To cook the rice, bring a large-pot of water to boil. Add the rinsed rice & keep boiling for half an hour, reducing heat as needed to avoid overflow.
Remove from heat, drain the rice then return the rice to pot. Cover and allow the rice rest for 10 minutes or more, till you are ready to serve.
Warm a large-skillet with deep sides over moderate heat. When it is hot, add a few tsp of oil. Cook the onion, garlic and ginger with a sprinkle of salt for 5minutes, stirring frequently.Add the carrots and asparagus then cook for 3minutes, stirring periodically. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring frequently for a few minutes.
Pour the coconut-milk to the pan, along with ½ cup water & 1 ½ tsp sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat as required to keep a gentle simmer and cook till the carrots and asparagus are tender and cooked through, approximately 5-10minutes.
After the veggies are done cooking, stir the spinach into the mix and cook till the spinach has wilted for a few seconds. Remove the curry from heat & season with rice-vinegar and soy-sauce.
Add salt and red pepper flakes (optional) to taste. Split curry and rice into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, if you would like.