Red Thai curry
Meat mains
Red Thai curry
This fragrant Thai chicken curry makes a delectable dinner. If you have more time, try making your own red Thai curry paste – Thai pastes abound, but there is nothing like making your own: you just can't replicate the fresh, zesty fragrance of kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass when it's been in a long life, pasteurised jar. Eat with boiled or steamed white rice, greens and a good handful of coriander if you have some around.
Ingredients
for the paste
- 1 tsp each of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, white peppercorns and salt
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 fresh lime leaves (or 4 freeze dried)
- 1 stick fresh lemongrass, finely chopped
- 4cm fresh ginger (or galangal), finely chopped
- 3 fresh red chillies, deseeded and chopped
- 1 tsp shrimp paste (or 2 of fish sauce)
for the curry
- 600g skinless chicken breast, cut into large dice
- 275ml coconut milk
- 275ml chicken stock
- lemongrass stick, finely sliced lengthways
- 2 lime leaves
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp sugar (ideally palm sugar)
- 3 tbsp broken cashew nuts, toasted in a dry frying pan
- handful fresh coriander, chopped
Method
First make the paste
-
Step 1
Grind the spices and salt together in a mortar. Transfer to a food processor and add the rest of the ingredients, blend to a coarse paste.
For the curry
-
Step 1
mix the curry paste with the chicken. Next, warm the coconut milk, stock, lemongrass, lime leaves, fish sauce and sugar in a small saucepan. Set aside to infuse for 20 minutes.
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Step 2
Brown the chicken in a deep frying pan for 5 minutes, sieve the liquid into the pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve garnished with the nuts and coriander.
