Shrimp in Coconut and Red Curry Sauce

Name: Shrimp in Coconut and Red Curry Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 667 g Shrimp (prawn) peeled and deveined; 167 ml Coconut milk, thick cream skimmed from the top let the can settle before opening; 2 3/4 tablespoons Basic red curry paste; 333 ml Coconut milk, thin, from the bottom of the can; 1 1/3 tablespoons Coconut sugar; 1 1/3 teaspoons Fish sauce to taste; 3 sprigs Thai sweet basil for garnish; 3 Thai long chilies sliced diagonally; 3 Kaffir lime leaves folded and sliced into thin slivers

Choo Chee Goong

Shrimp simmered in a rich, mildly spiced coconut red curry sauce

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 10 min
Serves: 4
Heat: mild

This curry is built on a distinction that matters in Thai cooking: the basic red curry paste used here skips the peppercorns and cumin found in hotter chili pastes, leaning instead on lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime for a milder, more fragrant profile. Splitting the coconut milk into thick cream and thin milk and frying the paste in the cream alone first is what gives the sauce its rich, glossy texture once everything comes back together. Shrimp cook quickly at the very end, just long enough to turn pink and curl, keeping them tender in a sauce that's more about aromatic depth than heat.

Ingredients

667 g Shrimp (prawn) (peeled and deveined)
167 ml Coconut milk, thick cream skimmed from the top (let the can settle before opening)
2 3/4 tablespoons Basic red curry paste
333 ml Coconut milk, thin, from the bottom of the can
1 1/3 tablespoons Coconut sugar
1 1/3 teaspoons Fish sauce (to taste)
3 sprigs Thai sweet basil (for garnish)
3 Thai long chilies (sliced diagonally)
3 Kaffir lime leaves (folded and sliced into thin slivers)

Directions

Let the coconut milk settle for a day if possible, then carefully skim the thick cream from the top without shaking, and measure the thinner milk from the bottom separately. Slice the chili and slice the kaffir lime leaves into thin slivers.
Heat the thick coconut cream in a wok until it bubbles, then stir in the curry paste. Fry together for about 5 minutes, until the mixture looks dry and oily.
Stir in the thin coconut milk and bring back to a boil.
Add the coconut sugar and cook until dissolved, letting the sauce simmer a couple more minutes to thicken. Taste and add fish sauce a little at a time if it needs more salt.
Add the shrimp and cook for about a minute, until they turn pink and their tails curl.
Turn off the heat and stir in the sliced chili. Serve topped with the kaffir lime slivers and fresh basil sprigs.

Notes

Fry the curry paste in the thick coconut cream alone first, before adding the thinner milk — that's what lets the paste's oils separate out and fully bloom its flavor.

Substitutions

A standard Thai red curry paste can substitute for basic red curry paste if that's not available, though the flavor will be a bit sharper and spicier.