Thai Shrimp Curry (makes 4 servings)

January 30, 2015

Thai Shrimp Curry (makes 4 servings)

I've been having cravings for Thai food ever since we left Birmingham, but I just recently got up the guts to try making curry myself. When I finally did, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's pretty hard to mess up. For me, nothing could ever compete with Surin West, but this recipe comes out delicious.

Real food?

I’m not exactly sure what’s in Sriracha, but maybe mere mortals aren’t meant to know. Otherwise it’s all real food.

Cook time:

About two episodes of Friends (Netflix, no commercials), and you pretty much have to stand there stirring. It requires enough attention that you don’t want to walk away for too long, but not so much that you can’t drink beer and watch TV while you do it.

Price:

$3.25/serving

Variations:

You can save yourself about $1/serving if you sub in beans (we like chickpeas) in place of the shrimp.

Ingredients

2 cans of coconut milk (one light, one regular)
Thai yellow curry paste
2 smallish potatoes (peeled and cut into smallish cubes)
Fresh frozen stir fry veggies
Medium cooked shrimp (1/2 lb, frozen)
Sriracha hot sauce (to taste)
White basmati rice (2 cups)
A tiny bit of olive oil

Plant-based option: Replace the shrimp with fried tofu, prepared according to the Minimalist Baker's directions. I season mine in a combination of salt, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, and cinnamon.

Directions

1. Make the curry base.

Heat the coconut milk in a large skillet over medium heat. You may have heard some people on Pinterest talking about cooking until it separates. I’ve actually witnessed someone do this (my very patient sister-in-law Talia), but I usually just heat the coconut milk until I get bored, declare those Pinterest people witches, and move on.

Add the curry paste – maybe ½ cup? It’s pretty thick and would be way too much trouble to measure anyway, so just follow your heart. To be safe, you can always go light the first time then add hot sauce at the end if it needs it. I’ve always used the Aroy–D brand, because that’s what they have at the Asian market by my apartment, but based on the fastidious research of a white girl with a Thai husband, “all of the curries were ranked as being pretty decent,” so maybe don’t stress about it. Also, you can order anything on Amazon.

2. Start the rice.

I would say cook the rice according to package directions, but every time I’ve tried to do that I’ve burned it irrevocably. To paraphrase my cousin Vinny, do the laws of physics cease to exist on my stove? Are the direction writers of rice trying to make me throw myself out the window? Not quite sure. Oh, and use olive oil not margarine.

3. Add the veggies and shrimp.

Add the potatoes first and let them simmer for about 5 minutes. Then add the frozen stir fry veggies (a huge timesaver!) and let that simmer for about 5-7 minutes or until everything is starting to get soft. Since the shrimp are already cooked, just throw them in for the last few minutes to warm them up.