Thai Red Chicken Curry with New Potatoes and Roast Cashew Nuts

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If you asked any member of our family to name their favourite curry, we would all say, without exception – Thai Red Curry. Andrew, Charlotte and I tend to opt for it with chicken, whereas Emma, our resident vegetarian/sometimes pescatarian will choose a veggie version. Either way, the warm spicy, creamy, coconut curry sauce packs a huge flavour punch when made with a good quality red curry paste and finished with the glorious aniseed flavours of Thai basil.

The red curry paste is made from a heady combination of chillies, galangal, lemongrass, garlic, shallots, fresh coriander leaves and roots, coriander powder, cumin, shrimp paste and lime, all coming together to add a depth and complexity of flavour to what is a very quickly prepared dish. Quick enough to knock up after work but mind blowingly delicious enough to serve at a dinner party.

The key to a good curry is to buy as authentic ingredients as possible:

• Red Curry Paste – I either make my own (recipe here) or I buy it from a local Asian store – luckily I stocked up recently! Failing that, as Thai food has become more and more popular, most good supermarkets will sell red curry paste. Red curry paste is probably the most versatile of the Thai curry pastes (such as green and yellow pastes as well as massamam and its Indonesian cousin, rendang) and is used in a range of different Thai dishes e.g. fishcakes, chicken satay and peanut sauce, duck curry with lychees, pork with pineapple and ginger, beef with red peppers and roast butternut squash and some soups and noodle dishes to name just a few. A great ingredient to keep on hand which stores well for a few weeks in the refrigerator.
• Coconut Milk – I also buy this from my local Asian store. Although widely available in the UK, I find the supermarket versions slightly less rich and creamy but they are absolutely fine if that is all you can get.
• Thai Sweet or Holy Basil – (I prefer Thai sweet basil) I have no problem getting hold of this in my local supermarkets in London but have never seen it in the supermarket my mum uses in North Wales, so I guess it depends where you live. Luckily, before lockdown, I really stocked up on Thai basil. I shredded the leaves and froze them ready to throw into curries – indeed the pictures from today are of frozen Thai basil. This works really well, so if you struggle to find some, stock up when possible and freeze. Failing all that, use a mixture of normal basil and coriander. It will still be absolutely delicious.

How to make Thai Red Chicken Curry with New Potatoes and Roast Cashew Nuts

Collect all your ingredients together:

• coconut oil
• Thai red curry paste, either homemade or shop bought
• coconut milk
• palm sugar (or coconut, soft brown or caster sugar)
• fish sauce
• raw skinless chicken, either breast or thigh meat
• cooked, chopped new potatoes
• kaffir lime leaves (I buy these frozen – use dried if frozen or fresh unavailable)
• Thai sweet or holy basil leaves

To serve:

• Jasmine Rice – either steamed, egg fried or coconut or noodles
• Chopped coriander
• Slices of red chilli
• Roast cashew nuts (or peanuts)

The process is very simple. Pre-cook the potatoes and roast the cashew nuts. Then, heat the coconut oil over a moderate heat, add the curry paste and cook for around 30 seconds to 1 minute until aromatic and them add the coconut milk. Bring to a gentle simmer and add the palm sugar, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves, uncooked thinly sliced chicken and cooked new potatoes. Cook for 5 -6 minutes until the chicken is cooked and everything is hot. Just before you serve, stir in the shredded Thai basil.

NB – only gently simmer the coconut milk, do not boil briskly or it may split. It will still taste delicious but it will look oily as the oil will separate from the coconut liquid.

Also, please note that:

• potatoes are not a classic ingredient in a Thai red curry – we just love potatoes in curry. If you do not fancy this, you can add extra chicken or replace with vegetables – you could throw in some broccoli florets, batons or slices of courgette, some chopped red pepper, mushrooms or cauliflower instead.
• equally cashews are also not typically served with this curry. However, we love the both the taste and the texture they bring. Sometimes I replace the cashews with peanuts. Simply leave out if you don’t fancy it or can’t eat nuts.

Serve with noodles or rice, ideally Jasmine rice (or you could use long grain rice or Japanese rice), some chopped coriander, slices of red chilli and chopped roast cashew nuts. Voila – all cooked and ready to eat in 15 minutes. Don’t forget to put your rice on before you start – it takes longer to cook!

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Pet Update:

Curry isn’t their favourite food!!

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