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Cooking Era: Share your best Thai Red Curry recipe

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captive

captive

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Oct 25, 2017
17,448
Houston
hello fellow cookers of food. I love to cook, i also love Thai red curry. In particular there is a restaurant in the Houston area called Thai Cottage and their red curry is great.

That said I cannot find a "copy cat" recipe for them. I have tried several online recipes that are disappointing and even bland and flavorless, despite throwing in extra salt, chili garlic sauce, among other spices. It doesnt even look like the red curry from the restaurant, let alone taste like it.
 
ElectricBlanketFire

ElectricBlanketFire

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Oct 25, 2017
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I can't contribute other than to say +1 on Thai red curry.

Though I'm more of a panang curry man myself.
 
Bedlam

Bedlam

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OP, have you tried using more lemon grass and / or kaffir lime leafs? That stuff elevates any curry.

Double the curry paste? Buy better quality coconut milk? Cook it longer to reduce it more which concentrates the flavors?
 

Deleted member 70788

Jun 2, 2020
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I'm here to learn, I have nothing to offer
 
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captive

captive

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Oct 25, 2017
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Bedlam said:
OP, have you tried using more lemon grass and / or kaffir lime leafs? That stuff elevates any curry.

Double the curry paste? Buy better quality coconut milk? Cook it longer to reduce it more which concentrates the flavors?
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whenever im trying a recipe for the first time i usually follow the recipe to a T and then eat it to see what needs to change.

that said i did buy bottled coconut milk in the fridge section not canned coconut milk, i did let it cook down a little but not too much.
 
weemadarthur

weemadarthur

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Are you looking to make the paste from scratch, or using commercial sauces?
 
weemadarthur

weemadarthur

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When i use commercial pastes, i have to be careful how much fats i use. If i want to add peanut flavor via peanut butter, it will absorb the spice. So if I use coconut milk as a base AND peanut butter, it ends up too mild.
 
GoldenEye 007

GoldenEye 007

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I actually made one recently and I thought it was decent. I'd never claim it was as good as an authentic Thai restaurant, but for a weeknight meal, I'd make it again. It did use a jarred sauce for the curry rather than something from scratch. I also added a bit more curry than this called for. Closer to 3.5-4 tablespoons. Finally, I had some frozen Asian blend veggies I wanted to get rid of, so I dumped those in there too instead of the broccoli alone.

damndelicious.net

Easy Thai Red Curry - Damn Delicious

Easy Thai Red Curry - The easiest and most flavorful homemade Thai red curry you will ever make in just 30-40 minutes! It tastes just like the restaurant-version, except 10000x times better and cheaper!
damndelicious.net damndelicious.net
 
Goldenroad

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All I can tell you is start with a tablespoon of this curry paste here:

10909-0w470h470_Thai_Red_Curry_Paste.jpg



Fry it off in some peanut oil. Then add in your coconut cream (just the part at the top of your can of coconut milk), then dump in some of the coconut water little by little later on til you get to the desired consistency. I don't like a watery Red Curry. At this point add in some ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and Kaffir Lime Leaves, and let those flavors all infuse. Then add in a splash of fish sauce, and some Thai cane sugar. Then you dump in your thinly sliced meat and veggies (you need bamboo shoots!), and let them cook until they are done. Then add some lime juice and more fish sauce and sugar as needed to balance things out. But use good curry paste. Thai Kitchen paste and products are trash. This is the good stuff that my Thai family members use.
 

CSX

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Oct 27, 2017
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Just wanted to say that Thai Cottage is good solid thai. It's been a go-to since my high school years and even in the middle of the pandemic pre-vaccine, they renovated and expanded at my location :)
 
OP
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captive

captive

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Oct 25, 2017
17,448
Houston
Goldenroad said:
All I can tell you is start with a tablespoon of this curry paste here:

10909-0w470h470_Thai_Red_Curry_Paste.jpg



Fry it off in some peanut oil. Then add in your coconut cream (just the part at the top of your can of coconut milk), then dump in some of the coconut water little by little later on til you get to the desired consistency. I don't like a watery Red Curry. At this point add in some ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and Kaffir Lime Leaves, and let those flavors all infuse. Then add in a splash of fish sauce, and some Thai cane sugar. Then you dump in your thinly sliced meat and veggies (you need bamboo shoots!), and let them cook until they are done. Then add some lime juice and more fish sauce and sugar as needed to balance things out. But use good curry paste. Thai Kitchen paste and products are trash. This is the good stuff that my Thai family members use.
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im gonna have to check this one out. definitely not what i used.
I did not use fish sauce, though the thought crossed my mind. thanks for the tips!

CSX said:
Just wanted to say that Thai Cottage is good solid thai. It's been a go-to since my high school years and even in the middle of the pandemic pre-vaccine, they renovated and expanded at my location :)
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nice, which location? I grew up near the one in bellaire, then as an adult i found the one in sugarland, now we live near pearland and there's one right by the HEB that i go to.
 
Goldenroad

Goldenroad

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captive said:
im gonna have to check this one out. definitely not what i used.
I did not use fish sauce, though the thought crossed my mind. thanks for the tips!
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Oh, you NEED fish sauce. If you're wondering what you're missing, it's probably the fish sauce.
 
