Thai Red Curry Recipe in UK

Thai is one of the world’s most popular cuisines, with Red Curry Thai being a favorite dish both in Thailand and the UK. It packs flavor and you just need 30 minutes, and a few ingredients to make it.

Like most Asian dishes, Thai Red Curry offers a variety of flavors with many layers of ingredients. The gravy is both sweet and savory with a creamy texture that wraps around chicken and vegetables. It is a common menu item in Asian takeout restaurants in the UK.

One may assume that Thai red curry is fiery hot and spicy. However, that’s not the case. If you look at the dish, it seems orangy-red, but it tastes quite mild and you can either pair it with white rice or dig in without any side dish.

I absolutely love creamy curries and soups that you can eat with garlic bread or a side of rice. Chicken Paprikash and Turkish Chicken soup are some of my favorite similar dishes made with chicken and a thick gravy.

You can either make this dish using a Thai curry paste in a jar that is available in stores in the UK, or you can make homemade red curry Thai paste from scratch.

In this recipe, I have used store-bought paste as this recipe takes only 30 minutes. The paste is easily available in the UK, so you don’t have to worry about its availability.

Since I’m using curry paste in a jar, I have used a few extra ingredients to make the paste better. I have used garlic, ginger, and lemongrass to saute the paste in oil. These aromatic ingredients work wonders when it comes to boosting the flavor and smell.

Key Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients that you need for this recipe:

• 5-6 tbsp of Thai Red Curry Paste
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 12 oz/ 350g chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
• 400 ml coconut milk, full-fat
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 5 oz/ 150g pumpkin squash
• 120g green beans
• 10 Thai basil leaves
• Fresh coriander

Instructions

1. Take a large skillet and heat oil on medium-high heat.
2. Add curry paste. If you are using store-bought Thai curry paste, add 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp grated ginger, and 1 tbsp finely chopped lemongrass.
3. Add chicken broth and simmer the mixture for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add coconut milk, sugar, lime leaves, and fish sauce. Stir consistently.
5. Add chicken. Make sure the chicken is cut into small cubes.
6. Turn down the heat, put on the lid, and simmer for 10-12 minutes. You can increase the cooking time until the chicken is cooked properly and the sauce thickens.
7. Add pumpkin and beans. Stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and garnish with basil leaves, and chopped coriander.
9. Serve with steamed rice or noodles.

Variations

• If you want a vegan red curry Thai recipe, you can substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth and chicken thigh with bell pepper, carrots, and onion. Eggplant and Zucchini also offer a great combination with Thai spices.
• If you cannot find Thai basil, normal basil will work too.

Chef Notes

• If you are using store-bought curry paste, make sure to get one from an Asian store.
• You can use any chicken part in this recipe, but the thigh is recommended because it’s juicy and cooks well. You can also use the breast.
• Thai curry is not very spicy, so you can adjust the taste accordingly.
• Most people like a runny sauce in red curry Thai, but I like mine with a gravy-like consistency that sticks to the chicken. If you want a runny sauce, you can increase coconut milk in the recipe, or chicken broth to achieve the desired consistency.
• You can store the curry for up to 5 days. I don’t recommend freezing the curry as coconut milk tends to separate when frozen.

What is Thai Red Curry Paste Made Of in the UK?

Red curry paste is a mixture of red chili pepper, sea salt, garlic, lemongrass, turmeric, and shrimp paste.

There are different brands of curry paste available in the market, but one of the main ingredients is shrimp paste as it gives it an umami flavor. So, if you are using a store-bought paste, make sure it contains shrimp paste.

The bottled paste is quite intense in flavor, but it lacks aroma and freshness. Therefore, whenever I’m using one to make Thai food, I always cook the paste in some oil and aromatic ingredients like garlic, lemongrass, cilantro, etc. to give it freshness.

You can find ready-made paste on places like Amazon or Sous Chef in the UK.

How can I make Thai red curry spicier?

Thai red curry is mostly mild in flavor, so if you want more heat, you can add chili pepper to the mix of spices. You can either use ground pepper, or fresh hot peppers if available.

My favorite thing to spice up any curry is to temper chilies or pepper in oil and add it to the dish. You can either add this during cooking or later when you are serving the dish.

The piping hot chili oil adds another dimension of flavor to the dish. It gives the curry a bold flavor with extra spice. You can use any chili type you have. I personally like to use Thai chili, cayenne peppers, or crushed paprika.

What to serve Thai Curry with – side dishes

Planning to make a meal for your family or friends with Thai red curry? Here are some of the best side dishes that perfectly pair with the flavorful curry:

• Rice
• Chopped vegetable salad with garlic dressing
• Flatbread
• Steamed dumplings
• Crispy Hong Kong noodles
• Picked cucumber salad
• Purple daikon radish
• Spring rolls
• Thai fishcake

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1 (curry only)

Calories: 530kcal	Carbohydrates: 18g
Protein: 24g	Total Fat: 43g
Cholesterol: 109mg	Sodium: 400mg