I love curry. This easy recipe is perfect for any night of the week because I use a paste here instead of making the paste from scratch. There are some really good pastes on the market nowadays and when I just need to get dinner on the table, this is one of the shortcuts I use to make a delicious meal.Thai red curry is undoubtedly one of my favourite curries. It has enough heat and spiciness that is not too much for me. The red comes from the red chilis but the spiciness doesn’t overwhelm the other flavours. However, every curry paste is different. Some are more intense than others, so depending on the brand you buy, you will have to adjust the amount of paste, fish sauce and sugar. The one I use, Aroy-D, is pretty intense in flavour. This recipe is based on that and my preferred spiciness level. I have tried more mellow pastes and I end up having to use more. You’ll have to experiment and adjust according to your own tastes and preferences.
6boneless skinless chicken thighscut into 1½ inch pieces
1-3teaspoonsfish saucedivided
1tablespoonoil
2-4tablespoonsThai red curry paste
1-2tablespoonssugar
400milliliter(13.5 ounce) can coconut milkdivided
6kaffir lime leavesripped
200grams(7 ounces) bamboo shootdrained
150grams(5 ounces) cherry or grape tomatoeshalved
1cupThai basil leaves
Instructions
In a medium bowl, marinate chicken with 1 teaspoon fish sauce.
In a wok or large sauté pan or dutch oven on medium heat, add oil, curry paste, sugar and ¼ cup coconut milk and stir. Cook until most of the moisture has evaporated and the paste is frying in the oil.
Add chicken and cook until pieces are separated. Then add remaining coconut milk and lime leaves. Stir fry until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is almost cooked through.
Add bamboo shoots. Continue cooking until chicken is completely cooked through. Taste the curry, to see if it needs more fish sauce or sugar. Adjust to taste.
Turn down the heat, add tomatoes and cook for another minute.
Turn off the heat and stir in basil leaves until leaves are wilted.