This fully vegan roasted red pepper curry recipe is the definition of comfort food. It makes you feel good with its comforting flavours and its abundance of nutrients.
This red pepper curry will have you feeling like you are wrapped in a blanket of comfort food. The warm curry flavour, the roasted red pepper, and the creamy coconut mixture sends your taste buds on a journey of comfort.
When searching for a roasted red pepper curry recipe that is vegan you may be highly out of luck, just as I was. So I made one up to share and indulge in for myself.
Roasted red peppers are a perfect alternative to diced tomatoes found in many curry recipes. My fiancé has a pickier palate than myself, so I usually base our meals off of what he likes and doesn’t like to eat.
Roasted red pepper offers a milder taste than diced tomatoes. Diced tomatoes can be more acidic, sweet, or overpowering depending on the recipe and other spices used.
I often find that when I make curry it ends up being bland, overpowered by the acidity of tomatoes, or it tastes more like a Moroccan style soup than comforting, warm, creamy, and spiced to perfection as a curry should be.
This recipe uses coconut milk to add the creaminess as well as the desired coconut flavour that blends beautifully with curry. This flavour is hard to get when making a curry with cream or yogurt, which makes this vegan option better than a traditional option.
Another reason why I may avoid tomatoes is because of the acidity associated with them. They have a way of throwing off my stomach when I eat too many of them too often which is sad because fresh tomatoes are the best.
Roasted red peppers offer their own flavour profile to a dish. Red peppers have a sweet smoky flavour, when roasted it is brought out and the flavour compliments the curry.
This recipe is packed with a wide variety and plentiful amounts of protein, good fats, vitamins, and minerals.
Now for the recipe I will break it down between sauce, roasted red pepper, veggies and chickpeas, and rice.
Curry powders vary in flavour vastly. You know your curry powder best, if it is a mild curry powder add a little cumin, cayenne, and/or black pepper to boost the flavour strength. If it is strong but not very spicy you may want to add some cayenne for some added warmth.
This rice recipe for brown rice yields perfectly fluffy non mushy rice every single time and I am amazed at how simple it is! 1 cup of rice yields about 3 cups cooked.
The whole of this recipe should take approximately an hour and a half from start to finish. With a yield of 3 servings or portions total depending on rice to sauce ratio per serving.
Ingredients;
For the sauce;
2 Roasted red peppers
1 can of unsweetened coconut milk
2 tbsp. Curry powder
1 tbsp. Ginger powder
¼ cup Lemon juice
1 tbsp. lemon zest
1 tbsp. dried cilantro/coriander leaves
For the fillings;
1 can of chickpeas
1 can of white beans (any kind)
4 or 5 handfuls of chopped spinach or kale
1 large white onion
4 cloves of garlic finely diced
Directions;
1. First, roast and prepare the red peppers. ** see notes.
Turn on the bbq to medium heat on one or two burners depending on the bbq.
Once preheated, place the peppers on the heat.
Rotate the peppers on all sides every 3 to 5 minutes until all sides including top and bottom are gently burnt and the peppers feel cooked.
Place the peppers in a paper bag or heat safe container and keep closed for approximately 20 minutes until cool enough to handle.
Cut the pepper in half, pull out the seeds and cut out any white bits.
Flip the pepper half over and the skin should easily peel off, remove all of the skin (it is bitter and has undesirable texture).
Add the slices to the blender.
2. Add all ingredients for the sauce into the blender, to get the last bits of coconut milk from the can add a tbsp. of warm water and swish around, adding this as well to the blender.
3. Blend all ingredients and taste, add salt, pepper, and more curry powder at your discretion.
4. Next, begin the rice.
Add approximately 6 cups of water to a medium pot and bring to a boil.
Measure 1 cup of brown rice, pour into a fine mesh strainer, and rinse off extra starch.
Once the water is boiling, add the rice and gently stir.
Cover the rice and leave simmering on low for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, drain the rice in a fine mesh strainer.
Leave in pot to steam with burner off for 5-10 minutes and fluff with fork.
5. While the rice is cooking, it is time to prep and sauté garlic, onions, kale in a pan.
6. Drain and rinse beans, add them to the pan of sautéed veggies, sauté another 5 minutes or until well mixed and warm.
7. Add the prepared sauce to the veggies and beans pan and bring to a gentle simmer.
8. When the sauce simmers and rice has steamed for at least 5 minutes everything is ready.
9. Optional to serve with a handful of fresh cilantro, pine nuts, and/or lemon juice.
** Notes:
If a BBQ is not available it is possible to roast the red peppers in the oven using the following method...
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds so that less flipping is required and less heat is released from the oven.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place red pepper halves about an inch apart on the prepared pan and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
Bake for 25-30 minutes depending on how dark you would like them and to account for any oven variances.
Flip the peppers halfway through the 25-30 minute period.
When done, follow the rest of the steps by putting the halves in a paper bag or container and allowing to cool before removing the skins and adding to the blender.
There you have it, the best roasted red pepper curry recipe that will impress everyone.
I hope to add this to my recipe books or cooking guides when I am building those.
Please subscribe and comment if you made the recipe. Also, feel free to reach out for any clarification or questions, I am more than happy to answer.
Have a happy, healthy, wealthy day!
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