Thai Red Curry with Shrimp, Pineapple, and Peanuts
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 21, 2007
Time
1½ hours
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Red Curry Paste
½ ounce dried Thai chiles, wiped clean, stemmed, seeded, and torn in half (about ½ cup)6 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped coarse (about ¾ cup)3–4 stalks lemongrass, trimmed to bottom 6 inches and minced (about ½ cup)3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger 1 shallot, chopped coarse (about 3 tablespoons)20 garlic cloves, minced (about ⅓ cup)2 tablespoons minced cilantro stems 2 tablespoons ground coriander 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil 4 teaspoons grated lime zest (2 limes)2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon table salt ½ teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon anchovy or shrimp paste (optional)Thai-Style Red Curry
2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk, not shaken, divided½ cup Red Curry Paste 2 tablespoons fish sauce 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 ½ pounds medium shrimp, shelled (41 to 50 per pound)½ teaspoon table salt 3 cups fresh or canned diced pineapples (preferably 1-inch chunks)4 ounces snow peas, trimmed1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and quartered lengthwise (optional)1 tablespoon lime juice ½ cup fresh basil leaves ½ cup fresh mint leaves ½ cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped coarseBefore You Begin
A glass container is the best option for storing curry paste. If using store-bought red curry paste, use 2 tablespoons. You can substitute japonés or de árbol chiles for the Thai chiles in this recipe. If desired, try cashews instead of peanuts. For a more traditional appearance, leave the shells on the shrimp tails.
Instructions
- Place dried red chiles in a small bowl and pour hot water over to cover. Let stand until soft and dehydrated, about 30 minutes. Remove chiles, discarding liquid. Dry chiles with paper towels.
- Pulse all ingredients in food processor 10 times, each pulse lasting 4 to 5 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl between pulses. Once ingredients begin to form paste, process until smooth, scraping down sides as needed, about 3 minutes. Store in covered glass container or bowl in refrigerator for up to 1 month or in freezer for several months. (If freezing, divide curry paste into ½-cup amounts, so that 1 portion will make 1 recipe, and freeze individually.)
- Carefully spoon off about 1 cup of top layer of cream from 1 can of coconut milk. Place coconut cream and curry paste in large Dutch oven and bring to simmer over high heat, whisking to blend, about 2 minutes. Maintain brisk simmer and whisk frequently until almost all liquid evaporates, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-high and whisk constantly until cream separates into puddle of colored oil and coconut solids, 3 to 8 minutes. (You should hear curry paste starting to fry in oil.) Continue cooking until curry paste is very aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Whisk in remaining coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Bring to simmer and cook until flavors meld and sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and add shrimp and pineapple to pot, stirring until pieces are separated and evenly coated with sauce, about 1 minute. Cook until shrimp is almost fully cooked, about 4 minutes
- Stir in snow peas; bell pepper; and jalapeño, if using; and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in lime juice, basil, and mint. Garnish with peanuts and serve immediately.
for the red curry paste
for the thai-style red curry
Time
1½ hoursYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Red Curry Paste
½ ounce dried Thai chiles, wiped clean, stemmed, seeded, and torn in half (about ½ cup)
6 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped coarse (about ¾ cup)
3–4 stalks lemongrass, trimmed to bottom 6 inches and minced (about ½ cup)
3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 shallot, chopped coarse (about 3 tablespoons)
20 garlic cloves, minced (about ⅓ cup)
2 tablespoons minced cilantro stems
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
4 teaspoons grated lime zest (2 limes)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon anchovy or shrimp paste (optional)
Thai-Style Red Curry
2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk, not shaken, divided
½ cup Red Curry Paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 ½ pounds medium shrimp, shelled (41 to 50 per pound)
½ teaspoon table salt
3 cups fresh or canned diced pineapples (preferably 1-inch chunks)
4 ounces snow peas, trimmed
1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips
1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and quartered lengthwise (optional)
1 tablespoon lime juice
½ cup fresh basil leaves
½ cup fresh mint leaves
½ cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped coarse
Ingredients
Red Curry Paste
½ ounce dried Thai chiles, wiped clean, stemmed, seeded, and torn in half (about ½ cup)
6 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped coarse (about ¾ cup)
3–4 stalks lemongrass, trimmed to bottom 6 inches and minced (about ½ cup)
3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 shallot, chopped coarse (about 3 tablespoons)
20 garlic cloves, minced (about ⅓ cup)
