Thai Red Curry – everything we know and love about Thai food! Big, bold Thai flavours, beautifully fragrant, the creamy red curry sauce is so good you can put anything in it and it will be amazing!
Make the easy 30 minute red curry recipe using my trick to pimp up store bought curry paste. Or go all out and make a Thai Red Curry Paste from scratch! Complete your Thai banquet with Thai Satay Skewers or Thai Fish Cakes to start.
Thai Red Curry recipe
We’d all love to be able to have a Thai Red Curry any night of the week made with homemade red curry paste. Freshly made, like the best Thai restaurants do every day. But it’s simply not viable.
So today, I’m sharing a recipe for how to make Thai Red Curry two ways:
30 Minute quick version using curry paste in a jar – sharing my secret for how to make an AMAZING curry using curry paste in a jar!
From scratch, using a homemade red curry paste
The BEST Thai Red Curry Paste – Maesri
The best Thai Red Curry Paste by a long shot is a brand called Maesri. This is also the brand I use for Thai Green Curry. Other brands tend to have less authentic flavour and are (usually) too sweet.
Sold in small cans for around $1.30 (it’s the cheapest!), it’s available in large grocery stores (Coles, Woolies, Harris), Asian grocery stores and here is the cheapest one on Amazon US.
Don’t worry if you can’t find it. This recipe is still great even with mainstream curry pastes.
How to make jar curry paste better
Store bought curry paste in a jar lacks the freshness of freshly made curry paste. So if you just dump it into coconut milk, you’re going to be sorely disappointing.
So here is how to make curry paste in a jar taste way (way, way!) better:
Sauté the paste in oil with garlic, ginger and fresh lemongrass or lemongrass paste
Adding the fresh aromatics does wonders for improving the flavour!
What does a Thai Red Curry Taste like??
Thai Red Curry, like most Asian curries, has a great depth of flavour. The sauce flavour is complex, it has many layers from all the ingredients in the paste that is then simmered with broth and coconut milk. It’s sweet and savoury, and it is quite rich.
The use of shrimp paste and fish sauce in the curry paste (jar or homemade) provides the saltiness as well as the umami *. However, this red curry recipe does not have a strong fishy or fermented shrimp flavour like some “hardcore” Thai restaurants. Most non-Thai nationals find those versions too fishy for their palette.
While one may assume Thai Red Curry is fiery hot, if from the colour alone, in actual fact it is not! It is actually quite mild, and generally most restaurants tend to stick with the mild level of spiciness though you will find some restaurants that dial up the heat considerably.
* Food-nerd word for savouriness, now officially considered to be the 5th taste in food along with sweet, salt, bitter and sour.
We love Thai Red Curry for the flavour, the creamy sauce, and how can one not love the colour!!
Complete your Thai meal with a starter of Thai Fish Cakes or Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce, and a fresh Asian Slaw on the side. And while you can totally serve the red curry with plain steamed Jasmine rice, you could take it to the next level with Thai Fried Rice or Coconut Rice! – Nagi x
PS If you’re wondering if the sauce is supposed to look sort of split – yes it is. The oil is actually supposed to separate. I’ve included some general commentary in the recipe notes, for those that are interested. 🙂
Thai red curry
Watch how to make it
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Thai Red Curry with Chicken
Ingredients
Red Curry Paste – choose ONE:
- 5 – 6 tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste (store bought, Maesri best) (Note 1)
- 1 quantity homemade Thai Red Curry Paste
Extras – only for jar curry paste (Note 2)
- 2 large garlic cloves , minced
- 2 tsp fresh ginger , finely grated
- 1 tbsp lemongrass paste or finely chopped fresh (Note 3)
Thai Red Curry
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil (or canola or peanut)
- 1 cup (250 ml) chicken broth/stock , low sodium
- 400 ml / 14 oz coconut milk (full fat!)
- 6 kaffir lime leaves (Note 4)
- 1 tbsp sugar (white, brown or palm)
- 2 tsp fish sauce , plus more to taste
- 350g / 12 oz chicken thighs (boneless and skinless), cut into 0.75 / 1/3″ thick slices (Note 5)
- 150g / 5 oz pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into 1.5cm / 3/5" cubes (~1 heaped cup)
- 120g / 4oz green beans , trimmed and cut into 5cm/2″ pieces
- 12 Thai basil leaves (Note 6)
Garnishes (optional) & serving:
- Fresh red chilli slices (small chilli – spicy, large = less spicy)
- Fresh coriander / cilantro leaves
- Steamed jasmine rice
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large heavy based skillet over medium high heat.
- Add curry paste and Extras (if using jar paste) and cook for about 2 minutes so it “dries out” (See video)
- Add chicken broth and stir to dissolve paste. Simmer rapidly for 3 minutes or until liquid reduces by half.
- Add coconut milk, lime leaves, sugar and fish sauce. Stir, then add chicken.
- Spread chicken out, bring to simmer, then turn heat down to medium. Simmer for about 8- 10 minutes or until Sauce reduces, the chicken is cooked and the sauce is almost at the thickness you want.
- Do a taste test. Add more fish sauce (or even shrimp paste) to add more saltiness, sugar for sweetness.
- Add pumpkin and beans, stir. Cook for 3 minutes or until pumpkin is just cooked through and Sauce is thickened – see video for Sauce thickness.
- Remove from heat. Stir through a handful of Thai basil leaves.
