten free (using gluten free tamari) and vegan, as an added bonus, yet it's equally crave-worthy for carnivores!
Rice and I have a bit of a history. When my jaw first locked, and I was forced to live on a soft diet, I lived on brown rice…like every day, no joke. I couldn’t figure out what else to eat. Long gone are those days; I have so many ideas that I almost can’t wait to experiment in the kitchen every day! Now, though, when I do eat rice, it’s usually not plain rice. It’s something a bit more jazzed up. Like this recipe! Something that takes it from a component of a meal to a whole meal in itself. Something with layers of added flavors and cooked with extra ingredients.
Speaking of which: let’s talk ingredients! There are only a handful, and most are pantry staples. I call for brown rice because I find its higher fiber content more satiating, and because it’s less processed, it preserves more of the nutrients of the grain, such as the magnesium, zinc, and iron content. But you could certainly use white rice, instead. White rice would also significantly reduce the cooking time, so if you’re in a hurry, white rice would make this a 20-30 minute meal! Between the rice and the peanut butter, there’s a decent amount of protein, but I typically add another source on top, such as edamame, tofu, or a fried egg. If you eat meat, grilled or sauteed chicken would go well with this dish. The peanut butter along with the coconut milk have enough healthy fats to keep you full for a while, unlike many starchier dishes. Make sure to use a natural, runny peanut butter, which is essential to the texture and flavor of this recipe. If you have a peanut allergy, I would imagine almond butter would taste equally delicious even though the flavor would obviously be different.
The cooking process starts with toasted sesame oil and those ever reliable aromatics: fresh garlic and fresh ginger. The rest of the ingredients (soy sauce, rice vinegar, coconut milk, peanut butter, Thai red curry paste, vegetable broth, rice, and water) are then added. Everything simmers together. In the last few minutes, I add spinach, but that is optional. It could also be swapped out for kale or another green, such as arugula or chard. Spinach is my go to, but whatever green floats your boat. …or I guess if greens sink your boat, feel free to skip them! 🙂 And that’s it! This recipe is so easy but so flavorful, and other than the minimal prep, is hands-off, so you can go about your other to-do list items.
The cooked rice will last several days refrigerated in an air-tight container, so it’s ideal for meal prep or for having those creamy-dreamy leftovers.
CREAMY THAI PEANUT CURRY RICE (GF, V, SD)
Yield: approximately 2½ cups
What You'll Need:
½ tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
½ cup brown rice
1 tablespoon soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
½ cup full-fat coconut milk
½ cup vegetable broth
1 cup water
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes (omit if you don’t like spice)
2-3 cups spinach leaves or other preferred green, such as kale
Chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges, for serving (optional)
How To Make it
1. In a medium saucepan, warm the sesame oil over medium low heat. When the oil is glistening, add in the garlic and ginger, and stir to coat. Allow the aromatics to cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring once or twice to ensure they don’t burn.
2. Add in all the remaining ingredients, except for the spinach. Bring to a boil, and whisk a couple times to make sure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Cover the pot with a lid, and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 45-50 minutes, or until the rice is very tender, and most of the liquid is absorbed.
3. Stir in the greens, then simmer for an additional 5 minutes uncovered. If the liquid is already completely absorbed, simply stir and remove from the heat. At the end of the cooking process, the rice should be creamy and saucy but not liquidy. You can cook an extra few minutes, though, to your desired texture. If you don’t like extra sauce, you can reduce the amount of water used to ½ or ¾ cup.
4. Serve the creamy Thai peanut curry rice with chopped cilantro and lime wedges. Top with protein of choice.
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Abby
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