Thai-Spiced Rice Bowls
This curried Thai peanut bowl recipe is warming, hearty and fresh! These delicious bowls are easy to make, too. The recipe comes from The Minimalist Kitchen Cookbook by Melissa Coleman.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
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One of my favorite parts of my job is meeting and befriending other food bloggers. Melissa of The Faux Martha and I started our blogs around the same time. We commented on each other’s blogs for a while and then I reached out to Melissa way back when she was living in Chicago.
That’s how you know you’re headed in the right direction—when “networking” feels so natural and easy. Melissa invited me over to her home and out to dinner. We’ve been buds for a while now.
Last summer, when I was in Minneapolis for Lindsay’s photography workshop, Melissa invited us over for dinner. I got to see her amazing modern farmhouse in person, finally. We ate homemade pizza in her backyard under those big, round Christmas lights I love so much. Someday, I’ll have a proper backyard and I’ll “borrow” some of Melissa’s design elements.
Melissa is a designer. She worked as a graphic designer when I met her, then she became a blog designer, then she designed her home, and now she has made a cookbook. Melissa is a very thoughtful designer and everything she produces is beautiful, practical and functional at the same time. Those are the hallmarks of great design, right?
In her backyard, we talked about Melissa’s upcoming cookbook, The Minimalist Kitchen (affiliate link). Her book is here, finally! It’s everything that I knew it would be—beautiful, practical and functional, with Melissa’s honest and manageable approach to home cooking.
Melissa’s cookbook offers 100 wholesome recipes, made with essential tools and efficient techniques. She thought of everything, including how to measure margarita ingredients while dirtying the least amount of dishes.
This book is realistic minimalism—you won’t find 5-ingredient entrées (how good could those be?), but made-from-scratch recipes that use common ingredients. They’re delicious and affordable.
Melissa’s book offers quite a few vegetarian options, and I chose to make her Thai-spiced rice bowls. This recipe is perfect for transitional spring or fall weather, since it features warm curried peanut broth and hearty brown rice topped with lots of fresh garnishes. It’s almost like soup-meets-spring-rolls, and I’m really into it!
My Recipe Notes
Melissa’s recipe calls for chicken broth, but I used vegetable broth since I’m a vegetarian. She also suggests that you could top the bowls with shredded chicken, but I think this crispy baked tofu would be a fantastic vegetarian/vegan option.
If you’d like your vegetarian peanut broth to have a little more body, you can whisk in more peanut butter or use regular (full-fat) coconut milk instead of light. That said, I liked my broth a lot as-is.
Be sure to check out Melissa’s book, The Minimalist Kitchen, and let us know how you like the recipe in the comments! If you’re craving more Thai-inspired recipes, I have more over here.
Thai-Spiced Rice Bowls
This curried Thai peanut bowl recipe is warming, hearty and fresh! These delicious bowls are easy to make, too. Recipe yields 6 servings.
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 ½ cups uncooked rice (I used long-grain brown rice)
- 1 ½ tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (or ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt)
Peanut Broth
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- Thumb-tip of peeled fresh ginger, pressed or minced
- 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- ¼ cup soy sauce (I used reduced-sodium tamari)
- ¼ cup natural peanut butter
- 4 cups (1 quart) vegetable broth
- 1 can (14 ounces) light coconut milk
- Generous squeeze of honey
Garnishes
- 1 cup matchstick-cut carrots (I used my julienne peeler)
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- ½ English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (optional; I used a regular cucumber and seeded it before slicing)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint (optional)
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Make the rice: Cook the rice according to the package instructions, then stir in the butter and salt. (Here’s how I cook brown rice.)
- Make the broth: Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once warm, add the oil. Add the garlic and ginger. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the remaining broth ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes to develop the flavor.
- Meanwhile, prepare the garnishes. To serve, divide the rice evenly among 6 serving bowls. Top each serving evenly with the broth. Garnish as desired.
Notes
Recipe barely adapted from The Minimalist Kitchen by Melissa Coleman.
Make it vegan: Omit the butter for the rice, or replace it with coconut oil, added to taste. Use maple syrup instead of honey to sweeten the broth.
Make it gluten free: Use gluten-free tamari instead of regular soy sauce.
Change it up: Melissa says you can add edamame or peas to this recipe.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
It turned out yummy at first, but it was quite rich and it got old by the last bite. My kids were not fans and they’re pretty adventurous eaters. The smell of the sauce was strong and didn’t smell as yummy as some peanut sauces. I thought it was a winner, but I don’t think it will last another make. Bummer!
I’m sorry this one wasn’t a hit for you. I appreciate your feedback, Berkas.
Just as a follow-up comment that might help others wondering whether to give this soup a try: the brand of peanut butter you choose makes a HUGE difference in the final flavor of this soup! Try a different brand before you give up on the recipe. I learned this the hard way! Thank you, Kate!
This is delicious. Anyone found an alternative for red Thai paste?. I need to make this recipe for a vegetarian and the paste contains gush sauce.
Hi Michelle! Have you looked at the Thai Kitchen brand? Let me know what you think!
Yes..unfortunately they contain shrimp paste too. I’ll keep looking. Thank you. Michelle
Thai Kitchen red curry paste (used in this recipe) is vegan (no fish/shellfish), but Thai Kitchen roasted red chili paste has fish/shellfish (is not vegan).
Could you try gochujang? It’s Korean, fermented red pepper paste. (It’s what I have used in other recipes to sub out for fish sauce). I will try it here this week and report back if it’s works well.
