Thai Red Chicken Curry (Take-out Style)

Before we move on to the recipe, lets discuss the do's and don'ts

1. "MAESRI" brand is the best out there for take-out style Thai curry sauces. These are available in most Chinese Stores for $3 in plastic containers. This tub usually has enough curry paste and will last for a couple of months depending on the usage. Unused curry paste can be refrigerated for 3 months.

2. Look for good quality unsweetened coconut milk, Thai Kitchen is easily available in most American grocery stores. Even Indian stores carry good brand. Grab a can , use whats necessary cover the rest with tin foil, seal it up in a ziplock and store for up to a week in refrigerator.

3. Bamboo shoots are available in most grocery chains in cans for less than a buck. Drain the water and wash and then use some and refrigerate the rest.

4. Choice of meat is really up to you. (Beef, Chicken, Shrimp) I have opted chicken for this recipe. If using beef, cooking time varies, so first boil the beef in water and proceed.

5. Choice of veggies: Bamboo shoots, Eggplant, Green peas, Yellow onions, Green peppers, Carrots, Snap peas, Water chestnuts, mushroom. Include at least 3 of these.

6. Other options: Vegetarians can go with Tofu for meat. If using tofu… deep fry and then add to the sauce. This Thai curry paste is absolutely vegetarian. No shrimp paste or fish sauce is included,  so vegetarians can use with no fear. Table-2 shows some options, which would be good but not really necessary.

7. This curry sauce goes very well with fried rice and even plain white rice. Serve them with authentic thai shrimp flavoured chips. Here again, there are thousand brands to choose and most of them are fake. They either don't fry up properly or too pungent. This is the brand which I trust the most…. the flavour is mild, you don't even realise that its made with shrimp and also they fluff up to the full size.

Ok, now for the recipe…. clean the chicken breast and cut them in an angle so they come out as thin slender strips. Cut the yellow onions, eggplant and bell peppers into thin long strips. Drain the bamboo shoots, wash the sweet frozen green peas. Take a wok or kadai, heat half a can of thick coconut milk with 1/4 cup water. Add 2 tbsp of curry paste and mix well. Heat them over medium flame adding salt and sugar. When its about to boil and thicken.. drop the chicken strips and all the veggies. Do not cover, boil until the meat cooks thoroughly. (Do not over cook, 3 to 4 minutes maximum) Now its time for optional additions like fish sauce and sweet Thai basil. Switch off. Fry those shrimp chips in hot oil and serve hot with plain cooked white jasmine or basmati rice.