Coconut Sesame Vegetable Curry

About

Make this vegetarian Keto curry when you’re looking for a hearty and filling meal with Eastern-inspired flavors. Low-carb summer squash and green beans make up the bulk of this curry, but you can add additional Keto vegetables at your discretion that would complement this dish. The vegetables are cooked down in a blend of toasted spices that are heavy on the sesame seeds. In fact, there are 8 fragrant spices used in this dish for a complex profile of flavors. Add in canned coconut milk to build the rich and creamy texture of your curry. At the end of cooking, serve your sesame and coconut-flavored curry over a simple bed of cauliflower rice for a complete meal. Need this dish to be completely vegan? Easily switch out the butter for your ideal cooking fat.

Choosing Between Yellow, Red, and Green Curries

It doesn’t matter if you are skilled at cooking authentic Eastern dishes or prefer picking them up at your local takeout restaurant: it’s easy to recognize popular curry dishes. A lot of curries can be spotted by their bright colors. Yellow curries, such as the one in this recipe, are typically heavy on the coconut milk and have more delicate flavors. Turmeric is what gives yellow curries that iconic color. Red curries are often equated with spicier dishes and can sometimes have more oils in their broth. Green curries can be made either hot or mild, and they’re often filled with other green veggies like beans and peppers.

The Difference Between Indian and Thai Inspired Curries

Although curry isn’t exclusive to Indian and Thai cooking anymore, most curry recipes can be tied back to one of these origins. Indian curries are typically always vegetarian and will utilize legumes, such as lentils, and nuts. Unfortunately for the Keto diet, legumes and some vegetables often have too many carbohydrates to keep you in ketosis. You’ll find on Carb Manager that many of the curry recipes take a page from both Indian and Thai inspirations to make the ultimate Keto dish. Inspirations from Thai-style curries will include coconut milk and thick, fatty broths for adding flavor to your other curry ingredients. However, both styles share a love for toasting spices into complex combinations that other cuisines just can’t seem to beat.

Ingredients

1 ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
½ teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon ginger
2 teaspoon, whole pieces sesame seeds
2 teaspoon, chopped hot chili peppers, green, raw
½ teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
⅛ teaspoon coriander, seed
⅛ teaspoon cumin, ground
4 ounce summer squash, raw
3 ounce green beans (string beans), raw
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon coconut cream raw
¼ cup coconut milk, plain or original, fortified
½ cup water
1 ½ cup cauliflower rice

Instructions

Melt the butter in a wide pan over low heat. Add in the garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, and minced green chili to the butter. Gently stir until the butter turns golden and the spices become very fragrant. Turn your stove heat to as low as it will go and stir in the curry powder, onion powder, coriander, and cumin. Stir until those spices become fragrant as well.
Stir thin-sliced squash and chopped green beans with the salt into the butter and spices. Fold the vegetables over until they are coated in spices. Place a lid over the pan, turn the heat up to medium-low, and let the vegetables cook down for 4-5 minutes until they’re tender and lightly golden.
Scrape off the thick coconut cream that collects at the top of a can of coconut milk and stir it into the pan. Stir in the canned coconut milk and water as well. Place a lid back on the pan. Bring the curry to a simmer and let it simmer gently for about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat as necessary to keep the vegetables from turning into mush.
Serve 1 cup of hot vegetable curry over ¾ cup of prepared cauliflower rice. If you cook your cauliflower rice with additional fats and spices, make sure to include this in your food log. Garnish with additional sesame seeds, chopped herbs, or red pepper flakes at your discretion.