Thai Red Curry

Thai Red Curry

This Thai Red Curry is one we come back to again and again, especially on those nights when you want something that feels a bit special but you're not up for spending hours in the kitchen. We're making the paste from scratch here, and trust us, it makes a massive difference. You get these incredible layers of flavour, fragrant lemongrass, warming ginger, a gentle kick from the chillies, all wrapped up in a rich, creamy coconut sauce. It's the kind of bowl that makes you go quiet for a second after the first spoonful. Get it on tonight, you won't regret it.

Cook: 35 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Blender or food processor
  • Large pan or wok
  • Small bowl for curry paste storage
  • Cumin and coriander seeds toasted in advance

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp palm sugar - or regular sugar
  • 2 tbsp agave syrup
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 red chilli
  • 200g mushrooms
  • 60g baby corn
  • 1 x 400g can of coconut milk
  • 150ml vegetable stock
  • 2 tbsp agave syrup
  • 160g baby plum tomatoes
  • 50g mangetout
  • ½ x 425g tin of lychees - optional
  • 2 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp peppercorns
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 10g fresh coriander leaves
  • 50ml water
  • ½ lime
  • 3 kaffir lime leaves
  • ½ roasted red pepper (from a jar)
  • 1 Bird's eye chilli - optional
  • 3 red chillies
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 2 lemongrass stalks
  • 5 shallots
  • 2cm piece of fresh ginger
  • white rice - enough for 4 people

Method

1

To make the Thai red curry paste

  • Scatter the cumin and coriander seeds over the pan and toast for 2 minutes
  • Peel the ginger by scraping off the skin with a spoon and roughly chop
  • Peel and roughly chop the shallots
  • Peel the garlic
  • Trim and roughly chop the lemongrass
  • Rip the stems from the chillies, removing the seeds if you prefer a milder sauce
  • Put the toasted seeds into the liquidiser along with the ginger, shallots, garlic and lemongrass
  • Add the fresh red chillies, bird’s eye chilli, if using, peppercorns, roasted red pepper, tomato purée and the lime leaves
  • Squeeze in the lime juice, catching any pips in your other hand
  • Add the 10g fresh coriander, salt and a splash of water, then whizz until really smooth with no bits, adding up to 50ml of water to loosen it if necessary
  • Spoon 100g of the paste into a bowl and set the rest aside to use another time (freeze it in batches of 100g)
2

Prepare the vegetables

  • Cut the red and green peppers in half and cut out the stems and seeds, then cut into 2cm chunks
  • Rip the stem from the red chilli, removing the seeds if you prefer a milder flavour, and cut into slices
  • Slice the mushrooms and halve the baby corn
3

Start cooking

  • Put the pan back on a high heat and add the oil
  • When it’s hot, add the 100g curry paste and fry for 2 minutes, until the paste deepens in colour and smells amazing
  • Pour in the coconut milk and vegetable stock and stir well to mix everything together
  • Add the sugar, agave syrup, soy sauce, peppers, chilli, mushroom, baby corn, tomatoes and mangetout
  • Drain the lychees, if using and add them to the pan
  • Bring to the boil and simmer for 7–10 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through
  • Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt, sugar or agave syrup as required
4

Time to serve

  • Spoon the curry into bowls, garnish with a handful of coriander leaves and serve alongside white rice

Tips & Variations

  • Go milder if you need to: Remove the seeds from the chillies before blending the paste and you'll keep all that gorgeous flavour without too much heat. Great if you're cooking for people who don't love spice.
  • Make extra paste: This paste freezes brilliantly. We always make a double batch and freeze half in an ice cube tray so we've got a ready-made curry base whenever we need it.
  • Add whatever veg you've got: This curry is super flexible. Courgette, aubergine, spinach, sugar snap peas, they all work really well here. We love chucking in whatever needs using up.

Why This Works

The trick is toasting the cumin and coriander seeds before anything else. It takes two minutes and it unlocks this deep, nutty warmth that you just can't get from a jar. Making your own paste sounds like extra effort but it genuinely transforms the whole dish, and once you've done it you'll never go back.