- Serve over jasmine rice, garnished with fresh red chilli slices and fresh coriander/cilantro leaves, if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Spiciness: Thai Red Curry is not supposed to be crazy spicy but it has a nice tingle to it.
Sauce thickness varies drastically between restaurants – at some it is almost watery, at others it is really thick and seems to be made with coconut cream. I like mine in between – a sauce that is pourable but with a gravy like consistency. I am not a fan of very sweet Red Curry, but if you are, just add more sugar.
Consistency: Thai red curry sauce doesn’t look completely smooth, it looks a bit split because of the oil and that’s the way it is supposed to be.
Stuff in it: There are no hard and fast rules about what goes into a Thai Red Curry. You’ll find Thai eggplant in curries at very authentic Thai restaurants but to be honest, I am not a huge fan of them – they are like tiny eggplants and kind of hard (also not easy to find in shops). I’d say that the two most common vegetables I’ve noticed are pumpkin and green beans or snake beans. While pumpkin may not sound “Thai”, don’t dismiss it, it is spectacular in red curry for both the texture, the sweetness and also because it soaks up the sauce. 8. Nutrition per serving, curry only.
Nutrition Information:
I adore Thai curries
See?
Life of Dozer
It’s lucky he’s so cute because he isn’t going to win any prizes in the spelling bee…. When he bonks his head on the door frame, it sounds hollow. I swear!
I was wondering if I can use a frozen veggies blend for this and if so, at what step would I add them in.
Mine was really salty and strong. So it’s definitely 5 tablespoons of curry paste?
I still ate it though 😂
Omg this recipe is amazing! My red curry tastes restaurant quality. I love the fragrance of kaffir lime leaves, it really does elevate the dish. Thank you so much for this recipe! ❤️
You rock! I’ve been trying to prepare a good curry with jar paste and never get the results i want… the Maesri paste is a win as worked for the last curry made! Thank you! I’m going to use your recipe tonight substituting the squash with carrots … hope it works! Excited to get as close to “thai restaurant” as i can! Love curry!
my curry was too runny what did I do wrong
Would this recipe work with duck (ala red duck curry)?
I LOVE this recipe! I find myself turning to it each time I crave red curry-my favorite Thai dish. Much cheaper than getting take out and I feel better knowing every ingredient that goes in it. Every time I make it I add whatever veggies I have on hand and it is always good. Thank you Nagi for another winner
This is one of the most delicious dishes I’ve ever tried, O absolutely love it, we are looking forward when it’s on the menu for our dinner. I sometimes use roasted garlic sweet potato cubes by Strong Roots (which I roast for 15mins) instead of butternut squash and it’s just fab. Sometimes add some garlic coriander naan bread. Thank you so much for sharing this with us Nagi. I always know I can find something tasty on your website 🥰
Wow. What a taste explosion. Had to do a bit of catch up as I mixed up tsp and tbsp with the curry paste. A quick fry up with the extra and into the mix. Great recipe, thank you
This was beautiful. Just wondering if I can freeze it? I’d love to have a batch sitting ready
Hi, this recipe is easy and delicious, as always. I used dried lemongrass and lime leaves (the only thing available in the Middle Europe) and it was still amazing. And thank you more than 1000 times for the trick with the store bought curry paste. Here I managed to get only the one from Cock brand, but it was still delicious.
This was delicious! Very easy and full of flavor. I loaded it with carrots, snap peas, bell peppers and mushrooms. Looking forward to enjoying this all week!
I absolutely love this recipe and website overall… I make this very often. It is just delicious 😍 thank you for sharing it with us.
I have used roasted garlic sweet potato cubes instead of butternut squash few times and was also gorgeous.
Tasted great, the hints really helped!! Can’t wait to try your Biryani 😍
I made this tonight and the flavour is absolutely amazing. I gave it 4 stars because the spice level was a little off the charts for us. Next time I will only use 3 tablespoons of the paste instead of 6. I bought the ingredients at our local Asian supermarket. I wasn’t able to get the brand that was recommended for the paste, but bought the one recommended by the staff at the store. I also used chicken breasts as that’s pretty much the only chicken I ever have on hand. I also used zucchini, red bell pepper and I used frozen green beans. I will definitely make this again though. It really was restaurant quality. Yum! Thank you for making Thai food easy to make at home.
Delicious! Will make again! I love how you provide clear instructions for using store-bought or homemade paste and how you even link to rice recipes, even plain Jasmine rice! I used the vegetables I had: carrots, bell peppers, and canned mushrooms. Thank you again, Nagi!
This was AMAZING! The most similar to restaurant taste I’ve ever gotten from a store bought canned paste! The brand really makes a difference as I’ve tried other brands and they don’t taste nearly as good. Made it slightly sweeter as it suited my taste better 🙂
I wasn’t sure a store bought paste could be as good as a home made one, however this was AMAZING!! What a flavour punch this little tin has! Loved this recipe – will definitely be making it again… & again!!! 🙂
Absolutely love this recipe!!!
Better than restaurant!!
Just wondering, what should I add to make the sauce a bit runnier?
Love!! So easy and delicious!! Added other veggies like eggplant, bamboo shots and red capsicum and just delish!
Hi Nagi, cooked this second time, as always cooking followed your great recipe turn ou 110% delicous, this time I double up re ipe , keeping meat 350g, adding bit of sweet potatoes, a bit more curry past and coconut milk adjusted and tofu in the end, Omg taste soooo great, served with your Easy Soft Flatbread(these made ahead tons of them in my freezer), my family love them, you r the best thank you