Thai red curry with homemade paste, grilled prawns, and fresh aromatics.
Dried Thai chiles (prik haeng) vary in heat; taste one after soaking. This makes more paste than needed; save extra for quick curries later.
Long beans are traditional; green beans substitute. Paste keeps refrigerated 2 weeks or frozen for months.
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 12 whole Dried Thai red chiles
- 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp White peppercorns
- 1 tsp Salt (for paste)
- 8 clove Garlic cloves
- 4 piece Shallots, sliced
- 3 whole Lemongrass stalks, bottom 3 inches sliced thin
- 2 tbsp Galangal, sliced thin
- 4 piece Cilantro roots, cleaned
- 1 tbsp Kaffir lime zest
- 1 tbsp Shrimp paste
- 1 cup Coconut cream
- 2 can Full-fat coconut milk
- 1 lb Large prawns, peeled and deveined, tails on
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil (for prawns)
- 6 whole Thai eggplant, quartered
- ½ cup Bamboo shoots
- 1 cup Long beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 8 leaf Kaffir lime leaves, torn
- 3 tbsp Fish sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp Palm sugar
- 1 ½ cup Thai basil leaves
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 12 whole Dried Thai red chiles
- 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp White peppercorns
- 1 tsp Salt (for paste)
- 8 clove Garlic cloves
- 4 piece Shallots, sliced
- 3 whole Lemongrass stalks, bottom 3 inches sliced thin
- 2 tbsp Galangal, sliced thin
- 4 piece Cilantro roots, cleaned
- 1 tbsp Kaffir lime zest
- 1 tbsp Shrimp paste
- 1 cup Coconut cream
- 2 can Full-fat coconut milk
- 1 lb Large prawns, peeled and deveined, tails on
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil (for prawns)
- 6 whole Thai eggplant, quartered
- ½ cup Bamboo shoots
- 1 cup Long beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 8 leaf Kaffir lime leaves, torn
- 3 tbsp Fish sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp Palm sugar
- 1 ½ cup Thai basil leaves
Instructions
Soak chiles and toast spices
Remove stems from dried chiles and shake out most seeds. Soak in hot water 20 minutes until soft. Drain. Toast coriander, cumin, and peppercorns in dry pan until fragrant. Grind to powder.
Equipment
- mortar and pestle
Ingredients
- dried Thai chiles (12 whole)
- coriander seeds (1 tbsp)
- cumin seeds (1 tsp)
- white peppercorns (1 tsp)
Pound the paste
Add salt and soaked chiles to mortar. Pound until broken down. Add galangal and lemongrass; pound until fibrous. Add garlic and shallots; pound to paste. Add cilantro roots and lime zest; pound smooth. Add ground spices and shrimp paste; pound until very aromatic, 15 to 20 minutes total.
Equipment
- mortar and pestle
Ingredients
- salt (1 tsp)
- galangal (2 tbsp)
- lemongrass (3 stalks)
- garlic (8 cloves)
- shallots (4 whole)
- cilantro roots (4 roots)
- kaffir lime zest (1 tbsp)
- shrimp paste (1 tbsp)
Grill the prawns
Preheat grill or grill pan to high. Toss prawns with oil and a pinch of salt. Grill 1 to 2 minutes per side until charred and just cooked through. Set aside.
Equipment
- grill or grill pan
Ingredients
- large prawns (1 lb)
- vegetable oil (2 tbsp)
Crack coconut and build curry
Heat coconut cream in wok over medium-high until oil separates. Add 4 to 5 tablespoons curry paste (save remainder). Fry 3 minutes. Add coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves. Simmer 5 minutes. Add eggplant, bamboo shoots, and long beans. Add fish sauce and palm sugar. Simmer 10 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Equipment
- wok
Ingredients
- coconut cream (1 cup)
- coconut milk (2 can)
- kaffir lime leaves (8 leaves)
- Thai eggplant (6 whole)
- bamboo shoots (½ cup)
- long beans (1 cup)
- fish sauce (3 tbsp)
- palm sugar (1 ½ tbsp)
Ladle into bowls
Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat and stir in Thai basil. Ladle curry into bowls and top with grilled prawns. Serve with jasmine rice.
Ingredients
- Thai basil leaves (1 ½ cup)
Before you cook
Cook notes
- • Dried Thai chiles (prik haeng) vary in heat; taste one after soaking.
- • Paste keeps refrigerated 2 weeks or frozen for months.
- • Long beans are traditional; green beans substitute.
- • This makes more paste than needed; save extra for quick curries later.
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