Thai Spice Blend for Seasoning and Cooking
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons dried lemon zest
2 teaspoons dried lemongrass or lemon zest
½ teaspoon ground coriander
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground white or black pepper
https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/vegan-sauces-condiments/thai-spice-blend/
I love this recipe. I save it in my bookmarks and I’ve made it several times. I actually had a different Thai peanut soup that I used to make but this one tops it. It is now my go to favorite. My husband also likes it. He usually sticks to a menu of basic comfort foods but this recipe has made the list as one of his favorites. Thank you
My partner and I have this recipe every couple weeks- its so good! We’ve made a couple adaptations to make it vegan and peanut-free (we use almond butter and cashews instead) and it still is delicious. I love the rich flavours in it!
Thank you for sharing, Lauren! I’m delighted it has worked well for you with your alterations.
Husband and I loved this recipe so much! I used panang curry paste since that was what I had on hand and full fat coconut milk. The results were amazing! It was as good as takeout! We tossed in tofu, bell peppers, carrots, and spinach to round it out.
That’s great! Thank you for sharing.
Just made this for dinner & it was soooooo nice! Light & fragrant but filling. Will definitely make it again!
Great to hear, Emma!
I enjoyed this recipe but I made a few alterations. I added extra peanut butter & curry, the juice of a lime and 1 sliced red chilli to the broth. I also used chicken stock instead of vegetable, had a combination of rice and quinoa and a cooked some pak choy and choy sum.
This is the best recipe I’ve found for making a creamy tomato soup. Love how the beans make it creamy without using a dairy cream.
I didn’t have cannellini beans so used butter beans instead and doubled up to make a large batch.
Everyone in our house loved it.
Can’t wait to make it for my dad who loves soups and stews.
Thank you
Helen. Cornwall, UK.
These were so delicious! I loved adding the fresh vegetables to the broth. Really easy to make too. Ate it with fresh spring rolls + peanut sauce.
I’m glad you enjoyed them, Julia! I appreciate your review.
My carnivore hubby loves these! He was originally not excited, but went back for thirds!! Thank you for your delicious, nutritious recipes! We sub put the peanut butter and peanuts for almond because I can’t have peanuts anymore, and it is just as delicious!
This is my first “miss” from this blog (though still pretty good). I used Thai Kitchen red curry paste and followed the recipe, but after using 3x+ the proscribed paste I still did not achieve the color shown or expected spice/flavor. It was more watery than expected , too. That said, the suggested garnishes did save the broth and elevated the flavor. I’ll need to play with the liquid quantities and the type of paste the next time I try it.
I’m sorry to hear that, Emily. I appreciate your feedback.
This recipe was so super fantastic, so delicious! It will be in my regular menu rotation from now on! The flavors are so fresh, and you can add as many fresh veggies as you like. I added a bunch of spinach, and topped it off with your Baked Tofu. The basic flavors are there and so easily customizable. 5 stars all the way!
That’s great to hear, Jennifer! Thank you for your review.
Should I use unsweetened or sweetened lite coconut milk? Can the sauce be made ahead?
Hi Lynn! You will want to use unsweetened.
My husband and I loved this recipe! I used full fat coconut milk and chicken broth instead, and will be making again for sure.
Easy to make and warm and hearty on a rainy night. Important to use fresh ground peanut butter – no Jif or Skippy! I used Blue Dragon Thai red curry paste which I prefer way more than Thai Kitchen—-not so scorching hot and lot’s more body. Love that the veggies can be maximized to our liking. Family said ‘add to repeat’! Bonus: can make early in the day and reheat rice and broth later.
Thank you for sharing what you thought, JLC! I appreciate your review.
You know when you have a recipe you love but then you forget about it, then get to rediscover it? That’s what happened with this recipe for me and it’s just as delicious as I remember. Really warming and nourishing. Even our 3-year-old likes it.
I’m glad even your kiddo loves it, Susan! I appreciate your review.
Definitely a great way to warm up! Omnivore husband and I both enjoyed this dish. We couldn’t help but feel like it was missing some kind of main event, maybe like some curry-seasoned seitan or something. Still a good time (:
I love to hear that, Carly! I appreciate your review.
This is one of our weekly staples. All three of my kids LOVE it. I always make some crispy tofu for more protein. The only thing we change is substitute the honey for coconut sugar. My kids love flavor so I also typically add half the jar of curry paste! :) SO DANG TASTY! Thank you!!!
You’re welcome, Heidi!
This is so delicious! I’m adding it to my go-to recipes. I followed the recipe except I didn’t add honey or sweetener – it looked just like the picture and tasted so yummy! (I used the Thai Kitchen 2 Simple Ingredients lite unsweetened coconut milk).
So far, I’ve really enjoyed all your recipes I’ve tried, but this one – I had to make a comment and give 5-stars!
Thank you for your review, Terrie!
We absolutely loved this, my partner’s favourite so far.
It turned out quite thin, so I used corn starch to thicken it and it worked beautifully.
This is a favorite in our house!! My partner isn’t the most adventurous eater; he was initially skeptical about the fresh veggies, but we both love it.
Thank you for sharing, Jelena!
Delicious! So warming, just the right amount of spice. Will definitely make it again.
This recipe’s broth is amazing. I was suspicious if i would like the raw veggies. First try, I was okay. Second try, it grew on me. I then used the leftover broth for Ramen. It was good! Thank you.
You’re welcome, Yasmeen!
I definitely did something wrong. It tasted like Vegetable broth, brown rice and the jalapeños I pickled the day before. I used fresh ingredients.
I’m sorry to hear you were disappointed by this recipe, JoAnne.
Joining the praise chorus to say this recipe tastes AMAZING. I used full-fat coconut milk (had it on-hand), and I simmered all the veg in the broth just ’til tender-crisp. Topped with crispy baked tofu as suggested, and it was pure bliss!