Thai Coconut Curry Without Oil

Thai Fast Without Oil Published March 15, 2026

Thai curry is built on a foundation of coconut milk, and coconut milk needs no help from oil. The traditional method calls for splitting the coconut cream to fry the curry paste — the fat renders out of the cream and becomes the cooking medium. This is not a workaround. This is how Thai cooks have made curry for generations. The fact that it happens to be compliant with no-oil fasting is a fortunate convergence of culinary traditions.

Use the thickest coconut cream you can find. Open the can without shaking, scoop the solid cream off the top, and use that to fry your paste.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast Without Oil (cooked food permitted, no oil, no wine — coconut milk is permitted)
SERVINGS: 4
TIME: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

- 2 cans (800ml total) full-fat coconut milk, unshaken
- 3 tablespoons Thai red or green curry paste (check label — most are oil-free; avoid those with shrimp paste if desired)
- 1 block (400g) firm tofu, cubed
- 2 cups mixed vegetables (bell peppers, bamboo shoots, Thai eggplant, green beans)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos or additional soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar or brown sugar
- Juice of 1 lime
- Fresh Thai basil leaves
- Cooked jasmine rice, for serving

METHOD

1. Open the coconut milk cans without shaking. Scoop 1/2 cup of the thick cream from the top into a large wok or pot. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until the cream splits and the fat separates — it will look oily and slightly grainy.

2. Add the curry paste to the separated cream. Fry, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until the paste is fragrant and darkened slightly.

3. Add the remaining coconut milk, soy sauce, coconut aminos, and sugar. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer.

4. Add the tofu and vegetables. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the tofu has absorbed some of the curry sauce.

5. Remove from heat. Stir in the lime juice and scatter with fresh Thai basil. Serve over jasmine rice.

NOTES

- Splitting the coconut cream is the essential technique. If your coconut milk is too thin to separate, chill the cans overnight — the cream will solidify on top.
- Check your curry paste ingredients. Mae Ploy and Maesri brands are generally oil-free. Avoid any that list soybean oil.
- Add 200g of peeled shrimp in step 4 for additional protein — shellfish are always permitted.
- Thai eggplant, if you can find it, adds an authentic bitterness that rounds out the sweetness of the coconut milk.