Thai red curry prawns with coconut milk
Written by Estelle & Alice for The Wok House
Before anything else goes in, the coconut cream boils on its own in the wok, and the curry paste fries in it until the oil turns red. Skip this step and you get a lukewarm soup that tastes raw. Do it, and the sauce thickens until it clings to the prawns. With a tin of coconut milk and a jar of curry paste in the cupboard, the dish is ready in twenty minutes.
Choo chee goong is a Thai red curry that's drier than the usual kind: the sauce reduces until it coats the prawns instead of leaving them swimming. Makrut lime leaves, shredded into very fine threads, give it its citrus scent. You'll find them fresh or frozen in Asian supermarkets, and the zest of a lime stands in for them if you can't.
Red curry prawns with coconut milk (choo chee goong)
Prawns cooked for three minutes in a Thai red curry with coconut milk, reduced in the wok until it coats them, with makrut lime leaves and Thai basil.
For 3 or 4 people, use a 32cm wok: the sauce spreads out enough to reduce in 4 minutes.
Ingredients
For the curry
For the prawns
Equipment
- 32cm wok
- Spatula
- 1 bowl for the coconut cream
Method
Start the rice
Rinse 300g jasmine rice until the water runs almost clear and put it on to cook. It will be ready at the same time as the curry.
Prepare the prawns and herbs
If the prawns still have their black vein, cut along the back and pull it out. Pat them dry with kitchen paper: wet prawns release water into the sauce. Remove the central rib from the lime leaves, roll them up tightly and shred them into very fine threads. Pick the basil leaves and cut the chilli into thin strips.
Cook the coconut cream
Open the tin of coconut milk without shaking it and scoop off the thick cream on top, about a third. Put it in the wok with 1 tbsp oil and boil it over a medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring, until small beads of oil appear on the surface.
Fry the curry paste
Add 3 tbsp curry paste and mash it into the cream with the spatula. Fry it for 2 minutes, stirring all the time, until the oil turns red and the smell catches the back of your nose a little.
Reduce the sauce
Pour in the rest of the coconut milk, 1 ½ tbsp fish sauce, the sugar and half the lime leaves. Let it reduce at a gentle boil for 4 minutes, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
Cook the prawns
Add the prawns in a single layer and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes, turning them halfway. They're ready when they're pink and curled into a C. If they've closed into an O, they're overcooked.
Finish and serve
Taste the sauce: a dash of fish sauce if it needs salt, a pinch of sugar if it's too hot. Off the heat, add the basil and the rest of the lime leaves, scatter over the chilli and serve straight away with the rice.
Wok tips
- Many shop-bought coconut milks contain an emulsifier, so their cream never fully separates. That's why the recipe adds a spoonful of oil: the curry paste still fries.
- Coconut sauce catches quickly over a high heat. A medium heat is enough for the whole recipe, and it also suits a non-stick wok, which doesn't take well to being overheated empty.
- Red curry pastes vary a lot in heat. With a brand you don't know, start with 2 tablespoons, taste the sauce, and add the third if needed.
- Buy raw prawns, not cooked. Cooked ones turn rubbery as soon as they hit the hot sauce, and they don't take on its flavour.
Variations
- With fish: 600g cod or monkfish in large chunks, added like the prawns and cooked for 3 to 4 minutes, barely stirring so they don't break up.
- Milder: yellow curry paste in the same amount, or just 2 tablespoons of red paste.
- With vegetables: 150g green beans in short lengths or a red pepper in strips, cooked for 3 minutes in the sauce before the prawns.
- No fish sauce: 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, then add salt at the end if needed.
Storage
One day in the fridge, in a sealed container. Reheat gently over a low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until hot but not boiling, or the prawns turn rubbery. This dish doesn't freeze well.
Frequently asked questions
Which curry paste for a prawn curry?
Thai red curry paste, sold in jars or sachets in Asian shops and most supermarkets. Yellow is milder. Indian curry powder makes a different dish, closer to a South Indian curry.
How do you know when prawns are cooked?
They turn pink and opaque and curl into a C shape. Allow 2 to 3 minutes in the hot sauce for large prawns. If they close into an O, they're overcooked and rubbery.
Can you use frozen prawns?
Yes. Defrost them overnight in the fridge, or for 10 minutes in a bowl of cold water, then dry them well. Still icy, they release water and thin the sauce.
Coconut milk or coconut cream?
Tinned full-fat coconut milk. The thick cream that rises to the top of the tin is for frying the curry paste, and the rest thins the sauce. Reduced-fat coconut milk doesn't reduce and gives a watery sauce.