OP
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captive

captive

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Oct 25, 2017
17,448
Houston
Goldenroad said:
Oh, you NEED fish sauce. If you're wondering what you're missing, it's probably the fish sauce.
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lol neither recipe i looked at had fish sauce. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
one had soy and rice vinegar.

CSX said:
Sugar Land. The boba place next door shut down so they bought that place to expand.
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good to hear they're doing well enough to expand. Having eaten at 3 locations its remarkable how consistent they all are.
my other favorite is their beef satay with the peanut sauce, its soo good i could drink the peanut sauce.
 

Decado

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Dec 7, 2017
1,412
I took a class in Chiang Mai many years ago and one of the things we made was red curry paste. PM me if you want that recipe and I'll see if I can dig it up.
 
LakeEarth

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Oct 27, 2017
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Can you get non-spicy red curry paste? I've been looking for some new recipes lately, but my wife is really bad when it comes to spice.
 
Bedlam

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Decado said:
I took a class in Chiang Mai many years ago and one of the things we made was red curry paste. PM me if you want that recipe and I'll see if I can dig it up.
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Oh man, I loved Chiang Mai and the cooking there. Apart from Papaya salad, the other newly found dish I still reproduce regularly after my Thailand visit is Khao Soi. So spicy. So good.
 
Bedlam

Bedlam

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captive said:
This was Google. Some of the top results too.
I don't watch cooking shows/channels.
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Let's start with a few popular ones then:





Making your own curry paste is cool (also from a curiosity/educational perspective since you learn what's actually in it) but quite a bit of work. Don't feel guilty using premade curry paste most of the time (thai people do it, too); the ones from asia stores are usually pretty good. Just add some stuff to intensify the flavors. Sliced kaffir lime leafs, for example.

Another tip: add the fish sauce towards the end of the cooking process. Its taste will deteriorate if cooked for a long time.

Edit: Also, as mentioned before: try to get good coconut milk. Maybe not the cheapest but not the most expensive necessarily either. Try out a few brands and see which one has the best flavor. Some hardly taste like coconut at all.
 
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Jenkins

Jenkins

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Dec 6, 2018
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captive said:
lol neither recipe i looked at had fish sauce. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
one had soy and rice vinegar.
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Yeah, I'm mad suspicious then. (but not really, there are so many whack "thai" recipes online made by people w/o an ounce of thai history)
My wife is Thai, and I can't recall many dishes that don't use fish sauce. It's a necessity.
Goldenroad said:
All I can tell you is start with a tablespoon of this curry paste here:
10909-0w470h470_Thai_Red_Curry_Paste.jpg
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Seconding this. I can't say for certain this is the exact brand of curry paste we use, but I'm pretty sure it is - and it's one of the better ones you can find here in the states IIRC. We actually have some legit curry paste from Thailand I can share w/ya since you're in Houston (we visit all the time, or I can mail it to you if you wanna try it).
My wife saw me typing and recommended Hot Thai Kitchen as a pretty good source of recipes.
 
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jotun?

jotun?

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Oct 28, 2017
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captive said:
that said i did buy bottled coconut milk in the fridge section not canned coconut milk, i did let it cook down a little but not too much.
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That sounds like a mistake, probably not the right kind of coconut milk at all

What's in the fridge section is probably meant to be a cow milk substitute, along the lines of soy milk, almond milk, etc.

You want the thick stuff that comes in a can and has a bajillion calories from fat
 
exodus

exodus

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Oct 25, 2017
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When you buy your coconut milk, look at the ingredients. You want the stuff that's just coconut extract and water. 60-70% is ideal.
 
StreetsAhead

StreetsAhead

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LakeEarth said:
Can you get non-spicy red curry paste? I've been looking for some new recipes lately, but my wife is really bad when it comes to spice.
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Seconding this question. Thai Kitchen products suck, but so far I'm stuck with their red curry paste as the others I've tried are all too spicy for my stomach.

For me, fish sauce, quality coconut milk (I buy Choakoh), and some ginger paste made a huge difference in my red curry recipes.
 
GreenMachine

GreenMachine

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Oct 27, 2017
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exodus said:
When you buy your coconut milk, look at the ingredients. You want the stuff that's just coconut extract and water. 60-70% is ideal.
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yep, this makes a huge difference. look for the brand Aroy-D at your local asian market. which, unlike Chaokoh is at least not publicly known for using slave monkeys.

will also generally suggest Hot Thai Kitchen for recipes. as far as i know it's considered to be the best mix of reliable and approachable on the english internet in terms of authentic Thai food. here's her red curry: https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/red-curry-chicken-squash/
 
bye

bye

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
8,692
Phoenix, AZ
You need to cook the paste in oil first, also add aromatics like kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lemongrass, then the coconut milk. Making your own paste would help too. Also, not every store bought paste is the same, the American grocery brands are flavorless, you need to go to your Asian supermarket to get more traditional stuff.

