Got that burning itch for your favorite Thai Shrimp Curry, but don't feel like putting on real pants to leave the house? Well, have I got the recipe for you! You will have to leave the house for groceries and supplies at some point, though, so make the most of your time and energy by picking up the ingredients for this amazing recipe next time you are out and about. Everything should be available at your local grocery store, but worse case the nearest Asian market will supply anything else you can't find. This recipe is quite adaptable with the veggies and ingredients themselves, so don't feel the need to follow it precisely, but the following walk through should represent the most basic flavors and ingredients that make a great curry. So stick around a few minutes and give it a quick read before planning your next curry extravaganza. We will be keeping it simple as possible so with that in mind, let's get cooking!
Believe it or not, prep work for this delicious curry is quite simple and straight forward. I joined the lazy people with this one today and purchased pre-shredded carrots. If you already have whole carrots at home, well feel free to slice and dice and shred them yourself to save a few cents. I also chose to splurge on some red bell pepper for this recipe. Now don't feel the need because cheaper green bell pepper works perfectly fine, but the added sweetness of the reds seem to nicely compliment this spicy dish. And let's face it, the red bell pepper does look pretty damn good with the orange carrots and yellow corn, after all! Go ahead and dice a couple onions into bite sized pieces then fine dice a couple jalapeno peppers as well. Beyond that minimal knife work, just open up the cans of baby corn and rotel tomatoes and drain them. We will be using some fresh Thai basil later on, but no cutting or chopping will be required. I told you the prep work for this recipe was quite simple, eh? However, don't feel the need to stop here. Water chestnuts, Thai eggplant, fresh garlic, ginger, and all sorts of other typical curry ingredients can be added according to your taste. The curry paste I used already included the garlic and ginger so I opted to omit adding any additional amounts to keep things super simple.
Alright, now that we have invested a whopping 8 minutes into prep work, let's start cooking and developing those layers of flavor that set this shrimp curry far apart from other wannabes. In a large pot, heat some cooking oil over medium-high heat and toss in the shredded carrots. Saute the carrots for a few minutes to start softening them up. Next we will add the diced jalapenos and continue to saute for another couple minutes. Yes, you guessed right. Add the bell pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. We are really starting to build up those flavor layers now! Now it's time to add the key component, which you would also be correct in suspecting the oh so critical curry paste. Personal preference may come into play at this point, but after years of trial and dozens upon dozens of batches of curry, you can't go wrong with Mae Ploy brand curry paste, and since we are making shrimp curry here you have to go with the green curry paste! Green means healthy, right? Plus it just looks and tastes great so for once just listen and use what I'm suggesting. Don't blame me if you use something else and your curry tastes like a bowl of wet racoons on a hot summer day. Moving on....really get that paste broken down and incorporated with the veggies using the natural juices they should have started to release at this point. Continue by adding the diced onion and saute for ...... drum roll please......another 5 minutes or so. Cooking these veggies and everything separately rather than all at once truly builds a much deeper flavor profile, so take my word or do as you want to do, but it isn't like I'm asking much here by cooking one thing at a time. Nonetheless, pour in a couple cans of coconut milk at this point. If you prefer a more spicy thick curry then I suggest 2 cans, but probably 3 cans for those of you afraid of future digestion issues/toilet scorching and/or more soupy curry fans. Stir everything well and make sure to scrape up any bits off the bottom of the pan. Leave no flavor brother behind! After a couple minutes, add the drained baby corn and rotel tomatoes (yes, you can use any diced tomatoes). Give it a quick stir, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Don't completely walk away, though, as you will need to continue stirring every 6-8 minutes to prevent the coconut milk from scorching.
Still with me? We haven't performed any rocket science just yet, eh? So after 30 minutes, add your raw shrimp. Use any you have on hand from frozen bags (quickly thaw under running cold water) or fresh, but something in that 50-70 count is best. Not too small nor too big, they tend to be the perfect bite size for this curry recipe. Continue to simmer the curry until the shrimp turns pink and is cooked, about 6-8 minutes or so.
The final step to making this Thai Shrimp Curry over the top delicious is to add some fresh Thai basil leaves to the mixture. No need to chop anything here, though. Just pinch or pull them off the stems with your fingers, give them a quick rub between your palms to release those natural oils, and toss them right in. Pretty simple, am I right? That's it, you have made the perfect batch of shrimp curry to flaunt to your family! Serve as a soup or over rice (back to that 2 versus 3 cans of coconut milk thing) and garnish with some fresh basil. Then, grab your phone, take some hot pics, and head over to instagram where you can tag me, @grubbongrub, and drop that #thaishrimpcurry to show all your friends what a badass chef you have become! Go ahead.....I'll be waiting to see who can follow simple directions. Let me know if you added any other veggies or ingredients to your version! Simple, modern, and amazing......keeping it tasty when you just keep cooking!
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