Shrimp/Prawns Red Thai Curry..Can be made Vegetarian.

Red curry is a popular Thai dish made with Thai paste and coconut milk. It can be made with your choice of meat or by adding veggies and tofu. Its like a soup, best had with jasmine rice. It comes together really quickly, especially if you use store bought red curry paste. However, sometimes the red curry paste also has shrimp or fish sauce, so just check the ingredients before buying, if you prefer a complete vegetarian curry. You can also make your own red curry paste. I have included the recipe below.

Here is how to make the red curry:

Ingredients:

Oil – 1 tbsp

Coconut Milk – 1 can 14 oz

Thai red curry paste – 2 tbsp. (Adjust based on spice preference)

Brown Sugar – 1 Tbsp

Large Shrimp – peeled and deveined – 1 Lb

Mixed vegetables of your choice – 1 cup, I have used onions, red & green pepper, carrots and baby corn. Feel free to use what you like here.

Fish Sauce or Soy Sauce – 1 tbsp

Fresh Thai basil – for garnish

Method:

1. Heat oil in the big pan and add the red curry paste. Mix it well and make sure its heated through.
2. Add in the can of coconut milk and let it come to a gentle simmer.
3. Once the milk has come to a boil, add the sugar and soy sauce or fish sauce, if using. Mix well and let it cook for a minute.
4. If you would like to make this with chicken, you can add bite sized chicken breasts here and let them cook before you add the veggies.
5. Its time to add all the veggies. We need to make sure that the veggies are not over cooked. Mix everything well.
6. Add the shrimp (or Tofu, if making the vegetarian version) now and allow it to cook. Be very gentle while mixing.
7. Let the curry cook for about 3 – 4 minutes and make sure the shrimp is well cooked. (Or the Tofu is well heated)
8. Check the seasoning to ensure it suits your taste buds.
9. Finally garnish it with thai basil leaves and dig in. Its best enjoyed with some Jasmine Rice.

Just in case you would like to make your own red curry paste, here is how its done.

Thai Red Curry Paste:

Ingredients:

Red whole Chilies – 15, or to taste

Galangal – grated – use ginger if unavailable – 1 Tbsp

Garlic cloves – 1/4 cup

Shallots – 1/4 cup

Cilantro Stems – Chopped – 2 Tbsp

About 5 kaffir Lime leaves – use lime peel if unavailable

Salt – to taste

Lemon grass – chopped – 3 Tbsp

peppercorns – 1 tsp (Use black or white, as available)

Coriander Seeds – 4 tsp

Preparation:

• Cut the red chilies and de-seed them. Soak them in hot water for about 30 minutes. Finally, drain and keep aside.
• While, the chilies are soaking, toast the coriander seeds and black peppercorns in a skillet until fragrant, about 3 -4 minutes. Allow it to cool.
• Mix all the ingredients in a blender or food processor to make a fine paste.
• Store this in an air tight container in the fridge for about a week.

So there you have it. A taste of Thai food, right in your home. Do make it and let me know how you liked it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Love,

Ritu. 🙂