Thai Red Chicken Curry

Late July. The apartment kitchen has been getting used in ways the Mama-rental-house kitchen did not allow — longer hours, more experimental dishes, more take-out-style cuisines I had been wanting to try at home but had not made because Mama’s palate was the one I had been cooking for and Mama’s palate runs to American classics. Dustin’s palate is more open. He has been asking me across the past two weeks to try the curries and stir-fries that he had eaten growing up at his friends’ houses in Owasso, particularly the Thai red curry his friend Anh’s mother had made.

Sunday I made Thai red chicken curry. The recipe is not the authentic Thai version (no galangal, no kaffir lime leaves, neither ingredient at the Memorial Drive Walmart) but is the Thai-leaning American interpretation that Dustin grew up eating. Boneless chicken thighs, red curry paste bloomed in coconut oil, two cans of coconut milk, chicken broth, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar. Snow peas, sliced red bell pepper, fresh basil. Served over jasmine rice with extra lime wedges.

The fish sauce was the new ingredient. I had bought a small bottle at the Tulsa Asian-grocery on Twenty-Third Street the previous Saturday on a curry-shopping trip Dustin had taken me on. Fish sauce, despite the name, does not taste like fish in a finished dish. Fish sauce is the umami equivalent of soy sauce but stronger. A tablespoon stirred into a pot of simmering anything adds a deep savory background note that the dish does not have without it. Dustin ate two bowls. I had one and most of a second. The dish is on the rotation list.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons coconut oil or neutral oil
3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
2 cans (13.5 oz each) full-fat coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, halved and sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup fresh basil or cilantro, roughly chopped
Salt to taste
Cooked jasmine rice, for serving

Instructions

Saute the aromatics. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
Bloom the curry paste. Add the red curry paste and stir constantly for 1–2 minutes, letting it cook directly in the oil until it deepens in color and becomes very fragrant.
Add coconut milk and broth. Pour in both cans of coconut milk and the chicken broth, stirring to fully incorporate the curry paste. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Season the base. Stir in the fish sauce and brown sugar. Taste and adjust — add more fish sauce for saltiness or more curry paste for heat.
Cook the chicken. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through.
Add the vegetables. Stir in the bell pepper and zucchini. Cook for an additional 5–7 minutes until vegetables are just tender but not mushy.
Finish and serve. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice. Top with fresh basil or cilantro. Serve over jasmine rice.
To freeze. Cool completely, then portion into freezer-safe containers or zip-top bags (lay flat to save space). Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of broth or water to loosen if needed. Store rice separately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Thai Red Chicken Curry — An Apartment-Kitchen Experiment