Thai Red Curry – Thai Cuisine

One of the most famous and popular Thai dishes, this Thai Red Curry is easy to make with Chicken or Tofu, a fabulous non-vegetarian or a vegetarian dish. The color is very appealing to the eyes and the palate. Enjoy this great easy Thai dish in the comfort of your own home.

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Serves: 4 – 6

Ingredients:

Oil – 1 tbsp
Red Curry Paste – 2-3 tbsp
Coconut Milk – 2 cans (14oz/400ml each)
Palm Sugar – 2 tbsp
Soy Sauce or Fish Sauce – 1 tbsp
Snow Peas – handful
Red Bell Pepper – 1/4, sliced
Green Bell Pepper – 1/2, sliced
Canned Straw Mushrooms – 1/4 cup
Bamboo Shoots – 4-6 pcs., bite-size
Carrots – 1/2 thin slices
Sweet Onion – 1/4, sliced
Frozen Peas – 1/4 cup
Thai Basil Leaves – 4-6, torn up
Thai Basil Leaves – for garnish

Chicken Breast – 1.5 lb, bite size pieces
OR / AND
Extra Firm Tofu – 14 oz block, cubed

Method:

1. In a pan, heat the Oil.
2. Once hot, add in the Red Curry Paste and mix well.
3. Add in the Coconut Milk and mix again.
4. Also, add in the the Grated Palm Sugar, Soy Sauce and Fish Sauce (optional).
5. If you are making the Non-vegetarian dish, you can add in the Chicken now, mix , cover and allow chicken to cook 3/4th of the way (approx 5-10 min).
6. After that, you can open up the dish and carry on with the rest of the procedure.
7. If you are making the vegetarian style, skip steps 5 and 6 and add vegetable to the gravy.
8. Start adding the vegetables – Snow Peas, Red Bell Pepper, Green Bell Pepper, Mushrooms, Bamboo Shoots, Carrots, Sweet Onions, Peas, Baby Corn.
9. Add in Tofu and mix gently.
10. Also, add in some torn Basil Leaves and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
11. For Non-vegetarian – cook till the chicken is cooked all the way through.
12. For Vegetarians – cook till the tofu is heated all the way.
13. Garnish with a few more Thai Basil Leaves and serve hot with some Jasmine Rice.

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71 thoughts on “Thai Red Curry – Thai Cuisine

  1. Wow I have tried red curry before, didn know there is a blog about it, I really love Thai food, can you post more about Thai cuisine, really like your content. Keep sharing amazing content mate!

  2. Wow I have tried red curry before, didn know there is a blog about it, I really love Thai food, can you post more about Thai cuisine, really like your content. Keep sharing amazing content mate!

  3. Thanks so much for posting this! I love Thai curry and always end up ruining it somehow, but I followed this recipe with different veggies and it came out perfect! I love it!

  4. I appreciate your recipes and demos very much, and have used them many times. I am very glad you have added Thai curries to your repertoir. Thanks for having the link to the written recipes handy, too.

  5. hello…
    i have a question..can i use regular sugar cane jaggery instead of palm sugar…which is not handy at home….specially when doing sauce for pad thai recipe…will the taste differ…?
    thank u
    Nimisha.

  6. Hi, I just tried the recipe, it was great, but what should I do if I want it hot(spicy), can I add the chinese chilli-garlic paste? Thank you

  7. Do you have any recipes for mixed seafood. I’ve tried it with red thai curry paste but it wasn’t really good. Kindly help if possible..

    Thanks

    1. Usually in Asian cooking, soy sause (or fish sauce) is used in place of salt. If you like additional salt, you can always add it.

  8. Metal and anuja’

    Love ur website….gr8 job.

    Can u plzzzz show veggie Thai fried rice.I think u missed that in ur Thai series.
    it would really be great if u can add that.

  9. i love the way you list the ingredients of a dish, in the order that you use them , in the method of your cooking !…..makes it so much simpler to follow the steps ….

    one just needs to line up the ingredients on the countertop , in the order they are going to be used …

  10. hi hetal and anuja.thanks for the best recipe.my son loves your show.now can u please give me recipe for pad thai noodles.

