Easy Red Thai Curry

In my Thai cooking classes this summer I learned that Thai food, despite the complex flavors and ingredients, is actually quite easy to make.  Honestly, prepping ingredients can be time consuming.  Making a curry paste entails prepping your spices then grinding them by hand in a mortar and pestle, but of course there's always the food processor to take the manual labor out of the process.  I don't mind cutting vegetables, but prepping to make a curry with an array of veggies can take more than 20 minutes.  However, once the ingredients are all prepped and at your fingertips, the wok is heated and the cooking happens quickly.


I haven't made a Thai curry paste since returning to New York.  Instead I went to a Thai grocer in Chinatown and picked up a batch of vegan green chili paste.  I also bought a jar of red chili paste at Whole Foods, and it makes having fresh Thai food so easy.

Traditionally red Thai chili paste is a combination of super spicy red Thai chili peppers, shallots, garlic, lemon grass, kaffir lime, galangal, and coriander root.  There are other spices added like cumin and peppercorns.  Talk about a recipe for health! Each of the spices listed boasts it's own health promoting attributes; and with cold and flu season right around the corner, we can all benefit from some spicy curry!


Thai chili peppers, like all spicy chili peppers, contain a substance called capsaicin.  Capsaicin is the stuff that gives peppers its heat and spice, and it is known to be an anti-inflammatory in the body; protecting against diseases like arthritis.  Spicy peppers are also known to be great for the cardiovascular system, reducing blood cholesterol and protecting fat in the blood from free radical damage.  They're great for reducing mucus when you've got a cold (try a spicy cayenne pepper & ginger tea).  Spicy peppers even aid in weight loss because your body uses more energy aka calories to produce that hot feeling you get when you eat them.

Another stellar health promoter found in Thai chili paste is galangal.  A relative of ginger and turmeric, galangal shares many of its cousin's health benefits. In Thailand galangal is everywhere and in everything.  The root resembles ginger and is similarly health promoting.  Galangal aids in digestion and is great for upset stomach and gas.  It also has impressive antioxidant abilities, protecting our cells against free radical damage and toxins; and keeping us healthy during cold and flu season.


I've highlighted these spices to show you how worth it it is to make your own Thai curry, or just incorporate these ingredients into your diet.
Again, making Thai curry is super easy.  Pick up a jar of premade Thai chili (sans the MSG and preservatives),  a can of coconut milk, some fresh veggies (or frozen if you're going for the easiest route) and get cooking!

Easy Red Thai Curry 

(serves 4.  Chose your favorite veggies for this curry.  I like to include whatever is in season hence the butternut squash.  Cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potatoes, eggplant (...etc) all are great additions.  Make sure to purchase chili paste that does not include MSG or preservatives, the same goes for coconut milk.  Serve over brown rice)

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 cups butternut squash, chopped and steamed

1 cup frozen lima beans (sugar snap peas are even tastier)

2 cups swiss chard, chopped

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 tbsp chili paste

1 can coconut milk

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp palm sugar, or raw sugar

a handful of basil leaves, chopped 

In a large wok heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high.  When hot, add onions and garlic.  Cook until tender, then stir in 1 tablespoon chili paste.  Add the harder vegetables like carrots and frozen lima beans, cook for a few minutes.  Now add the remaining vegetables and stir well.  Add coconut milk.  Bring to a slight boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Cook until the vegetables have reached your desired tenderness.  Taste to see if the curry needs anymore chili paste and season with soy sauce and sugar if necessary.  Also stir in chopped basil.  

Serve over brown rice.