Thanks to the homemade paste, this curry always turns out incredibly rich and creamy, with variable spiciness.
I don’t even know what part of the taste to taste first.
A Patron
Copy and paste
Listen, I know what you’re thinking. It looks like a lot of steps, but the homemade paste is by far the largest chunk of work. If you make a bunch of it in advance and freeze it in portions, all you need to do for your dinner is fry it in some oil, add the coconut milk, and throw in the chopped meat and veggies. The additional toppings are nice, but optional if you want to keep it simple. When preparing a larger batch of paste, here’s a rule of thumb: use 1-2 tbsp of curry paste in 200-300ml of coconut milk per serving.
One important note on the paste: Use the big Thai dried chilies, not small ones! If you have only tiny chilies, use around 16, and 10-12 if you have mid-sized ones. Be aware that smaller chilies are often spicier. If you want to cut down on spiciness regardless of chili size, discard the seeds when chopping them. And while we’re on the topic of paste ingredients, I know that shrimp paste isn’t everyone’s thing. It adds a subtle note to the curry that I enjoy, but don’t need. Leave it out if you prefer, and of course if you want to turn the paste vegetarian.
Swap the veggies
I like to add one type of meat or seafood, and one vegetable when making a Thai curry. For the vegetable, I went for bamboo shoots here because they’re classic and low-maintenance, and stay firm and crunchy even when simmering for a long period. If you’re looking for alternatives, besides zucchini or butternut squash, you could also go for 200g of bell peppers, oyster mushrooms, or Thai eggplants (cut into eights). Large Western eggplants might also work, but I’ve never tried.
Swap the protein
I chose pork because I really like how it jives with red curry in particular, but beef and chicken are equally classic choices. When it comes to the specific pork cut, I’ve seen variations from very lean (tenderloin) to very fatty (pork belly). I’m not sure what the most traditional choice is, but my recommendation is, as always, to pick whatever your taste buds dictate. I prefer a lean cut because I dislike chewing on fatty meat that hasn’t simmered for a long enough time to basically melt (like Kakuni).
You can easily turn this dish vegetarian by choosing tofu (and of course leaving out the shrimp paste). If you do, I recommend you get the firm type, dice and pan-fry it, and don’t add it to the curry while simmering. Instead, place it in on top at the end, otherwise it will get soggy and might fall apart.
Finally, I also use shrimp quite frequently because I have a good amount of raw frozen shrimp in the freezer at all times. With that and pre-made frozen paste ready to go, you only need to buy very few ingredients to throw an amazing curry together in a short amount of time.
Top it off
You often see fresh herbs on top, but I don’t like buying an entire bunch of Thai basil just to use two leaves for garnish. If you happen to grow your own, it’s the perfect choice, though.
Fried Thai garlic is another amazing topping, but I cannot find this stuff anywhere near me. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on it, fry it in oil (don’t peel it!) and shred it to small sprinkles.
By contrast, frozen kaffir lime leaves are widely available, it seems. If using, make the strips or shreds as small as you humanly can, otherwise they are tough to eat. And finally, I highly recommend the crushed cashews not only for their taste, but also the contrast in texture.
Thai Red Curry
Equipment
- 1 pestle and mortar or spice grinder
- 1 stand mixer or food processor
Ingredients
For the paste (mandatory)
- 6-10 dried chilies large Thai ones!
- 2-3 stalks lemon grass using only the white part
- 0.25 red onion small
- 5 garlic cloves mid-sized
- 0.5 tbsp galangal peeled
- 0.5 tsp white peppercorns
- 0.25 tsp coriander seeds
- 0.125 tsp cumin seeds
For the paste (optional)
- 0.5 tbsp kaffir lime zest or leaves
- 0.5 tbsp shrimp paste
For the curry
- 800 ml coconut milk
- 400 g pork tenderloin
- 200 g bamboo shoots or squash (zucchini/butternut)
- 1 tbsp palm or white sugar or to taste
- 1 tbsp fish sauce or to taste
- 0.5 tsp table salt
- 1.5 tbsp neutral oil
For garnish (optional)
- 4 kaffir lime leaves
- 1-2 fresh red chilies small
- 20 g cashews
Side (optional)
- 200 g Jasmine rice dry weight
Instructions
Make the paste
- Boil some water and pour it over the dried chilies in a bowl. Soak for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, crush the white pepper, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds using a pestle and mortar. Briefly toast them in a small, dry pan over medium heat and set aside.
- Cut off the tough end of the lemongrass stems, then thinly slice the white part. You don't need the green part for this recipe.
- Peel and thinly slice the red onion.
- Peel the garlic cloves.
- Peel the galangal, then cut into three slices.
- If using, remove the zest from the kaffir limes. If using kaffir lime leaves instead, remove the thick stem from the middle, then slice up the halved leaves.
- Take the chilies out of the water and pat dry. Cut off the top, then roughly chop them up. If you want to cut down on the heat, discard the seeds.
- Put all the prepared ingredients into a food processor and blend into a paste. Add up to 2tbsp of liquid coconut milk or water to make it smoother if desired.
- If you want to reserve any paste for a later date, freeze it at this point.
Prep the ingredients & toppings
- If your bamboo shoots aren't already thin slices, cut them down to bite size. If using squash, cut into cubes.
- Cut the pork into thin slices about 1-2 cm wide.
- If desired, mix it with 0.5 tsp of salt and let it sit for a few minutes.
- If using for garnish, remove the stem from the kaffir lime leaves, then slice or shred very thinly.
- Wash the red chilies, remove the stem, and cut them into slices.
- If using, roughly crush the cashews in your mortar. If they are raw, briefly toast the crushed cashews in a dry pan over high heat to brown.
- Now is a good time to wash the rice and pop it into your rice cooker in salted water. The timing will line up unless you decide to let the curry simmer for longer to deepen the flavor.
Make the curry
- Pour 1 tbsp of neutral oil into a high-walled pan or wok over medium high heat.
- After a minute or two, add your curry paste and fry for at least two minutes until fragrant.
- Optional: Reserve 1-2 tbsp of coconut cream for garnish. If thick cream gathered at the top, take 0.5 tbsp of it and 1 tbsp of the liquid milk underneath. Mix well in a small bowl and set aside.
- Add the (remaining) coconut milk to the pan or wok and stir until the paste is fully integrated.
- Turn the heat down to medium or medium low to get a gentle simmer.At this stage, I like to keep the curry simmering with the lid on for around 40 minutes to deepen the flavor. Skip if you don't have the time.
- Add the sugar and fish sauce and stir until the sugar is dissolved. If using palm sugar, crush it in the mortar first.
- Turn the heat up to medium high. Add the bamboo shoots and meat, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Serve
- Distribute curry to bowls or deep plates.
- If you set aside some coconut cream with water, splash it on for decoration.
- Garnish with chopped chilies, shredded/sliced kaffir lime leaves, and crushed cashews.
- Serve with rice. Enjoy!
