Thai Coconut Curry

1 ¼ cups rice

1 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil

Pinch of salt, more to taste

1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger (about 1-inch nub of ginger)

2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin 2-inch long strips

1 yellow, orange, or green bell pepper, sliced into thin 2-inch long strips

3 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal into ¼-inch thick rounds (about 1 cup)

2 tbsp Thai red curry paste

1 can (14 ounces) regular coconut milk

½ cup water

1 ½ cups packed thinly sliced kale (tough ribs removed first), preferably the Tuscan/lacinato/dinosaur variety

1 ½ tsp coconut sugar or turbinado sugar or brown sugar

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp rice vinegar or fresh lime juice

Handful of chopped fresh basil or cilantro, optional red pepper flakes, optional sriracha or chili garlic sauce

To cook the rice, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rinsed rice and continue boiling for 30 minutes, reducing heat as necessary to prevent overflow. Remove from heat, drain the rice and return the rice to pot. Cover and let the rice rest for 10 minutes or longer, until you’re ready to serve. Just before serving, season the rice to taste with salt and fluff it with a fork.

To make the curry, warm a large skillet with deep sides over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the oil. Add the onion and a sprinkle of salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, while stirring continuously.

Add the bell peppers and carrots. Cook until the bell peppers are fork-tender, 3 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the curry paste and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, water, kale, and sugar, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the peppers, carrots, and kale have softened to your liking, about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the pot from the heat and season with tamari and rice vinegar. Add salt (I added ¼ teaspoon for optimal flavor), to taste. If the curry needs a little more punch, add ½ teaspoon more tamari, or for more acidity, add ½ teaspoon more rice vinegar. Divide rice and curry into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, if you’d like. If you love spicy curries, serve with sriracha or chili garlic sauce on the side.

Notes on coconut milk and tofu: For a rich and creamy curry, use regular (not light/reduced fat) coconut milk that contains guar gum. The favorite brand mentioned is Native Forest Classic. Varieties without guar gum aren’t as creamy, even though their fat content is the same. If you want to add tofu, it's suggested to bake it first and add it with the coconut milk in step 4. Adding raw tofu will soak up too much of the liquid, and baking it greatly improves the texture.

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Thai Coconut Curry