2 tablespoons minced cilantro stems
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
4 teaspoons grated lime zest (2 limes)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon anchovy or shrimp paste (optional)
Thai-Style Red Curry
2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk, not shaken, divided
½ cup Red Curry Paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 ½ pounds medium shrimp, shelled (41 to 50 per pound)
½ teaspoon table salt
3 cups fresh or canned diced pineapples (preferably 1-inch chunks)
4 ounces snow peas, trimmed
1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips
1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and quartered lengthwise (optional)
1 tablespoon lime juice
½ cup fresh basil leaves
½ cup fresh mint leaves
½ cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped coarse
Ingredients
Red Curry Paste
½ ounce dried Thai chiles, wiped clean, stemmed, seeded, and torn in half (about ½ cup)
6 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped coarse (about ¾ cup)
3–4 stalks lemongrass, trimmed to bottom 6 inches and minced (about ½ cup)
3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 shallot, chopped coarse (about 3 tablespoons)
20 garlic cloves, minced (about ⅓ cup)
2 tablespoons minced cilantro stems
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
4 teaspoons grated lime zest (2 limes)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon anchovy or shrimp paste (optional)
Thai-Style Red Curry
2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk, not shaken, divided
½ cup Red Curry Paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 ½ pounds medium shrimp, shelled (41 to 50 per pound)
½ teaspoon table salt
3 cups fresh or canned diced pineapples (preferably 1-inch chunks)
4 ounces snow peas, trimmed
1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips
1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and quartered lengthwise (optional)
1 tablespoon lime juice
½ cup fresh basil leaves
½ cup fresh mint leaves
½ cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped coarse
Why This Recipe Works
Like most Thai food, Thai curries embrace a delicate balance of tastes, textures, temperatures, and colors that come together to create a harmonious whole. Thai curries almost always contain coconut milk and tilt the spice balance towards fresh aromatics, which are added in the form of a paste. We wanted to create versions of both kaeng phet, red curry, and kaeng khiao wan, green curry, perfumed with lemongrass, hot chiles, and coconut milk. A food processor made quick work of blending together both curry pastes. The kaeng phet was best with small dried red chiles and fresh red jalapeños. Shallots, lemongrass, cilantro stems, garlic, ginger, coriander, and cumin rounded out the flavors of the paste. And to approximate the flavor of makrut lime leaves, we added grated lime zest. To make the curry, we skimmed the coconut cream off the coconut milk and cooked it with the curry paste—this gave our curry silky body and intense, rich flavor. We paired the kaeng phet with shrimp, pineapple, and peanuts. All that we needed now was rice to soak up the flavorful sauce.
Before You Begin
A glass container is the best option for storing curry paste. If using store-bought red curry paste, use 2 tablespoons. You can substitute japonés or de árbol chiles for the Thai chiles in this recipe. If desired, try cashews instead of peanuts. For a more traditional appearance, leave the shells on the shrimp tails.
Instructions
- Place dried red chiles in a small bowl and pour hot water over to cover. Let stand until soft and dehydrated, about 30 minutes. Remove chiles, discarding liquid. Dry chiles with paper towels.
- Pulse all ingredients in food processor 10 times, each pulse lasting 4 to 5 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl between pulses. Once ingredients begin to form paste, process until smooth, scraping down sides as needed, about 3 minutes. Store in covered glass container or bowl in refrigerator for up to 1 month or in freezer for several months. (If freezing, divide curry paste into ½-cup amounts, so that 1 portion will make 1 recipe, and freeze individually.)
- Carefully spoon off about 1 cup of top layer of cream from 1 can of coconut milk. Place coconut cream and curry paste in large Dutch oven and bring to simmer over high heat, whisking to blend, about 2 minutes. Maintain brisk simmer and whisk frequently until almost all liquid evaporates, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-high and whisk constantly until cream separates into puddle of colored oil and coconut solids, 3 to 8 minutes. (You should hear curry paste starting to fry in oil.) Continue cooking until curry paste is very aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Whisk in remaining coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Bring to simmer and cook until flavors meld and sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and add shrimp and pineapple to pot, stirring until pieces are separated and evenly coated with sauce, about 1 minute. Cook until shrimp is almost fully cooked, about 4 minutes
- Stir in snow peas; bell pepper; and jalapeño, if using; and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in lime juice, basil, and mint. Garnish with peanuts and serve immediately.
for the red curry paste
for the thai-style red curry
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