Thai-style Shrimp Curry
With classic South Asian flavors including lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, and ginger, this shrimp and coconut curry is a delicious and impressive main course. Serve over white rice and garnish with cilantro, mint, chopped peanuts, and a lime wedge.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons chopped lemon grass (from the bottom three inches of the stock)
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped ginger
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 serrano chile pepper (seeds and membrane removed)
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 red onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 14 oz can coconut milk
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 kaffir lime leaves
- 2 pounds large shrimp, uncooked
- 3 plum tomatoes
- 1 cup (approximately 8) garlic chives (substitute scallion if needed)
- fresh chopped mint
- fresh chopped cilantro
- crushed salted peanuts
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Blend first six ingredients in a food processor until they form a smooth curry paste; set aside.
- Since the cooking of this dish goes fairly quickly, it is important to have all ingredient prepped and ready before cooking begins. Thinly slice red onion and red pepper and dice plum tomatoes. Julienne garlic chives, and devein shrimp. Combine coconut milk, fish sauce, chicken broth, and sugar in a bowl.
- Once all ingredients are prepped, heat peanut oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. When oil begins to smoke slightly, add thinly sliced red onion and red pepper and saute one minute. Then, push onions and peppers to the sides of the pan so that a small space is clear in the center of the pan. Add curry paste and cook 30 seconds. Then, stir curry paste into onions and peppers and cook for two to three minutes or until peppers and onions begin to soften. Then, add coconut milk mixture and whole kaffir lime leaves to pan. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes. Then, add shrimp, tomatoes, and garlic chives. Cook five more minutes or until shrimp are pink and opaque. Remove kaffir lime leaves.
- Serve over white rice. Garnish with chopped fresh mint, cilantro, salted peanuts, and a lime wedge.
Quick Notes
To make this dish spicier, leave seeds and membranes in Serrano chili before pureeing, or add extra chili to curry paste. To make this dish less spicy, add only half a Serrano chili.
Time: 45 minutes