Oh and lots of fish sauce. Recipes online way underutilize it.
 
exodus

exodus

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Oct 25, 2017
10,111
GreenMachine said:
yep, this makes a huge difference. look for the brand Aroy-D at your local asian market. which, unlike Chaokoh is at least not publicly known for using slave monkeys.

will also generally suggest Hot Thai Kitchen for recipes. as far as i know it's considered to be the best mix of reliable and approachable on the english internet in terms of authentic Thai food. here's her red curry: https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/red-curry-chicken-squash/
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Yep Aroy-D and Savoy are my gotos.
 
affeinvasion

affeinvasion

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Oct 26, 2017
4,091
America's test kitchen has a very accessible and delicious recipe for Thai red curry that my wife makes all the time. We use Maesri brand curry paste. It tastes great but we usually add double what the recipe calls for.
 
astro

astro

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Oct 25, 2017
62,296
You can use Soy sauce or miso paste if you need to cook a vegan Thai red or green curry. You can also use kombu (a type of seaweed). You can also get vegan fish sauce that is made from soy sauce and shiitake mushrooms.

There is a local traditional Thai restaurant to us that makes a vegan version with kombu and it tastes just as any I have had with fish sauce.

I make a lot of curries and I almost always make my own paste. I sometimes use jar paste if I am cooking at my girlfriend's house and didn't bring ingredients and the dishes are still delicious, but the ones with freshly made paste are always a slight step up. I really would recommend trying it at least once.
 
Goldenroad

Goldenroad

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captive said:
it was plain unsweetened coconut milk, none of that vanilla or hazelnut bullshit.
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That's not the right coconut milk. It's NOT the stuff in the fridge. That stuff has no flavor and is not meant for cooking with. It's the stuff in the can that you need. The stuff you bought is for drinking and using with cereal and stuff. The stuff in the can is for cooking Thai food.

THIS STUFF HERE, but again, start with just the cream on top, then use the water at the bottom bit by bit til you get the consistency right. And, if you can, get this brand. Like I say don't buy the "Thai Kitchen" products. They aren't as good.
2360__41411.1504723689.jpg




While we're at it. This is the Fish Sauce you want. I know it's a giant bottle (generally), but it is pretty cheap and it doesn't go bad.

5110220135.jpg
 
OP
OP
captive

captive

Member
Oct 25, 2017
17,448
Houston
Goldenroad said:
That's not the right coconut milk. It's NOT the stuff in the fridge. That stuff has no flavor and is not meant for cooking with. It's the stuff in the can that you need. The stuff you bought is for drinking and using with cereal and stuff. The stuff in the can is for cooking Thai food.

THIS STUFF HERE, but again, start with just the cream on top, then use the water at the bottom bit by bit til you get the consistency right. And, if you can, get this brand. Like I say don't buy the "Thai Kitchen" products. They aren't as good.
2360__41411.1504723689.jpg




While we're at it. This is the Fish Sauce you want. I know it's a giant bottle (generally), but it is pretty cheap and it doesn't go bad.

5110220135.jpg
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cool now we're cooking. Based on reading this thread, i need better/more red curry paste, and better coconut milk.

Thanks all for the tips and recipes. Will try to make some more soon and report back.
 
Mezentine

Mezentine

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Oct 25, 2017
10,433
captive said:
im always up to make stuff from scratch, but either would be fine. I bought some thai red paste from the store that we keep in the house.
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Which red paste did you buy? If its that stuff that comes in the little glass jar with the black cap throw it out, that shit is bland as fuck

You want Maesri paste. This is the flavor packed stuff

EDIT: As others have said, you want the coconut milk that comes in a can also. If you can't find the particular brand people are posting anything in a can will do better then the stuff from the dairy substitute section
 
Update: Successful Red Curry
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    captive

    captive

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    Oct 25, 2017
    17,448
    Houston
    So after weeks of our store not having any red curry paste. I ordered some mae ploy red curry off amazon. I didn't want to make my own curry paste as then i wouldnt know if i made a bad curry, or bad paste or what. But i could see myself making my own in the future, possibly.

    Want to thank everyone that posted videos, blogs and recipes. I watched every video, learned a lot. Ended up making some tonight and it came out pretty good.
    jMULlFfh.jpg


    23m6e4Wh.jpg


    tried some the curry paste raw and it was spicy, but i did 4 tablespoons of it + 1 of the thai kitchen stuff just to get rid of it. Fried it in some coconut oil, then put some coconut milk in with the chicken. Then added more coconut milk and chicken broth, then took the chicken out as i didnt want to over cook it. I let the sauce simmer while i added ginger, garlic, salt, turbinado sugar, cumin and paprika, a little more chicken broth and the rest of the coconut milk and let it cook down for about 15 minutes.

    Then added the veggies and bamboo shoots, red pepper and chicken back in, and then added fish sauce and lime juice and cooked just a few minutes. Came out really good, i might make it spicier next time than i had it, cause my wife had it and she doesnt like too spicy, but she also doesnt like red curry as much as yellow. Might also do more fish sauce as well.

    I couldnt find kaffir lime leaves or palm sugar. Are these specialty items or something that you have to get at an Asian grocery?

    thanks again everyone!
     
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