The secret to a good curry no matter what region you take your inspiration from, starts in the first few steps. In the past, I have been known to just throw in a pre-made curry paste to heat through before adding my chosen protein and veggies before adding coconut milk/stock/yoghurt/cream/whatever and served. Never again!
Making your own paste from scratch is great, rewarding you’d say, but sometimes I just don’t have the time (can be bothered) or have the myriad of ingredients on hand to do so. I love pouring over cooking and recipe blogs, thumbing through old and new cookbooks to find inspiration and recipes to try. So many times I’ve come across this wonderful “hack” to producing a mouth watering, more authentic tasting curry when using a pre-made curry paste but have never put it into practice.
Why?!?
I don’t know? Naivety? Stupidity? Laziness? Whatever. I will now take on this piece of advice and go forth to make delicious curries for ever more.
So what is this hack? Take your curry paste and simply add some simple fresh ingredients to elevate it to something glorious. In this case I’m going Thai. Garlic. Ginger. Lemongrass. That’s it! Add this to the oil as you fry your store bought paste and be prepared to be amazed. The fresh ingredients just make all the difference. I have no idea why I didn’t do this before, it takes no time at all and is just so simple. You live and learn I guess.
So here is my simple Red Thai curry. I’ve used beef, butternut pumpkin and spinach and served over some fluffy jasmine rice.
Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp ginger & garlic paste
2 stalks of lemongrass, bruised
2-3 tbsp red curry paste
400ml coconut milk
300gms beef, cut into large chunks
Half a butternut pumpkin, cut into large cubes
Large handful, maybe two of baby spinach leaves
Small pack Thai basil or coriander, plus extra to serve ( I subbed regular basil and parsley as that’s what I had growing)
1 red chilli, sliced diagonally thumb-sized
Piece of ginger, cut into matchsticks
Cooked jasmine rice, to serve
Method
Toss pumpkin pieces in 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and arrange on oven tray. Place in oven, preheated to approx 200C. Pumpkin will be ready when soft but starting to crisp on edges, roughly the same time it takes for the curry to cook through.
Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and fry 1 tsp ginger and 1 tsp garlic paste for 2 mins. Add 2-3 tbsp red curry paste, sizzle for a few secs, then pour in 400ml coconut milk and add lemongrass.
Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer, stir a little and wait for the oil to rise to the surface.
Add beef chunks, and simmer until beef is cooked through and tender.
Bring to the boil once more, take off the heat, remove lemon grass stalks, add pumpkin pieces and baby spinach and add ½ small pack Thai basil. Stir through.
Spoon the curry into four bowls and top with 1 red chilli, a thumb-sized piece of ginger and a few extra basil leaves and coriander if that’s your preference.
Serve with jasmine rice and enjoy!
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