Thai coconut curry with sweet potato is the best noodle curry you will ever make. My vegan curry is made with coconut milk and chickpeas, and is so deliciously creamy and satisfying. Spiralized sweet potato noodles keep this noodle curry dish gluten-free, but full of flavor. This easy vegan coconut curry with sweet potato noodle recipe is the perfect light and tasty 20-minute lunch or dinner recipe.
What is Curry?
Curry is a spice blend typically made up of turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, and chili peppers. Typical curry dishes are a type of sauce-based recipe that originated in Indian culture. It is usually made with vegetables, poultry or meat mixed with curry spices.
Curry dishes are typically made with a red curry spice mixture, but can vary in color ranging from yellow, red, or green. This depends on the types of spices used in the curry spice mixture. For example, red curry had chili powder that gives it that typical red curry.
Yellow curry has turmeric as its strong base spice, and thus will appear yellow. Green curry has a combination of basil, cilantro, kaffir, and lime leaves, and appears green. They all vary in flavor based on the spice mixture. Thai coconut curry is pretty easy to make right at home.
What are Some Sweet Potato Health Benefits for the Body?
Sweet potatoes are a root vegetable with incredible health benefits. Sweet potatoes are terrific sources of vitamin A and beta-carotene. They are rich in fiber and can help manage blood sugar levels. One cup of cooked sweet potato provides 769% of your daily needs of vitamin A. This vitamin also helps regenerate collagen and keep your skin smooth. Vitamin A also helps prevent dry and brittle hair.
Another important micronutrient is vitamin B6, which is also important for healthy hair and helps with your beauty sleep. Vitamin A helps support your immune system and protect your eye health.
Sweet potatoes can also benefit the appearance of scars and aid wound healing. Eating sweet potatoes will activate certain gene expressions. We all have specialized skin cells, called keratinocytes, which when activated by our genes help accelerate skin turnover, resulting in faster wound healing and minimize the appearance of scars.
You can read more about sweet potatoes here. There are various ways to use sweet potatoes in recipes, from sweet potato fries to spiralized veggie noodles, like in this recipe.
What are Chickpeas?
Chickpeas are commonly known as garbanzo beans. In this recipe, chickpeas add a wonderful texture to the dish. Chickpeas are an excellent source of soluble fiber, vitamin B6, folate, and vitamin C. Healthy minerals including zinc, manganese, phosphorus, iron, and magnesium are all contained inside these tiny powerhouse plant-based proteins.
Zinc in chickpeas helps support clear skin. Zinc is a mineral known to help keep skin clear, maintain a healthy scalp, and even promote hair growth. Chickpeas are rich in zinc. So what is the connection between chickpeas and herpes? Did you know that studies have shown zinc can help deactivate the herpes virus that leads to cold sores? If you tend to suffer from cold sore outbreaks, you might want to consider including foods rich in zinc, like chickpeas.
Chickpeas also contain considerable vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is the vitamin that helps form oxygen-carrying red blood cells. When an individual is deficient in vitamin B6, hair cells might become compromised, resulting in slow hair growth, excessive shedding, or even hair breakage. You can read more here on the health and beauty benefits of chickpeas.
What Brand of Curry Powder Did You Use in This Curry Recipe?
I use the brand McCormick Organic Hot Madras curry powder. You can use any of your favorite curry powder, and this recipe will still be equally delicious. If you want this recipe to be red with a distinctive flavor based on hot chilies, consider McCormick Organic red curry powder. Here is my favorite for a Thai green curry powder spice mixture by Fresh Jax, Fresh Jax gourmet Thai Ccoconut green curry powder.
Why Use Coconut Milk in This Sweet Potato Curry Recipe?
This Thai curry is made with coconut milk. Coconut milk is made from the grated flesh of a mature coconut, which is then mixed with water with the grated coconut, then strained to get rid of excess water. The resulting liquid will be the consistency of a delicious creamy milk used in Indian or Thai recipes, like curries, soups, and desserts. I love to make chia pudding made using a base of coconut milk. Try these recipes where I use coconut milk.
- Simple Butternut Squash Coconut Curry Soup
- Healthy & Easy Red Curry Bowl
- Simple Spicy Coconut Lentil Soup Recipe
- Chia Seed Pudding Made Easy
- Delicious & Creamy Peach Puree Chia Seed Pudding Recipe
What is the Best Coconut Milk for Thai Curry?
I have found the best coconut milk for curry is the unsweetened Thai Kitchen organic lite coconut milk in a can.
Can This Recipe Be Modified to Substitute Chicken instead of the Chickpeas?
If you prefer to try Thai coconut curry chicken recipe made with coconut milk instead of this recipe, you can substitute chicken for chickpeas. It can be done in a few different ways. The recipe can be modified by using ground up chicken, or bite-sized pieces of chicken breast, replacing the broth with some type of stock, or by cooking the chicken in its own fat before adding to the recipe.
Can I Add Extra Veggies to This Vegan Curry Dish?
Yes, of course, if you currently exclude a particular ingredient in your diet, like bell peppers, try swapping this out for one of your favorite vegetables. I love to swap the bell peppers for moon sliced zucchini. You can swap out the spinach for kale. This is totally customizable for the best Thai curry with coconut milk recipe.
WATCH THE QUICK VIDEO BELOW:
📖 Recipe
Quick Thai Coconut Curry Chickpeas & Sweet Potato Noodles Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1 large carrot peeled and sliced
- 1 tablespoon sliced jalapeño
- 1 ½ teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 cups canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- ½ cup low sodium vegetable broth
- One 13.5 oz can lite coconut milk
- 4 cups spiralized sweet potato 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 cups baby spinach
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro divided
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- Warm the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the yellow onions, bell peppers, carrots, jalapeño, and ginger. Sauté for 7 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and the carrots are tender. Stir the chickpeas and curry powder into the sautéed mixture until everything is well coated in curry powder.
- Add the broth and coconut milk to the pot, and simmer for 5 minutes. Lastly, add the sweet potato noodles, spinach, and 2 tablespoons of cilantro to the pot. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Test the sweet potato noodles to determine if they are “al dente,” then stir the salt and lime juice into the curry.
- Divide the curry between 4 bowls, and garnish each with the remaining cilantro before serving.
Video
Notes
- Calcium: 164 mg
- Iron: 8 mg
- Potassium: 1384 mg
Nutrition
LEFTOVER STORAGE OPTIONS
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 2 months in a freezer safe container. Simply reheat this easy vegan Thai coconut curry made with chickpeas recipe and serve.
Enjoy This Vegan Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Bowl Recipe Tonight!
If you make this recipe for a delicious vegan coconut curry chickpeas noodle bowl, let me know in the comment section below. I would also love to hear what you think, or take a photo and tag me @Eat_Your_Nutrition on Instagram. I love seeing your photos. #EatYourNutrition #LauraVillanueva
Comments
No Comments