red curry

Maehashi’s selected Thai red curry simmers chicken thigh, butternut squash and green beans in a creamy coconut sauce. This version starts with purchased red curry paste, freshened with garlic, ginger and finely chopped lemongrass.

The paste and added aromatics cook in vegetable oil before prepared chicken stock is stirred in. That liquid simmers rapidly and reduces before the coconut milk is added.

Full-fat coconut milk, lime leaves, selected palm sugar and fish sauce join the pan, followed by thin slices of chicken. The sauce simmers until the meat cooks and the liquid reaches a thicker consistency.

Butternut cubes and green beans cook near the end. The pan leaves the heat before Thai basil is stirred through, bringing an aniseed note to the finished sauce.

The curry is served over separately cooked jasmine rice, with fresh red chilli and coriander optional. Maehashi prefers a pourable gravy-like sauce and notes that a little oil separation is part of its appearance.