Indians love to eat Chinese food. That’s a fact that can be corroborated by the innumerable Chinese restaurants in every city, roadside stalls selling ‘chowmein’ and ‘gobi manchurian’ and the ready availability of ingredients.
Thai food, by comparison, is only a recent discovery in India. However, the cuisine is gaining popularity, not only because of its versatile nature but also because of its similarities to Indian food. Curries paired with rice, coconutty gravies with Kerela-esque flavours and the liberal use of spices and condiments like ginger, lemon and turmeric are all very familiar to Indian taste buds.
If you love Thai food, one great advantage is that cooking it at home is really easy because most of their curries, soups and stir-fries have a spicy base that comes in the form of a paste. So unlike Indian food where you actually have to put together your ‘masalas’ from scratch, you can put together a Thai dish with a bottle of paste and a few core ingredients.
This week, we show you how to make a spicy Thai red curry using a bottled paste. You do get a bunch of different brands in the market but we recommend trying the Namjai Red Curry paste. Thai curries are very versatile because you can add any vegetables you like, and make it either vegetarian or meat/fish-based, depending on your taste.
Here are two easy variations you can try with Thai Red Curry.
Thai Red Seafood Curry
2 tablespoons of Thai Red Curry Paste
2 cups of coconut milk
2 pounds of assorted seafood (shrimp, scallops, firm fish)
One red bell pepper, sliced thinly
Half a cup of babycorn, cubed
1 zucchini, sliced into rounds
A small bunch of Thai basil
A few kaffir lime leaves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 tablespoons sesame or canola oil
Salt to taste
Method:
Heat the oil in a large wok. Add the red curry paste, a few tablespoons of coconut milk, the fish sauce and the kaffir lime leaves. Stir till fragrant. Add the seafood and vegetables and stir to coat. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and simmer until the seafood and vegetables are cooked and tender – about 12 minutes. Add the basil leaves, brown sugar, lemon juice and season with salt.
Serve over fragrant jasmine rice.
Tip: You can substitute the seafood with diced chicken breast if you prefer. Add a few extra vegetables like mushroom and broccoli to make it a warm, hearty curry.
Vegetarian Thai Red Curry
2 tablespoons of Thai Red Curry Paste
2 cups of coconut milk
2 small aubergines, cubed
Half a cup of broccoli florets
One red bell pepper, sliced thinly
Half a cup of baby corn, cubed
1 zucchini, sliced into rounds
One cup of firm tofu, cubed
A small bunch of Thai basil
A few kaffir lime leaves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame or canola oil
Salt to taste
Method:
In a large wok, heat the oil and add the red curry paste. Add a few tablespoons of the coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves and stir till fragrant. Add the vegetables (make sure you add the ones that take longer to cook first) and stir till coated. Add the rest of the coconut milk and soy sauce, then add the tofu. Simmer until the vegetables are tender but not overcooked. Add the brown sugar, basil leaves, lemon juice and salt to taste.
Serve alongside jasmine rice.
Tip: You can add any assortment of vegetables that you like. If you prefer your curry bland, add one tablespoon of the curry paste instead of two. For a more spicy variation, add two sliced, de-seeded red chillies.
