Thai Red Chicken Curry
Thailand's red chicken curry: chicken simmered in a coconut sauce built on dried-red-chilli paste with lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime.
Overview
Classic Thai restaurant favorite with red curry paste. Color from chillies; use homemade paste for best flavor. Thin sauce with chicken and vegetables.
Ingredients
Fat
- 2 tbsp coconut oil (or rapeseed, canola) oil
Paste
- 1 batch Thai red curry paste
Protein
- 450 g (1 lb) skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite-size pieces
Liquid
- 250 ml (1 cup) Thai chicken stock
- 400 ml (1 ¾ cups) thick coconut milk
Vegetables
- 225 g (8 oz) vegetables, such as baby aubergine (eggplant), sliced red (bell) pepper, green (string) beans
Seasoning
- 3 tbsp Thai fish sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- 1 tbsp palm sugar
Garnish
- Coriander (cilantro) leaves
- 1 tsp roasted Thai chilli oil, to garnish (optional)
Method
Stage 1 - Fry paste and chicken
- Heat oil in large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat.
- Add red curry paste; fry 30 seconds.
- Add chicken; fry 2 mins until 50% cooked.
Stage 2 - Add liquids and simmer
- Stir in stock and coconut milk; simmer 5 mins to thicken.
Stage 3 - Add veggies and season
- Add vegetables, fish sauce, soy sauce, tamarind, and palm sugar.
- Simmer 3 mins until veggies cooked.
- Taste and adjust; cook down to desired consistency.
Stage 4 - Garnish and serve
- Garnish with coriander and chilli oil.
Notes
- Many soy and Thai fish sauces contain gluten; use gluten-free brands.
- Color varies with chillies in paste.
- Use homemade paste for less salty/spicy.
Serving
- Serve with jasmine rice.
- Garnish as desired.
Storage
- Refrigerate 2-3 days in airtight container.
- Reheat gently; add water if thick.
- Freeze up to 2 months.
Recipes mentioned here
Chicken Curry
A curry-house style chicken curry that builds flavor from whole spices and fresh aromatics rather than premade base sauces. The method takes a little more time, but rewards you with a rich, home-style curry sauce and tender chicken. Add extra chilli or more garam masala to increase heat for your preference.
Thai Chicken Stock
When making stocks for Asian dishes, it is important to use Asian ingredients. Chicken stock is used as a base for dishes in so many cuisines. Using a Western-style chicken stock or, even worse, chicken stock cubes to cook Thai recipes just won’t do, as the flavours will be wrong. This simple Thai stock will get you the flavour you need for your Thai dishes.
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