HEALTHY FOOD so TASTY you'll
want to eat it EVERYDAY.
RED THAI CURRY WITH CHICKEN
Been to a really good Thai restaurant? Or even better, have you actually been to Thailand?? Well, a proper Red Thai Curry is #ToDieFor.
The depth and complex of flavor of this recipe (as shown in the video) really comes from slow-cooking this curry sauce overnight, and then it doesn’t matter what you add to it – chicken, mushrooms, loads of veggies – either way, you are going to have a go-to curry sauce you will want to make again and again!
PREP TIME: 15 min
COOK TIME:
Plan at least 3-4 hours to let it slow cook if doing the conventional/stove top method. If you have a Wonderbag, you'll only need 30 min on the stove and it's awesome if you can leave the sauce in the Wonderbag overnight, and add the chicken later.
See cooking instructions to plan your time.
SERVES: 4-6
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE 1st STEP: CURRY SAUCE
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1- 13.5 oz (400 ml) can coconut milk
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2 TB red Thai curry paste
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3 cloves garlic, diced
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3 TB (45 ml) lime juice
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3-4 TB (45-60 ml) agave syrup or palm sugar (35 g)
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2 TB (30ml) fish sauce
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¾ tsp salt
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½ tsp turmeric
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2 small red chillies, deseeded and diced*
FOR THE REST
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2 red bell peppers; chopped
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2 lbs (1 kg) boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
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½ cup, tightly packed (30 g) fresh cilantro/coriander leaves, finely chopped
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¼ cup, tightly packed (15 g) fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
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Fresh bean sprouts
Boneless/Skinless chicken thighs, coconut milk, thai fish sauce, palm sugar, red curry paste, garlic, red chillies, lime, turmeric, red bell peppers, fresh basil and cilantro (coriander).
YOU DECIDE HOW HOT YOU WANT IT: From left to right: whole chilli, seeds removed, sliced into slivers, then finely diced. If you want it hotter, add some of the seeds to the curry sauce. If you need it mild for children, leave the seeds out.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
WONDERBAG METHOD
1) In a large pot, heat the coconut milk oil over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
2) Stir in the red curry paste and garlic, lime juice, agave (or palm sugar), fish sauce, salt, turmeric, and chilies and bring to a boil.
3) Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
4) Seal your lidded pot inside the Wonderbag and leave to cook 6-8 hours, or overnight*
5) Remove pot from Wonderbag and place back on the stove.
6) Add the bell peppers chicken and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes.
7) Place your lidded pot back into the Wonderbag for 2-4 hours to finish cooking**
8) Just before serving, stir in the basil and cilantro (coriander) and spoon into bowls or serve over rice. Top with bean sprouts and more fresh cilantro as desired.
CONVENTIONAL METHOD
1) In a large pot, heat the coconut milk oil over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
2) Stir in the red curry paste and garlic, lime juice, agave (or palm sugar), fish sauce, salt, turmeric, and chilies and bring to a boil.
3) Reduce heat to lowest possible setting and simmer covered 1-2 hours to develop and deepen the sauce flavours.
4) Stir every 20 minutes to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.
5) Add the bell peppers chicken and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to lowest possible setting and simmer another 1-2 hours, until chicken reaches your desired tenderness.
6) Just before serving, stir in the basil and cilantro (coriander) and spoon into bowls or serve over rice. Top with bean sprouts and more fresh cilantro as desired.
SERVE
Recipe & Photo Credit: Cathy Menees
Video Credit: Sierra Bonilla
COOK'S NOTES
INGREDIENTS
* Deseeding the chillies makes this a more 'family friendly' curry. If you like the heat, use all or just some of the seeds. I usually sepeate the seeds from the membrane and set them on the table for people to add their own heat to their bowl. Read as - I like spice food...my husband, not so much!
*SAUCE TIMING
I usually make the sauce the night before and just leave it in the Wonderbag until I’m ready to add the chicken. You can also make the sauce in the morning and let it sit all day in the Wonderbag. It’s not critical that it cooks overnight, I just find that to be easier for me, since I’m not a morning person!
**CHICKEN TIMING
The chicken will be fully cooked after 1 hour in the Wonderbag, it will just become more tender if you can leave it 2-4 hours. I wouldn’t leave it much longer than 5 hours though, or you might ended up with chicken that starts to shred, instead of nice bite-size pieces.
KITCHEN BUDDIES
The Wonderbag is ideal for this curry as it enables a slow cook and retention of flavor (i.e. you're not opening the curry to stir, so all goodness is trapped inside).
You can of course cook this stove top, just try to simmer as long as possible for that slow-cooked flavor development.
