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!
This recipe was delicious. I loved the curry paste tip and the ‘extras’. It made it simple enough but still had something a bit different to the usual jar and coconut milk. THANKYOU
You’re so welcome Emily!!
I love this recipe so MUCH!
Only one so far that I’ve been able to come close to restaurant curry, and it is NOT far off!
Used almost 2 tins of the Maesri… I’ll definitely be making my own paste next time!
Keep up the wonderful work
You definitely need to try with homemade paste – can’t wait to hear what you think once you give it a go! N x
l love this recipe and have made it many times. This might be a silly question but could you serve it over noodles instead of rice (like a pasta). Or is the sauce too thin?
Hi Melissa, you sure could! N x
Thanks for this delicious recipe! Best Thai dish I have cooked. I substituted the pumpkin for green beans, capsicum, carrot, and mung beans. Garnished with home grown fresh sweet basil and a some freshly squeezed lime juice. Amazing and easy with the store bought paste recommended 🙂
Yum!! You can really add any vegetables you have in your fridge, I always use up my leftovers with this recipe! N x
LOVE this recipe! Tastes way better than takeaway.
I was planning to cook this again but our stove broke, so can it be done in a slow cooker? If so, do I need to add extra liquid?
Hi Vanessa, I’m so happy you loved it! Sorry this one needs the curry paste cooked off and can’t be done in a slow cooker.
Grat tip Maesri currypaste OMG walked passed it umteen times as supermarket sooo grateful that you share these cooks secrets for taking my cooking to another level….
Love you Nagi & Love Dozer !!
Alwyas a happy place to come to near the end of the day, makes cooking almost fun!!
That’s great to hear Dee, everyone should enjoy cooking!!
This was so helpful, I have been wondering why my jar sauce, from Thai Kitchen (ugh I know, but I live on an island and can only acquire certain things via amazon ) no longer tastes flavourful, is bland and too sweet. . Your suggestions about corrections for this are helpful! I might suggest editing your post for the multiple spelling and grammar errors. “Palate” for one. But lovely discussion of a favourite!!
We love Thai food but never attempted to make it ourselves. You have made it SO easy for us to pass on! Thank you so much for inspiring!!
Love the Maesri line of curry pastes. I tried their Panang curry paste following your recipe for Red curry and the results are amazing! Next stop Pad See Ew! Thanks a ton again and keep ’em coming!
I’m so glad you love them!! You can skip the takeout now! N x
Hi Nagi,
thanks so much for sharing this recipe, I absolutely love it.
I was wondering if you have tried making this with fish and if you have what fish would you recommend and how would it change the cooking time?
Hi Drew, any firm white fish would be great with this recipe. I’d chop it into inch big pieces and add them to the sauce when simmering (at step 5) Enjoy!! N x
Simply delicious …thanks for the recipe
You’re so welcome Henriette!!
Cooked this last week… much to the chagrin of my wonderful partner as she has an acute aversion to coconut – thusly, i subbed in evaporated milk for the coconut milk, and guess what? I am now finely, after 14 years and many failed attempts allowed to cook Red Curry again!!
Your recipe Nagi, is perfect! 😊 Was just checking your recipe to make it again tonight and saw Haley’s comment below…
i used nearly half an Ayam jar (my Coles didn’t have Maesri) and our 12yo daughter who doesn’t dig it too spicy, loved it!! It probably about 4 tbsp??
Thanks again Nagi and keep those smoking hot recipes a coming 😉You’re passion and descriptiveness added to the fun too mate! Trying to get re-excited about cooking has been a bit of a challenge and you’ve certainly helped me to get creative once more! (i finish work at 2.30pm everyday, so there should be no excuse for me not to cook an amazing meal for my family right?!??)
Trying a couple of tweaks of my own this evening, the fresh lime leaves and fresh ginger worked a treat last time 👌 P x
That’s SO great to hear Paul!!
I really want to try this, how many spoonfuls would I use if young children are eating this? Also can this be frozen?
Hi Haley, it’s quite spicy, start with less before adding more and taste as you go! N x
Nagi, i can recommend this for a great family meal. I had store bought paste hiding in the cupboard so used it and the curry was so tasty. I’ll have a crack at making my own paste once that runs out. And what a surprise the pumpkin was! Not normally my favourite but increasing our families vege intake as they grow rapidly made me add it [and some ] and we all loved it. The kids even coped with a bit of chilli!
That’s awesome to hear Leisa!
Hi Nagi, I read this post and it’s really helpful since I’m about to make this recipe for my website. To be honest, I tried spotting for any obvious mistakes but so far, I couldn’t find any! Not that I don’t make them myself xD
Made this again for a new year’s Eve party, was asked to bring a curry. Everyone loved it, top of the class, I casually said it’s my number three curry, you should try my rendang and massaman.(thanks nagi) I’m away at the moment and have access to a Thai shop with fresh ingredients, was tempted to put in some round/Thai eggplants. How would you use them? I read simmer for anything from raw to 30 minutes, not sure what to believe. Black seeds bad? Inedible? Any tips appreciated
Sounds like you nailed it Paul! Thai eggplants are hard to find here but if you can get them – great! I’d add them in step 5 of this curry and let them simmer for about 10 minutes or until just tender – N x
isnt “savouriness” just Umami? lol
This recipe is amazing. The curry came out so good. I couldn’t locate the kaffir leaves near me, but it was still very delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Hp!
Marvelous, made this for family and friends on Christmas Eve, rave reviews.
Awesome Paul!!
Hi nagi – unfortunately my local supermarket rarely has lime leaves in stock. If i was using the valcom jarred variety what equivalent measure should i add please? Thanks
Did the shortcut Maesri version (using the whole can and only excluding lemongrass) and it came out restaurant quality. I am partial to very spicy food, and decided to simmer in 8 thinly sliced birds eye chilies which resulted in what would be a 4/5 spice level on the average Thai menu.
By the way Nagi, Home Thai in Sydney has a red duck curry that is a million times better than any I’ve had in the U.S. It is very (thai-hot) spicy but also incredibly flavorful. I would be forever grateful if you could post a copy cat 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Ed!! I’ll have to try that place, sounds like a winner!