Make This Sweet and Savory Tempeh Coconut Curry Dish for a Delicious Dinner

|Updated Jun 13, 2022

By The Anti-Inflammatory Family Cookbook

When you're in the mood for a warm, comforting plant-based meal to feel full and satisfied, try this incredibly delicious recipe. You will dive into a bowl of nutty, crunchy tempeh and fresh vegetables covered in sweet creamy coconut milk and mixed with Indian-style spices. With each bite, the creamy sauce will melt in your mouth and you'll experience the zesty, spicy flavor.

While making this, your kitchen will smell like an authentic restaurant, and your final masterpiece will convince anyone that you have some major cooking skills or even a hidden talent. When you serve this curry, the dish appears like a meal for two, but it's easy to take down the entire bowl solo, and you won't feel sluggishly full, one of the best parts of a plant-based diet.

If you're not eating curry all the time, this recipe is the perfect way to switch up your go-to meals and give your taste buds something new to savor. I like to switch up my meals from time to time to indulge in the essence of different cuisines, that way I don't get bored of the same thing.

The stew-like dish calls for tempeh, but tofu pairs well too. If this is your first time eating or cooking the plant-based protein, you're in for a wonderful surprise. The outer edges of tempeh are firm and crispy while the instead is soft and chewy. It's a great way to add texture to the meal, especially if you're cooking for a meat-eater or find it hard to give up chicken or another type of animal protein.

This recipe is on the healthier side of dinner meals since the ingredients call for mostly vegetables and superfood spices like turmeric, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes, which all have incredible health benefits like supporting immunity and boosting your metabolism. See nutritional facts:

Per Serving:
Calories: 500 · Fat: 38g · Protein: 18g · Sodium: 1,689mg Fiber: 6g · Carbohydrates: 26g Net Carbs: 20g Sugar: 8g

Message From the Recipe Developer: "Use this recipe as a basic template and then add or substitute with odds and ends from the refrigerator. To make it even quicker, your favorite prepared curry paste can replace the ginger, garlic, scallions, lime zest, and red chili flakes. Extra-firm tofu, chicken, or shrimp work well in place of tempeh. Serve with sticky (sushi) rice or rice noodles."

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Tempeh Coconut Curry Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 1⁄2 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
1 (2") piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 medium scallions, cut into thin rounds
1 medium lime, zested
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1⁄2" slices
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 medium carrots, diced medium
1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
2 1⁄2 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons gluten-free tamari
1 tablespoon lime juice
8 ounces tempeh, cut in 1⁄2" cubes
2 1/2 cups packed baby spinach

Instructions

In a large pot over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil. Add ginger, garlic, scallions, lime zest, and chili flakes. Sauté about 2 minutes or until fragrant.
Add bell pepper, mushrooms, and carrots. Cook about 5 minutes or until vegetables begin to
soften.
Add milk and stock. Add 3⁄4 teaspoon salt, black pepper, turmeric, tamari, and lime juice. Bring to a simmer. Cook about 20 minutes or until carrots are tender.
In the meantime, heat remaining 11⁄2 tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
Add tempeh and 1⁄4 teaspoon salt. Sauté until golden brown on all sides, about 4–5 minutes.
Add spinach and tempeh to pot with vegetables. Cook another 3 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Serve hot!

Recipe excerpted from The Anti-Inflammatory Family Cookbook by Stefania Patinella; Alexandra Romey; Hilary McClafferty, MD, FAAP; Jonathan Deutsch, PhD; and Maria Mascarenhas, MBBS. Copyright © 2021