Thai basil red curry
One of my favourite meals the Thai basil red curry is easy to make.
The 2 key items that make it taste so nice are:
- Fresh Thai basil – very easy to grow at home.
- Ketjap manis – a bit like sweet soy sauce.
Both are described in more details further down the page.
How to make Thai basil red curry
Ingredients:
- 330 g chicken breasts (About 2 breasts)
- 2 tbsp chopped Thai basil
- 1 Red pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp Fish sauce
- 1 tsp Ketjap manis or soy sauce
- 1 tsp Brown sugar
- 400 ml Coconut milk
- 2 tbsp Red curry paste
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
Equipment
- 1 wok or large frying pan
- 1 large bowl
- 1 Knife and chopping board
Instructions
1. Prepare the ingredients
- Remove the leaves from the Thai basil and chop into small bits. Cut the red pepper into small bits and squeeze the garlic. Cut the chicken into bits or slices.
- Combine the fish sauce and Ketjap manis (or soy sauce) in a bowl and then add the pepper and garlic. Mix well.
2. Prepare the curry
- Heat the wok (or frying pan) and add olive oil. Then add the chicken pieces and fry until golden (about 3 to 5 minutes)
- Add the items from the bowl (fish sauce, peppers, etc.) to the chicken and fry for another minute, stirring well. Finally add the chopped Thai basil.
- Then add the red curry paste and coconut milk. Add the brown sugar. Simmer on low heat for another 3 to 5 minutes. Until it’s nice and gooey. (thick and runny)
How to serve
Great with rice, pilau rice or noodles.
2 Items that make a difference.
Item 1 – Fresh Thai basil.
Sounds obvious but it’s the Thai basil that adds the real flavour to this recipe.
However, (like for most meals) you will notice a real difference in flavour if you use your own homegrown fresh basil.
It’s very easy to grow – the one pictured on the right was grown from seed. Or you can always simply buy a plug plant.
For more details have a look at how to grow Thai basil
Item 2 – Ketjap Manis
This sweet Indonesian soy sauce will make a real difference to this recipe.
It does have a unique flavour, but if you can’t get it then the nearest equivalent would be to use regular soy sauce with a bit of sugar.
However do try to use authentic ketjap manis – not only is it great for this recipe but also for items like Nasi Goring, Bami, etc.
(Available in some supermarkets or Amazon
Thai basil red curry
Equipment
- 1 Wok
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Knife and chopping board
Ingredients
- 330 g Chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp Thai basil leaves chopped
- 1 red pepper
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 2 tsp Fish sauce
- 1 tsp Ketjap manis (or soy sauce)
- 1 tsp Brown sugar
- 400 ml Coconut milk
- 2 tbsp Red curry paste
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients
- Remove the leaves from the Thai basil and chop into small bits. Cut the red pepper into small bits and squeeze the garlic. Cut the chicken into bits or slices.
- Combine the fish sauce and Ketjap manis (or soy sauce) in a bowl and then add the pepper and garlic. Mix well.
Prepare the curry
- Heat the wok (or frying pan) and add olive oil. Then add the chicken pieces and fry until golden (about 3 to 5 minutes)
- Add the items from the bowl (fish sauce, peppers, etc.) to the chicken and fry for another minute, stirring well. Finally add the chopped Thai basil.
- Then add the red curry paste and coconut milk. Add the brown sugar. Simmer on low heat for another 3 to 5 minutes. Until it’s nice and gooey. (thick and runny)
Video
Nutrition
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The country recipe challenge.
This recipe is part of my country recipe challenge, where I am trying to find 1 recipe from each country in the world.
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