Whenever I get home from a trip I’m always inspired to develop low FODMAP recipes from that country. After my trip to Thailand last year, I posted a low FODMAP green Thai curry and Pad Thai in quick succession. But then the next trip comes along, and the cycle repeats. After my trip to America, it was gluten free bagels. After my Sicily trip, gluten free Arancini. So today I wanted to slow it down and post some recipes I started and never finished. Beginning, of course, with this low FODMAP Thai red curry.

Low FODMAP Thai red curry

This curry uses a simple homemade curry paste. Because FODMAP most often means no garlic or onion, this paste is made without garlic or onion. I also use vegan shrimp paste, but you can use whatever you like to suit your dietaries.

The paste is a combination of red chillies, lemongrass, galangal or ginger, makrut lime or lime leaves, coriander roots, shrimp paste, dried cumin, paprika and coriander powder.

The curry is finished using spring onion greens for a hit of low FODMAP onion flavour. Coconut milk or cream and water provide the liquid base, and tofu is my protein of choice. I like to add pumpkin to bulk out the curry, but you can add whatever you prefer.

A few extra seasonings like vegan fish sauce and tamari are added for flavour. Finally, the curry is finished with a good squeeze of lime juice and Thai basil leaves. It’s a fragrant and delicious dish that everyone will love, irrespective of dietaries.

An aerial image of a mini skillet filled with low FODMAP Thai red curry. The skillet sits on a dark steel backdrop and a glass of water sits to the top of the image. The curry is topped with Thai basil leaves and slices of red chilli

FODMAP notes for the curry paste

I have started experimenting with using pickled garlic in recipes. Monash recently updated their app to say that 1 clove (3g) of pickled garlic is low FODMAP. The moderate serve for pickled garlic starts at 10 cloves (29g) which suggests there is significant room for movement in what constitutes a low FODMAP serve. Try it and see what works for you.

Chilli is low FODMAP in 28g of red chilli. It becomes moderate at 33g per serve. Personally, I am a chilli wuss anyway, so this curry paste uses significantly less chillies than regular pastes. You can use what works for you.

I use Vincent the Vegetarian brand of vegan shrimp paste. They don’t use onion or garlic in any of their products, so it’s a great option. I bought mine at KFL supermarket in Springvale, Melbourne.

Monash has recently introduced a low FODMAP threshold for spring onion greens. They are low FODMAP in 75g serves and contain moderate amounts of fructose in serves exceeding 97g.

An aerial image of a skillet filled with low FODMAP Thai red curry which is topped with Thai Basil. The skillet sits atop an olive green linen tablecloth and a bowl of rice and curry sits to the bottom right of the skillet

FODMAP notes for the Thai red curry

You can put whatever you like in the curry – tofu, fish, chicken, beef, whatever. I have no experience with using meats in curry, so I can’t offer any guidance as to cooking times or methods.

Use a coconut milk or cream without any fillers, inulin or other fibres. Check the ingredients label – it should have only coconut and water listed as ingredients.

The vegetables you use in the curry can be based on what you have on hand. Vegetables aren’t an authentic addition, as far as I can tell, but they do make a nice and filling dinner. I have used chopped pumpkin, pak choi and tofu – use what you have and what works for you. Just consider their FODMAP content if you choose to go rogue.

An aerial image of a low FODMAP Thai red curry in a skillet and topped with Thai basil leaves. The curry sits atop a white marble table and is surrounded by other bowls of curry.

Adding flavour to your low FODMAP Thai red curry

Because we’re not using onion or garlic in their natural forms, we need to work on adding the flavour back into the curry. This can be done multiple ways (and I like to combine them all) but you can choose what is accessible to you and what you prefer.

Spring onion greens. These are such an easy way to add that garlic and onion flavour back into a low FODMAP curry. Make sure you thoroughly wash them and chop them in relatively small pieces. Note that they have a FODMAP threshold of 97g or less.
Loads of ginger. Even if you don’t like ginger, it adds a base note of flavour to a curry. I generally don’t find you can taste ‘ginger’ in a curry, so it just helps to develop the flavour.
Asafoetida powder. This is the powder of a giant wild fennel that smells and tastes a bit like cooked onion and garlic. It’s very pungent and goes a long way. If you need to, make sure you buy a gluten free brand as it’s often cut with wheat flour.
Pickled garlic. This is a new one for me, as it was only recently added to the Monash FODMAP app. I’m yet to fully determine how much flavour it brings but it’s garlic!!

An aerial image of a skillet filled with vegan Thai red curry topped with Thai basil leaves. The skillet sits atop a white marble table and two bowls of rice and curry sit in the bottom of the image.

More low FODMAP curry recipes