Hello! Hi everyone, Wesley here. Today we’re diving back into our series dedicated to Thai cuisine with a shot at one of my consistent favorites at most Thai restaurants, which is a classic red coconut curry. Those following along with this channel will know that this is absolutely not our first curry, some may recall Japanese white miso curry, Thai pumpkin curry, Indian saag paneer, chicken tikka masala, and a whole bunch more, meaning that we are in fact, well versed now in the art of slow cooking in a wok. A Thai red coconut curry, however, most iconically featuring the use of…you guessed it, red curry paste, as its core foundation.
Those that have sought out this stuff in the grocery stores though, are likely all too familiar with the fact that not all curry pastes are equal. A quick look at the ingredients list on these things will tell you the wide variety of spices, aromatics, and flavors that have been jammed into the jar already ( and as you as you can imagine, some are more preferable than others). So! Today we’re gonna dive into what I personally look out for in a curry paste, in addition to a few other iconically Thai flavors that i’ve hunted down for us today as well, including some palm sugar, lemongrass, kabocha squash, and of course, coconut milk. Hope you try it.
Serves 2-3
INGREDIENTS
4 cloves garlic
1 inch (about 1 tbsp) ginger
2 Thai chiles
1 stalk lemongrass
1 red bell pepper
4 oz green beans
1/2 kabocha squash
1 cup Thai basil
2 medium chicken thighs
2 tbsp palm sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 lime
14 oz coconut milk
1/4 cup red curry paste
peanut oil
PREP
CRUSH and mince the garlic, set aside
FINE MINCE the ginger, set aside
SLICE the Thai chile, set aside
PEEL the lemongrass to its core, then mince and set aside
SLICE the bell pepper into strips, set aside
REMOVE the tip and tail ends of the green beans, then slice into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside
DICE the kabocha squash, set aside
DESTEM the Thai basil, set aside
ON THE STOVE
HEAT a wok up over medium heat, then add 4 tbsp peanut oil and long yao
ADD the chicken and sear for 2 minutes, then toss for wok hei and remove the chicken
REHEAT the wok as hot as possible, then add 4 tbsp peanut oil and long yao
ADD the garlic, ginger, Thai chile, and lemongrass, then toss until fragrant for about 15 seconds
ADD the coconut milk and curry paste, then toss to combine for 2-3 minutes until the solids break down
ADD the chicken back to the wok, followed by the bell pepper, kabocha squash, and green beans, then toss to combine
ADD the palm sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice, then toss to combine and simmer for a minimum of 1 hour
ADD the Thai basil, toss to combine, and serve immediately over rice