Easy-Peasy Thai Red Curry
If you like spicy Thai food, you will love this red curry. It is such a quick and easy recipe to follow and it tastes as good as any I have had in Thai restaurants. It is very flavorful, quite healthy (since it has lots of veggies, low fat boneless chicken and very little oil). I know some people are concerned about the cholesterol level in coconut milk but nutritionists say that the cholesterol in coconut is actually the good kind of cholesterol, so it is actually good for you. The bright colors of the veggies make this dish a feast for the eyes and the yummy taste is unbeatable!
Ingredients:
1. ½ lb of boneless chicken breast (you can also use shrimp if you like see food or extra firm tofu for a vegetarian version)
2. 1/2 red bell pepper
3. 1/2 green bell pepper
4. 1/2 yellow bell pepper
5. 10-15 green beans
6. Two tablespoons of red curry paste concentrate (available at East Asian stores) – add more if you like it spicy.
7. One 5.6 ounces can of coconut milk
8. 8-10 basil leaves or Thai basil leaves (if you can find these, I recommend these!)
9. 2 tablespoons of corn/canola oil
10. 2 teaspoons of sugar
Directions
1. Cut the boneless chicken breast into approximately 1-2 inch square inch pieces (to make bite sized pieces).
2. Mix the chicken pieces with the red curry paste.
3. Cut the three colored bell peppers into bite sized pieces (remove the seeds from the inside).
4. Cut the green beans in 1-2 inch pieces.
5. Place a heavy bottomed frying pan on high heat.
6. When the pan is hot, add the cooking oil and spread it across the bottom of the pan.
7. Add the marinated chicken pieces to the hot oil and stir constantly till the chicken pieces look cooked (usually takes 4-5 minutes).
8. Add the veggies to the pan and stir everything to spread the curry paste over the veggies as well. Cook for a minute or two.
9. Cut the basil leaves in thin slices and add to the pan and stir.
10. Add the can of coconut milk and sugar to the pan and stir all the contents of pan. Turn the heat off after a minute or two of cooking the curry.
11. Serve while the dish is still piping hot, with a side of jasmine rice.
Yummy! I love Thai curries. Yours looks easy to do and I can almost smell the fragrance!
Yes Shilpa – it is VERY easy – takes all of 10-15 minutes and tastes as good as any Thai restaurant in our area. While traveling through Thailand, I often found the food too hot for me to handle (even though I think my tolerance for hot food is quite high) so I wasn’t able to taste a lot of curries while I was there. So I have to use Thai restaurants in the US as my reference point and by that standard this red curry is REALLY good. Do try it!
Fabulous – do you recommend any brand of Thai Curry paste?
Hi Lakshmi, I usually buy cans of “Maesri” brand red or green curry paste. There are several other brands available at Asian Stores but I usually buy this brand because of its small packaging (4 oz cans). I use only 2-3 tablespoons each time I make the dish and freeze the rest in a glass jar or small sized tupperware . I guess, in Thai households they cook a lot more Thai food and so there is little that is wasted but I don’t cook it that often and so small sized cans are preferable for me. In any case, the taste is REALLY good and over the past few years I have stuck to buying this brand. Hope this helps!