  11. Hi Hetal and Anuja.. Thanks for the recipe..:) just wanted to know can we use readymade red curry paste from walmart or any other store and if yes it will taste the same??

    1. Hi Payal,

      Yes, you can use ready made curry paste. The taste will depend on which brand you use and the particular ingredients in it.

  12. Hi Hetal/Anuja,

    I m an ardent follower of ur recipes.Please post the recipe for making Thai Ice Tea.U guys are doing a fab job.Keep it up.

    Upasana

  13. Hello,

    I was introduced to your website this week. Everything looks great and I canรขโ‚ฌโ„ขt wait to try the recipes!

    This recipe says two cans of coconut milk but the video shows one can. Which one shall I use? Is one enough?

    thanks,
    Viji

    1. It depends on how thick you want the sauce to be and how intense you want the flavor to be. I make a similar red curry recipe often, but I always use 1 can of coconut milk with about the same amount of paste. The sauce ends up being fairly thick and almost overpowering, which I like. Most people I know aren’t big fans of spicy food and prefer a milder flavor with less paste and more milk.

  14. I was SOOO intimidated about making Thai Red Curry. I kept hearing how difficult it is etc. I am a good cook but your video gave me the courage to try it. Like most foods, it is not an exact science and I have made 2 different batches. Thank you so much!!! Keep the recipes coming!

  15. hello beautiful ladies…..so I’ve become a huge fan of yours very recently. My husband who cant even boil pasta made jeera rice after viewing your video and also introduced me to your site……so far I’ve tried your khandvi, hadwo, green bean, and today I will be doing the thai red curry chicken. I cant wait. I think you guys are awesome. I love to cook and you ladies make everything so simple and prescise that nothing goes to waste….thank you….

  16. hi i made this curry today … .i seriously havent even tried it it smells so good and i am writing this just after cooking it , havent taste it yet , but i know its great… thanks , it was quick and simple and easy recipe.

  17. Most red curry paste contain fish in them. Could you either give recipe for the red curry paste or a company/ store from where I can buy the red curry paste without fish.
    Thank you!

  18. i really am a fan of you cooking styles!!
    i really like your passion for cooking !!
    i would like to hear more of cake recipes….
    hmmmm….yummmm…

  19. Hi Hetal and Anuja,

    I’m a great fan of your recipes..Thanks for sharing. The red curry came out yummy. Can you please post the recipe of Vegetable Massaman Curry?…Actually thats my all time favorite Thai food.

    Thanks,
    Rekha

    1. Hi Rekha,

      Glad you enjoyed the Red Curry. We are currently off of our Thai series but are sure to revisit it again in the future. We will definitely address Massaman Curry then. Thanks.

  20. Hi Hetal and Anuja,

    Nice to see Yummy thai curry in SMTC. I want to give it a try.
    But it’s hard to find bamboo shoot in Indian Grocery store.

    Please let me know where I can find it. Thanks…

    1. Hi Jolly,

      We get our bamboo shoots at an Asian store. Some of the regular supermarkets also carry them in their ethnic foods aisle. They come in a can.

  21. hey,

    just wanted to thank you for sharing this recepts and making this cool videos.

    I am from Germany and def. no great cook at all but after your “coaching” I made this thai curry perfect right from the start =) I didnt make the curry paste myself yet, but ordered imported thai pastes.

    tonight im gonna try the chicken curry and cook it for my family ๐Ÿ™‚

    keep up the good work,
    best regards from munich city

    Michael

  22. This was a real good recipe. I often make thai curry using the canned pastes but now if I can get a hand on the ingredients I will try your recipe as well.
    Having interest in utensils again… the serving bowl..was it a real coconut shell or actual bowl with coconut look? if latter…where did you get it? That added so much to the presentation. I wonder how did you make it stable on top of the dish :))
    Thanks

    1. Hi Runali,

      Actually, it was a real coconut shell bowl. However, we did not make it at home. We bought it from Sur la Table and have also seen them in Garden Ridge.

