Thai Red Curry:: My New Fav Recipe

One time I made too much Indian Curry.  Finally we have eaten our way through the quadruple batch.  Needless to say I have felt a little burned out on curry. 

 Until I remembered that it's an entirely different dish in southeast Asia.

Run, don't walk, to your nearest grocery store and scoop up some Thai red curry paste and coconut milk then make this recipe ASAP.  I bought the above jar at Whole Foods for around $3, but some larger Krogers will carry it.

The recipe written below is how I made curry for a recent dinner party.  Just remember, making curry is similar to making chili - everyone has a method and preferred ingredients.  Feel free to mix and match what you like! Or whatever is in your fridge. :)  Key ingredients are Thai red curry paste and coconut milk (full fat, your tongue will thank you later.)

It comes together quickly and is the perfect recipe to prepare/chop ahead of time and can be on the table in mere minutes.

Yield: enough for 6 women with 5+ cups leftover
(you could easily halve this recipe)

Ingredients:

2-4 T red curry paste
2 cans full fat coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth (or water)
(optional for thickness: 1-2 T corn starch)
2 cups sliced carrots
1 diced onion*, or white parts of bok choy
1 lb asparagus, in 2 inch pieces (green beans, zucchini, or broccoli would be good, too)
1 red pepper, roughly chopped
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

optional: cilantro for garnish
I had mango and peanuts also for garnish but forgot them!

Instructions:

In a large pot, bring to a boil 1 cup chicken broth (or water) then add sliced carrots.  Cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes.  Add 2 cans of coconut milk and stir.  Because I like for the sauce to be thicker, I like to add a couple tablespoons of corn starch.  (Remember when adding corn starch to hot liquids, first stir it in something cold.  You could stir it in a bit of coconut milk in the can, or water then add to your hot liquids.)  Bring all the above to a boil, constantly stirring so that the corn starch doesn't settle on the bottom of your pan.

*If using onion instead of bok choy, I recommend boiling the onion and carrots together to tame the onion.  I used bok choy and its flavor is much milder than onion.

Now that the liquid is thickened a bit, begin adding the red curry paste.  Start with a heaping teaspoon, taste then add more.  I used about half the jar.  The first time I made this recipe, I added a lot more red curry paste after removing my children's portion.  My husband and I prefer more flava than the children can tolerate.

When your sauce tastes perfect, add the reminder of the vegetables and keep stirring until you reach desired tenderness.  I prefer my veggies on the crunchier side so they were cooked in about 3 minutes.  Then add in cooked chicken and garbanzo beans.  Keep stirring until it's warm through.

Serve with rice.

Here's the recipe I used for inspiration, which used boneless chicken breasts.

Go ahead, run for your red curry paste.   Hurry and make this curry. (I crack me up.)  Seriously, try it this week.

-Julie