top of page

THAI RED CURRY CHICKEN



    My love for Thai curries went to the next level when i visited Phuket, Thailand couple of years back for my birthday retreat. I have always loved the intense bold flavours of these Thai curries and particularly this classic red curry. Its a perfect amalgamation of hot, sweet, citrusy, salty and creamy flavours which makes it irresistibly delicious.


    Me and my family love these curries so much and eat it quiet often and that's why I always keep my red curry and green curry paste ready to use in my freezer...just cube them, unmould and preserve in ziplock bags. Use the number of cubes as per the quantity of the curry you are making. This advance planning saves me heaps of time and curry is fixed in minutes... Last week I made this red Thai curry in a jiffy as everyone was hungry and I just had small quantities of few assorted vegetables in my fridge. This curry was fixed in no time as my paste was already ready.

    Kaffir lime leaf is another important ingredient for any Thai curry to enhance its vibrant citrusy flavours. If you don’t plan to use your curry leaves soon after it’s purchase...it can be preserved best in the freezer.


    People also dry these leaves but I like to freeze my kaffir lime leaves to restore its aroma. They are best preserved in ziplock bags and can be kept up to 6 months. Use the number of leaves as you need to enhance the flavours of your soups or curries.

    I freeze a lot of different things and use them when they are not readily available in market ...I would love to hear from you what raw food items do you preserve to use later. I’ll leave the recipe of my red Thai curry paste on my website for you to try. Will leave the link in my bio.


    Please do write the feedback and post comments in the comments section below the recipe. It means the whole world to me to know someone out there is trying out my recipes. You can tag me on my Instagram page: instagram.com/simranskitchenoman/

    PREP TIME: 20 minutes COOKING TIME: 15 minutes SERVES: 4-6




    INGREDIENTS


    For red curry paste:

    • 7-15 dried red chillies

    • 1/4 cup shallots

    • 3 tbsp chopped garlic

    • 3 tbsp chopped lemon grass

    • 1tbsp chopped galangal

    • 2 tsp coriander roots/ stems

    • 1 tsp of kaffir lime skin(no pith)

    • 1 tsp fish sauce

    • 1/4 tsp white peppercorns, lightly ground

    • 1 tsp kosher salt


    For chicken curry:

    • 500g chicken breast fillet, cubed

    • 1 cup mixed bell peppers, diced

    • 1 cup mushrooms, thickly sliced

    • 2-3 kaffir lime leaves

    • 1 lemongrass, bashed and cut into small 2 inch pieces

    • 2 x 400 ml cans coconut milk, full fat

    • 2-3 tbsp lime juice

    • 1/2 tsp salt

    • 1-2 tbsp coconut sugar/ palm sugar

    • 3 tbsp sunflower oil/ coconut oil

    • 2 heaped tbsp Thai red curry paste


    For Garnish:

    • 1 tbsp coriander leaves

    • 2 kaffir lime leaves, julienned




    METHOD


    For Red Curry Paste:

    1. Remove seeds from chilies, cut them into half and soak them in water for 3-4 hours or until softened.

    2. Add these to a mortar and pestle along with salt and peppercorns. Grind it into a smooth paste.

    3. Add coriander roots, lemongrass, kaffir lime zest, and galangal, pound them into a fine paste.

    4. Add garlic, shallots and fish sauce, bring them all together to a fine paste.

    For Making Curry:

    1. Heat oil in a wok, add curry paste and kaffir lime leaves, sauté for 3-4 minutes on medium low heat until all raw flavours are gone.

    2. Add bell peppers, lemongrass and chicken, sauté for 3-4 minutes, then add mushrooms. Sauté for another minute.

    3. Add coconut milk, increase the heat and let it heat through but not boil. Add salt, lime juice and sugar. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

    4. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and julienned kaffir lime leaves.


    COOK’S NOTES:

    • If you do not like too much heat in the curry, reduce the amount of red chillies or remove seeds completely.

    • I made the red curry paste in an authentic way which gives the best taste. But if you are in a hurry and don’t have time to soak the chillies and make the paste authentically, you can dry grind the chillies separately. Then grind all the other ingredients along with ground chillies in a grinder and make the paste.

    • If you like your curry less soupy then reduce the quantity of coconut milk and adjust the seasoning.

    • You can make the paste days in advance and preserve it in the ice cube trays and freeze if not using it immediately. Unmould and preserve the cubes in ziplock bags for later use.

    SHAKSHUKA



      Living in Middle East for more than a decade, you tend to adapt the eating habits of the prevailing local community. Shakshuka has become one of the favorite weekend breakfast for my family.


      Shakshuka is an easy to make one pot dish which loosely translates to ‘all- mixed up’ in Arabic. It’s a delicious dish that is full of flavour and is originated in North African countries like Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria but traveled to Middle Eastern countries and is adapted by them too. It has all different variations to make this dish. I’m sharing my version with you and I like serving it with pita bread which is perfect for sopping up those oozing egg yolks with delicious peppery tomato sauce and crumbled feta. Crusty bread goes really well with that too.

      SERVES: 4 people

      PREP TIME: 15 minutes

      COOKING TIME: 14 minutes

      TOTAL TIME: 29 minutes



      INGREDIENTS

      • 2 x 400g canned tomatoes, chopped

      • 1 onion, chopped

      • 3 cloves garlic, chopped

      • 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced

      • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

      • 1/2 tsp paprika

      • 1 tsp cumin powder

      • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black or mixed pepper

      • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

      • 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt

      • 2 tsp sugar (optional)

      • 4 eggs

      For Garnishing:

      • 100g crumbled feta

      • 2 tbsp chopped parsley



      METHOD

      1. In a large pan, heat oil on medium low fire.

      2. Add onions, sauté for 1 minute and add garlic, cook for another minute and add chopped bell peppers, stir to cook for 2 minutes.

      3. Add paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin powder and salt, stir to roast the spices for a minute.

      4. Add tomatoes, stir to combine well, increase the flame and cook on medium high heat. Keep stirring in between for about 7-8 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked and water from the tomatoes is evaporated but they are still moist.

      5. Add sugar and mix. Taste, season more if required.

      6. Reduce the flame to low heat, make 4 cavities in the tomatoes, crack one egg in each cavity, cover the pan with a lid, let the egg whites cook while the yolks are still soft and runny for about 3-4 minutes. Remove from fire and uncover.

      7. Garnish with crumbled feta and parsley. Sprinkle freshly ground pepper and salt on eggs. Serve immediately with pita bread or sourdough bread.



      COOK'S NOTES:

      • I used Himalayan salt as it contains more minerals like potassium, magnesium and calcium than a normal table salt. You can use normal salt by all means if you cannot get hold of the pink salt.

      • I like my yolks runny and soft in the center, but if you like your eggs hard, leave for another 3-4 minutes on fire to cook well done.

      • You can also add sliced jalapeño peppers and sliced avocado on top to garnish and serve with bread of your choice.

      • I like adding sugar as it balances the tartness of tomatoes. You can omit if you don’t want.



      bottom of page