Red Thai Curry – Gaeng Pet Gai Recipe
We love hot food and therefore it’s only natural that we have a Thai curry in our repertoire. For ages I tried to piece this recipe together on my own, until my girlfriend in a stroke of genius organised a little cooking lesson at our favourite Thai restaurant. Since then we have perfected the art of the perfect red Thai curry!
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoon red curry paste
- Thai sweet basil
- Kafir leaves
- 250 Gram zucchini and Thai aubergine
- 600 Gram chicken breast
- 1 Litre coconut milk
- 3 Tablespoons fish sauce
- Fresh Basil for garnish
Serves 4
Method
- Prepare all ingredients – cut the chicken breast into thin slices, same with the zucchini and aubergine, slice the Thai basil leaves and remove the stems from the kafir leaves and half them in the process.
- In a wok or any other large frying pan heat 2 table spoons oil. Once the oil is really hot add the red curry paste and stir in vigorously. Once the paste has “dissolved” itself in the oil it is time to start adding the ingredients.
- Add the zucchini and the aubergine first. Keep the pan hot and keep stirring.
- After a minute or two add the chicken, keep stirring.
- As soon as the chicken is in the wok, add the coconut milk.
- Add the fish sauce, the kafir leaves and the sweet basil. Keep stirring until the coconut milk comes to boil.
- Keep stirring and boiling for around 3 minutes then taste the sauce. If you like what you are tasting you are done, else boil a little longer and spice according to your taste.
Tips & Tricks
Every curry tastes different. This is a well accepted fact in Asian countries; each family has their own distinct curry. The different tastes originate mainly in the different curry pastes and by varying the ingredients.
Feel free to exchange the chicken breast for beef or fish, or leave it out all together and make a vegetable curry. Same with the vegetables, make it authentic with Thai aubergine or use any other vegetables that you like such as bamboo or soya sprouts, pole beans, carrots, etc..
Red curry paste is best if you have the muse and patience to make it yourself, alternatively you can get good curry paste at your local Asian market.
The trick for a good and authentic curry is the proper and fresh ingredients. Make sure you really get Thai aubergine and Thai sweet basil, your local Asian market will be glad to set you up.
Fish sauce is the equivalent to salt in the Thai cuisine, simply use it as such and don’t let the production process scare you off.
