Thai Coconut Red Curry with Prawns

One of my favourite dishes when I go to a Thai restaurant is the Thai coconut red curry. That was before I started to make my own at home. Homemade Thai coconut red curry with prawns is easy, quick and full of so much flavour! It is way better than take out, and takes just 15 minutes to cook, and 10 minutes of prep time. Weeknight dinners have never been so easy.

The flavour in homemade Thai curry is unmatched. From the second that red curry paste starts sizzling in your wok, the aromas are absolutely incredible. You know it is going to be a good meal when your mouth starts salivating as soon as you start... true story.

Ingredients in Thai Coconut Red Curry

• vegetable oil
• prawns - 12-15 prawns, peeled and deveined.
• Thai red curry paste - the base flavour in this dish.
• coconut milk - I used regular coconut milk, but you can use lite too.
• vegetables - snap peas (or green beans), red bell pepper, green bell pepper
• seasonings - brown sugar, Thai fish sauce, fresh lime juice
• herbs - dried lemongrass, fresh basil leaves

How to Make Thai Coconut Red Curry with Prawns

1. Prepare the red curry base. Heat vegetable oil in a large pan or wok on medium heat. Add the red curry paste and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in coconut milk, lemongrass and brown sugar. Stir to combine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add prawns and vegetables. Add prawns, snap peas, and bell peppers. Cook uncovered for 4-5 minutes until prawns are cooked.
3. Add more flavour. Take the wok off heat and add the fish sauce, lime juice and basil leaves. Let it rest for 5 minutes and serve with rice or noodles.

Tips for Making Thai Red Curry

1. Have your ingredients prepared. This dish takes just 15 minutes to cook, so things move quickly. It's nice that there isn't too much prep involved either. The only prep you will need to do is deveining the prawns and slicing up a few vegetables. For the seasoning, I just jeep my measuring spoons close by and measure as I go along. 
2. Substitute the protein: This recipe is so delicious and full of flavour. But if you are not a big seafood fan, you can easily substitute the shrimp for chicken or tofu. If cooking with chicken, simmer the chicken for 5 minutes before you add in the bell peppers and snap peas, and then simmer together for another 4-5 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked.
3. Start preparing your side dishes. If you are serving this with some rice, prepare the rice first, since it will take more time. If serving with noodles, you can start preparing them while the curry is simmering so that it will be done around the same time. This will maximize the use of your time and you can coordinate in this way to ensure that your entire meal is ready at the same time and nothing goes cold.
4. Get the consistency you want. If the sauce is too thick, easily thin it out with some water.

How to Serve Thai Coconut Red Curry with Prawns

Thai coconut red curry with prawns pairs so unbelievably well with coconut rice, and it really enhances the coconut flavours in this dish. It also goes really well served over noodles.

More Thai Dishes

• 10-Minute Chicken Pad Thai
• Thai Yam and Sweet Potato Yellow Curry
• Thai Red Curry Mussels
• Easy Coconut Rice

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