  23. Hi Hetal and Anuja!

    I have been a follower of your website since quite sometime.
    I have tried out a lot of you dishes. Each one is a master piece. This one was very easy and delish..My hubby was like..we dont need to go to a thai restuarant any more..:))

    that was a huge compliment.

  24. Hey Anuja/Hetal

    love the recipe, but is there any substitute for the Coconut milk, as my husband is allergic to it, but loves thai cuisine. help please.

    1. Hi Anna,
      You can try using some kind of broth or water to substitute. It will be different because Coconut Milk has a very unique flavor.
      Enjoy ๐Ÿ™‚

  25. Just wondering, do you cook the tofu before you put it in your mix or is it raw? If you do cook it is it just over stove top or something else?

  26. Hello,

    I just tried this and it turned out to be really great. I have one question. Can you please tell me the cookware that you are using. I recently moved to US and having a hard time choosing the right cookware. I really liked the pan that you people are using for making this curry so it will be a great help if you let me know.

  27. It would be really great if you could show some Indian way Chinese food, all vegetrain would be most appreciated.

    1. yes it is cause im also thai people here ๐Ÿ™‚
      you can get the coconut drain the water (you can drink it if you want ๐Ÿ˜‰ )
      shred the coconut (the white part inside)
      mix the shredded coconut with about 2 cups of water (plain water) in a large bowl
      get the white thin cloth put the wet shredded coconut in it some at a time squeeze the water out into a pot<<< tht's the coconut milk
      you can squeeze out the milk 2-3 times but the first time it's gonna be the best one but somehow thai people use all ๐Ÿ˜€ hehe

  28. thank you SO MUCH!!!
    Because of my food requirements (vegan, gluten-free, nut-free),
    Indian & Thai food are the staples of my diet!

  29. surprisingly, u didnt use kaffir lime leaves,lemon grass and tamarind paste.
    They are key ingredients of thai cuisine,aren’t they?they add such subtle flavours to curry.
    Anywaym will try your version and post if absence of these ingredinets made any differnce or thai basil leaves compensated for them …
    tks
    mruds

    1. Mruds, you are absolutely right about the thai ingredients. All of these are present in the curry paste. Check out the recipe.

  30. Hello,
    I just love your recipes… I love trying different cuisines.. Was actually looking for some Thai curry.. Thanks to both of you making this possible to make Thai curries at home :).. One ques : Can we make Coconut milk at home? If yes, please share the procedure if possible.

    Thanks
    Shaveta

  31. Both of these curries look very delicious! Can you girls also show us a recipe of Thai fried rice>? I think it goes very good with these curries ๐Ÿ˜‰

    1. I’ve been to Thailand many times and eaten lots of Thai food and i can tell you that people never eat fried rice with curry it’s steamed rice only. Fried rice is a dish on it’s own kao pat gai = rice fried chicken.

      BTW FYI red curry is ร ยนยร ยธยร ยธโ€ก ร ยนยร ยธโ€ร ยธโ€ก gairng dairng=curry red

      Great site.Thanks

  32. hey anuja and hetal,

    thanks for the amazing recipe. just a quick question though; i am on diet right now as i am trying to loose my pregnancy weight. While I know coconut milk is an integral and primary ingredient in thai curry, it is also laden with calories Do you have any advise on how i can make this recipe low cal?

    1. Upon reading your query, just thought of letting you know about the good side of coconut. Even I was very much concerned about the fat content in coconut as we use in everyday cooking when I found this — Although coconut is high in saturated fats in the form of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs), these don’t pose the same negative health risks as other saturated fats. This is because the body uses them as instant energy rather than storing them as fat. It is also known to cure various heart and other diseases, lowering bad cholesterol known to become the healthiest oil which is made from coconut.

      http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/

      http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/ingredients/cocmilk.html

      Enjoy!
      Swetha

  33. Hi Hetal/Anuja,

    Just tried this recipe with a few variations and it turned out YUMMMMM…

    3 cheers to yor cooking..

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