Coconut milk and green curry paste are all you need to take a mashup of leftovers and turn them into a tasty bowl of green curry fried rice! We love making our sauces from scratch but green curry paste is one of the few pastes that we keep on hand as part of our pantry staples. We are lucky enough to have a fantastic Thai restaurant nearby called, Mugi, that sells their homemade pastes. Make sure to give Mugi a visit if you're in Toronto! If not, find a curry paste that you love and have it on hand for this quick weeknight meal! It's:
Rich, creamy, & spicy
Bursting with flavour
Ready in 25 minutes
A fantastic way to use up leftover cooked rice
And easy to customize with your favourite ingredients
Ingredients For Green Curry Fried Rice
Although this recipe is incredibly tasty as written, you know I love encouraging you to use up whatever ingredients you have on hand! This is a recipe that we frequently adapt by tossing in whatever veggies are in our fridge!
The basics are:
- Rice (although you can absolutely make this with noodles or another grain!)
- Coconut Milk (full fat canned coconut milk will provide the richest flavour but feel free to use lite!)
- And green curry paste
Hot Thai Kitchen has a lovely authentic recipe you can take a look at! For ours, we add in:
- Bamboo Shoots (a great pantry staple for Asian inspired dishes)
- Red Bell Pepper
- Spinach
- And Extra Firm Tofu!
We add in some tamari or soy sauce, a touch of sugar, a pinch of nutritional yeast, and a dash of lemon juice to round out the flavours!
How Timely Is This Green Curry Fried Rice Recipe
Well, if you're using up your leftovers and already have some rice cooked then this recipe can be ready for you in minutes! I don't always abide by this; but I try and remember to always cook extra when I'm cooking a grain. Rice keeps well in the fridge for a couple days or in the freezer for longer storage and can be pulled out and reimagined into all kinds of tasty recipes.
If you are making rice from scratch; white rice takes only 15 minutes or so to cook but brown or wild rice will take closer to 45 minutes. I love using brown rice for the bit of added nutrition but you can absolutely make this recipe with whatever rice you have on hand!
Regardless of the variety of rice used... you can take that time to chop your veggies, get your tofu nice and crispy, and get your sauce ready.
- Simply combine the green curry paste and the coconut milk in a skillet over medium heat,
- Add in the remaining sauce ingredients,
- Then toss in the veggies you're using,
- And let those cook just 4 minutes or so until softened.
- Then it's time to add in your cooked rice and stir it all together!
- Top with tofu or stir the tofu in,
- And enjoy!
Recipe Cost
This recipe makes 4 servings and costs us approximately: CAD $11.91 or $2.98/serving using a wild & brown rice mix.
The 300 g of tofu costs us $2.33 vs. approximately $3.90 - $5.62 for 300 g chicken breast (the lower price range being a wholesale price).
Let me know in the comments below if curry paste is something that you keep on hand for flavourful but simple weeknight meals. And make sure to tell me how you customize this one to include your favourite ingredients!
If you like this recipe, make sure to try our Fall Thai Green Curry inspired by our favourite dish from Mugi Toronto!
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Green Curry Fried Rice For A Quick Weeknight
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A quick weeknight meal bursting with flavour! Ready in 25 min; this green curry fried rice is rich, spicy, & a great way to use up leftovers!
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked rice of choice (usually about 1 - 1 ¼ cup or 200 - 250 g raw)
- 350 g extra firm tofu (pressed of excess water if needed)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce (25 g)
- 2 ½ - 3 tablespoon green curry paste (25 g, less or more to taste)
- ½ cup canned coconut milk (140 g, can use lite if desired)
- 1 ½ tsp cane sugar (6.5 g)
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast (3 g)
- 1 bell pepper, chopped*
- 1 cup bamboo shoots (150 ml)
- 2 cups spinach, packed* (70 g or 2.5 oz)
- ¼ cup veggie broth (60 g, homemade for extra savings, or sub more coconut milk)
- ¾ tbsp lemon juice (11 g, optional)
*Fresh Ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- If your tofu needs to be pressed of excess water use a tofu press or wrap the tofu in a clean dish towel and place something heavy on top for 5-10 minutes to press some water out.
- If your rice was not made in advance, start preparing the rice as your package directs.
- While your rice cooks you can prepare your tofu. Slice your pressed tofu into cubes. In a large saute pan or wok, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Once your oil is hot, add your tofu cubes with 1 tablespoon tamari and cook, stirring frequently, until nicely browned on all sides (about 10 minutes). If your tofu is sticking, lower your heat a bit and add a splash more oil or some vegetable broth/water.
- While your tofu browns, dice your bell pepper and prepare the rest of your ingredients so they are nearby and ready (just remember to keep stirring your tofu and keep an eye on your rice).
- When the tofu is done, remove it from the pan and set aside to keep warm. Keep the pan on the heat but lower the temperature a bit so your curry paste and coconut milk don’t splash when you add them.
- Once your pan has cooled down slightly and your rice is ready, add the curry paste and coconut milk. Stir to combine. Then, stir in the tamari, sugar, and nutritional yeast.
- Add the bell pepper and bamboo shoots. Cook for about 4 minutes until the veggies are tender. Then add the spinach and stir until it wilts.
- Add your cooked rice and stir to combine. Add the vegetable broth to help the sauce spread over all the rice. Alternatively, add a splash more coconut milk.
- Add in the tofu to combine everything together OR keep the tofu separate and add it to the top of the individual servings. Finish with a splash of lemon juice if desired. It cuts the spice a bit, gives the heaviness of the coconut milk a lift, and can also help your body absorb more of the iron in the dish!).
- Keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
Cost Comparison: CAD: $11.91 ($2.98/serving) vs. at least CAD $13.48 using 300g chicken breast (purchased at wholesale price) instead of tofu.
I also made this recipe with soy milk when I didn’t have coconut milk and it was still tasty! Feel free to adapt this recipe to suit whatever veggies you have on hand. You can even use noodles or another grain in place of the rice.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Stove-top
- Cuisine: Thai
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