Wednesday, April 18, 2012

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

5 comments:

  1. I love curry! This looks so good! I've missed you Kat. How are you?

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  2. i loooove curry! :)

    <3, Mimi
    http://whatmimiwrites.blogspot.com/
    Poshlocket Giveaway: Win a Shelly Fabric Choker

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  3. Ohh, that curry looks yumm!! BTW we Love your blog! Follow you for sure! ;) Perhaps you could drop by our blog for more inspirations? :)

    Love,
    MLU the blog.

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  4. wow...looks really good...i love spicy food. Thai food is also one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing the recipe...easy enuff for cooking dummies like me. Bak choy is a good way to make this dish more healthy

    mongs
    mythriftycloset.blogspot.com

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  5. Great that you linked in, thanks.

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I genuinely enjoy reading everyone's comments. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts!