Install App - Add Dave's Eats to your home screen for quick access!
You are currently offline. Some features may be unavailable.

Dave's Eats

← Back to Thai Red Curry with Chicken

Thai Red Curry with Chicken

×0.5

Prep 5 min · Cook 20 min

A flavorful Thai red curry with chicken, pumpkin, and green beans in a rich coconut milk sauce.

  • 1 Tbsp, 1 1⁄2 tsp (20 g) vegetable oil or canola oil or peanut oil

Heat oil in a large heavy based skillet over medium high heat.

  • 2 Tbsp, 1 1⁄2 tsp to 3 Tbsp (41 to 49 g) thai red curry paste
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 1 1⁄2 tsp (8 g) lemongrass paste or 1 tsp fresh lemongrass, finely minced

Add curry paste and Extras and cook for about 2 minutes so it "dries out".

  • 1⁄2 cup (120 g) low-sodium chicken broth

Add chicken broth and stir to dissolve paste. Simmer rapidly for 3 minutes or until liquid reduces by half.

  • 200 mL (196 g) coconut milk
  • 3 sheets kaffir lime leaf
  • 1 1⁄2 tsp (6 g) sugar
  • 1 tsp (6 g) fish sauce
  • 175 g Boneless skinless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenderloin, cut into 0.75 inch thick slices

Add coconut milk, lime leaves, sugar and fish sauce. Stir, then add chicken.

Spread chicken out, bring to simmer, then turn heat down to medium. Simmer for about 8-10 minutes or until sauce reduces, the chicken is cooked and the sauce is almost at the thickness you want.

Do a taste test. Add more fish sauce (or even shrimp paste) to add more saltiness, sugar for sweetness.

  • 75 g pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into 1.5 cm cubes
  • 60 g green beans, trimmed and cut into 5 cm pieces

Add pumpkin and beans, stir. Cook for 3 minutes or until pumpkin is just cooked through and sauce is thickened.

  • 6 sprigs Thai basil leaves or basil leaves

Remove from heat. Stir through a handful of Thai basil leaves.

  • 0.5 fresh red chilli slices (optional)
  • 0.5 fresh coriander leaves (optional)
  • 0.5 steamed jasmine rice

Serve over jasmine rice, garnished with fresh red chilli slices and fresh coriander/cilantro leaves, if desired.

Notes
  • Curry paste - if using store bought, try to get Maesri brand if you can, it's the best (small can, very cheap). Sold at major grocery stores (Woolies, Coles) or Asian stores. Otherwise, use your favourite.
  • Use 5 tbsp if you are unsure about spiciness, or 6 tbsp (or the whole can!) if you are sure you can handle it!
  • Curry paste in jars has a more concentrated flavour than fresh homemade paste so you need less. The video shows homemade paste.
  • Extras - these are to freshen up store bought curry paste. Not required if using homemade.
  • Lemongrass paste - convenience tubes of cold pressed lemongrass paste, the next best thing to peeling / finely chopping fresh lemongrass! Can sub with 2 tsp finely minced fresh lemongrass.
  • Kaffir Lime Leaves are the leaves of a kaffir lime tree. It's used to add earthy citrus flavours into Asian food. Sold at large grocery stores and Asian stores. Dried is an ok substitute (same amount), but try to find fresh if you can because it adds that 'something-something' that really makes this 'restaurant quality'.
  • Chicken - Thigh is best for this recipe because it's nice and juicy. But breast and tenderloin is fine too.
  • Thai Basil looks like normal basil but has pointier leaves and a purplish tinge. It tastes like basil plus aniseed. Not the end of the world if you can't find it - ordinary basil is an adequate substitute but only use a small handful.
  • Spiciness: Thai Red Curry is not supposed to be crazy spicy but it has a nice tingle to it.
  • Sauce thickness varies drastically between restaurants - at some it is almost watery, at others it is really thick and seems to be made with coconut cream. I like mine in between - a sauce that is pourable but with a gravy-like consistency.
  • I am not a fan of very sweet Red Curry, but if you are, just add more sugar.
  • Thai red curry sauce doesn't look completely smooth, it looks a bit split because of the oil and that's the way it is supposed to be.
  • There are no hard and fast rules about what goes into a Thai Red Curry. You'll find Thai eggplant in curries at very authentic Thai restaurants but to be honest, I am not a huge fan of them - they are like tiny eggplants and kind of hard (also not easy to find in shops).
  • The two most common vegetables I've noticed are pumpkin and green beans or snake beans. While pumpkin may not sound 'Thai', don't dismiss it, it is spectacular in red curry for both the texture, the sweetness and also because it soaks up the sauce.

Thanks for visiting my site. | master-0345f4d (docker)