How to Use Red Curry Sauce

Add vegetables of different colors to contrast the red sauce

Curry sauce is the most essential element in any Thai curry. The base of any curry sauce is curry paste, which is a mixture of chilies, lemongrass, galangal and lime zest. There are three different colors of chili paste, one for each of the three colors of chilies: red, green and yellow. Red curry sauce usually involves a mixture of red curry paste, coconut milk and lime.

Things You'll Need

• 2 tbsp. red curry paste
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Instructions

1. Decide on a recipe that works for you. Unless you are a semi-professional chef developing a fresh concept on red curry paste, you will want to spend some time looking over recipes involving red curry sauce. Thai cuisine uses this form of sauce more frequently than other Asian cuisines. It is also a very common sauce and can be used to prepare beef, chicken and shellfish.

2. Make your own red curry paste or buy a store-bought product. Making your own red curry paste is quite simple. To prepare, ingredients are whizzed through a blender and then gently simmered to remove excess water. It takes only 15 to 30 minutes to prepare and can be jarred or frozen future use. However, store-bought red curry paste is extremely common. Although you can find paste in most supermarkets, try your local Asian market for a greater selection.

3. Prepare your meat or shellfish first. This will preserve rareness in the meat and prevent overcooking the shellfish. In this circumstance, you will cook the curry sauce separately and simmer sauce and meat or shellfish together briefly as a last step.

4. Cook your red curry sauce. Your recipe may have slight variations, but a basic sauce will include red curry paste, coconut and lime juice. If you are looking for a general proportion of ingredients, try 2 tbsp. red curry paste, 1 cup coconut milk and ¼ cup fresh lime juice. To prepare, heat 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil over medium heat and combine with the chili paste. Next, saute the chili paste until you unlock the mixtures aromas. Stir in the coconut milk and lime juice and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering until the sauce thickens.

5. Combine your sauce and the other ingredients for your entree. If you want your meat to soak up some of the curry flavor, try simmering together for two minutes on low heat. Serving curry over a bed of rice is common, but optional.

Tips & Warnings

• Increase the heat of your curry by adding more red curry paste.

References

• Food Network: Coconut Shrimp with Red Curry Sauce
• ImportFood.com: How to Make Thai Curry Paste at Home