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Ready in just 30 minutes and with mostly shelf-stable ingredients, this Thai-style banana curry is an easy and filling dinner. Made with coconut milk to balance the spicy sauce, it’s a naturally vegan recipe that can be served as a soup or over rice.
save this recipe!Bananas can be found in most kitchens around the world and are arguably one of the most tasty and versatile fruits. While usually used in sweet recipes, their mild sweetness and creamy texture work well for savory dishes, too. Like curry!
Maybe you’ve had my Thai eggplant curry or Thai coconut curry. Either way, you’re probably familiar with the rich depth of flavor typical of curries. Now add bananas to that, and you’ve got one flavor-packed dinner in the form of Thai-style banana curry.
Reader rating
“Thank you for this recipe it turned out amazing. I really liked the touch of sweetness from the bananas. I wasn’t sure if it was going to work but it turned out beautiful. I just added a teaspoon of sugar to it.” —Dee
Here’s what you’ll need
As you go through this ingredient list, you’ll see many items commonly associated with curry.
- Rice: Curry is delicious when served atop rice. Use white, brown, or any grain of your choosing (quinoa and cauliflower rice also work!).
- Sugar Snap Peas: Sugar snap peas make a great addition when preparing your bowls of curry.
- Bananas: Slice bananas up, and get ready to caramelize them to perfection!
- Flavor Makers: As with most curry recipes, onion, ginger, and Thai red curry paste lay down a strong foundation of delicious flavor.
- The Broth: Coconut milk, vegetable broth, and soy sauce come together to build the creamy broth. In addition to these, we add chili garlic sauce for an extra bump of flavor.
- Red Lentils: Finally, 1 cup of lentils will make this dish extra nourishing and filling.
Making curry only takes 30 minutes
Step 1: Prep the Rice and Peas
Prepare the rice according to the package instructions. Clean the sugar snap peas and set them aside.
Step 2: Caramelize The Bananas
Slice the bananas into ½-inch thick rounds. Heat the oil in a large wok or skillet over medium/high heat and add the bananas. Cook until they’re lightly browned.
Step 3: Add Flavor
To the same pan, add the remaining oil and heat to medium. Add the onion, ginger, and curry paste, and cook until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes.
Step 4: Cook The Rest
Add the coconut milk, broth, soy sauce, and chili garlic paste to the skillet. Bring everything to a gentle simmer, and then add the lentils. Cook until the lentils are soft.
Step 5: Assemble The Bowls
Finally, prepare the meal to serve. Spoon the rice into serving bowls, followed by the curry. Top with sugar snaps and a few banana slices.
Sarah’s Tip
If your bananas are winding up mushy, try turning up the heat during the caramelization process. That will help char them up and give you a crunchier result (just be sure to grease the pan well, especially if you’re not using a non-stick pan).
Banana Curry (Spicy Thai Style with Red Lentils)
Ingredients
- To serve: rice
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 2 Tbsp oil, divided
- 3 bananas
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 2 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 1 14-oz can coconut milk, 414 mL
- 2 cups vegetable broth, 472 mL
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 15 mL
- 1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce
- 1 cup red lentils
Instructions
- Prep: Prepare rice according to instructions on the package. Clean sugar snap peas and set aside.
- Caramelize Bananas: Slice bananas into ½ inch thick rounds. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a large wok over medium/high heat and add the bananas. Cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove bananas and set aside.
- Flavor Makers: To the same wok add remaining 1 Tbsp of oil, heating to medium. Add the onion, ginger, and curry paste, cooking until onion is soft, about 3 minutes.
- The Rest: Add coconut milk broth, soy sauce, and chili garlic paste. Bring to a gentle simmer, then add lentils. Cook until lentils are soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Assemble: To serve, spoon rice into serving bowls, followed by curry. Top with sugar snaps and a few banana slices.
Notes
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!This is an old recipe that was updated in June 2020 to be more delicious and easy. Thanks to all who commented with your suggestions for improvement!
Tried this tonight but my fried bananas turned out mushy…advice? What did I do wrong?
Sorry to hear, Miles! The only thing I can think would be that your heat wasn’t high enough. Do you remember what level you had the heat at? You’ll really want to sear them 🙂
This is the most awful curry i have ever tasted….i have perfected my curry cooking over several years now and have been looking for a recipe with banana….this was disgusting….couldnt even eat it
So sorry to hear it, Roberta! I’ve noted this one down to retest ASAP. Thanks for letting me know!
Wow, what an unnecessarily mean comment. I haven’t tried this, but even if I did and was not a fan, I would offer tactful criticism.
This worked so well. The flavor is really there and the benanas give a good texture and creaminess to it.
So happy to hear it! 😀
Delicious. Took a LOT longer to prepare, turned out “soupier” and bananas were soft but everyone was raving!
Thanks for the feedback, Linda! Happy everyone liked it! 😀
Not good. Why the raw sugar snap peas on top? Curry had a weird aftertaste that just stuck around. Very inferior to the many curries I have enjoyed.
Sorry to hear it, Finnical!
Just made this and it was delightful. Frying the bananas felt like a disaster as much burnt onto the pan. But they were a delicious topping on the curry. I used a whole 4oz jar of the curry past and roughly double the ginger than the recipe. I also added fresh Cilantro at the end.
I just discovered this after our plantain bananas produced a super bumper crop. I was looking for something to use some of them up quickly and this ticked all the boxes. My family loved it and it will become a regular dish every time our bananas fruit.
The bananas really needed a high heat to cook well and needed to be turned often. I added extra ginger as our family love it and cooked the snow peas instead of having them raw, I served it over red rice.
Thank you for an enjoyable meal.
Thank you for this recipe it turned out amazing. I really liked the touch of sweetness from the bananas. I wasn’t sure if it was going to work but it turned out beautiful. I just added a teaspoon of sugar to it.
I’m so happy to hear it, Dee! Enjoy! 😀
I made this recipe a few times some time ago (through the SideChef App) and remember it to have cashews and chickpeas in it instead of lentils. Just tried this version and unfortunately did not enjoy it half as much as the “original” version, which was just amazing. Is there any chance to get a copy of the old version as I did not save it anywhere.
Thank you so much.
Petra
Hi Petra! You can see a copy of the original recipe here 🙂
I am inclined to try this recipe. The sweetness would likely complement a really spicy dish like Vindaloo.
Re: mushy banana texture. If the banana doesn’t hold together, I agree the problem is frying temperature. Haven’t tried it yet, but I would start with dehydrated Banana Chips rather fry the banana at home. Rehydrate the chips in the manner you would for dehydrated mushrooms (about an hour in warm water should do nicely, drained well on towels). By the time you have the mis en place (other ingredients gathered) and are ready to cook, they’ll be ready. Some simmering time will soften then if needed.