Thai-inspired red curry

I absolutely adore Thai food, with its fresh and tangy flavours of basil, lime, cilantro, lemongrass and chilies, but I've found it rather difficult to recreate the complex layers of a red curry at home. With a little experimentation every time, I'm getting closer. If anyone out there is familiar with Thai cooking, I'd really appreciate your suggestions or advice!! I usually make this dish with pineapple but I had a bunch of baby bok choy to use up so I decided to throw it in instead, even though it's more commonly associated with Chinese cooking. Why not? This recipe serves 2-3 people.

Heat 1 T vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 large onion, finely diced, 4 cloves garlic, finely diced, and 2 T grated ginger. Cook until onion is translucent but not brown, stirring regularly. Add 2-4 T of Thai red curry paste (depending how spicy you want it) and cook for another minute, stirring to avoid burning it. Add 2 cups of homemade or canned chicken stock, 1 can of light coconut milk, the juice and zest of one lime and 2 T brown sugar. Bring mixture to a simmer. Add 1 stalk of bruised lemongrass and a large handful of fresh lime leaves. I had a Thai green curry spice blend on hand so I also added 1 T of that. Add your vegetable(s) and simmer for another couple of minutes until crispy-soft. Green beans, carrots and bamboo shoots all work well. Season to taste.

In a separate pan, fry 4-6 chicken thighs in a small amount of oil until cooked through (or oven bake). Add chicken and 1 1/2 cups of cooked shrimp to curry sauce. Simmer for another minute or two. Serve over rice with lime, fresh basil and/or cilantro. I added a couple of teaspoons of Sambal Oelek (also not typically Thai) just before serving, for extra heat.

Variations:

Sprinkle toasted chopped peanuts on top. 

Add a split hot chili to the mixture after bringing to a simmer.

Substitute coconut milk for half the water when preparing rice.

 

For this post I'm linking up with Carole's Chatter Food on Friday - Go Asian edition