Thai Red Curry
Coconut curry of red paste, pork, and bamboo with lime leaf.
Ingredients
- 500 g Pork shoulder
- 4 tbsp Red curry paste
- 2 tin Coconut milk
- 150 g Bamboo shoots
- 6 Kaffir lime leaves
- 1 bunch Thai basil
- 2 tbsp Fish sauce
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 500 g Jasmine rice (optional)
Method
- Rinse the jasmine rice and cook it in twice its volume of water, covered, until tender and the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- While the rice cooks, slice the pork shoulder thin against the grain.
- Spoon the thick cream from the top of one tin of coconut milk into a wide pan over medium heat and simmer until it looks oily and glossy, then stir in the red curry paste and fry until deep-coloured and fragrant.
- While the paste fries, drain the bamboo shoots.
- Add the pork, the rest of the coconut milk, the bamboo shoots, and the kaffir lime leaves and stir to combine.
- Simmer gently over low heat until the pork is tender, balancing the sauce with the fish sauce and sugar to taste.
- Take the pan off the heat and tear in the Thai basil so it just wilts.
- Spoon into bowls and serve with the jasmine rice.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Thai Red Curry
Thai red curry, or gaeng phet, is one of the cornerstone curries of central Thai cooking, defined by a coconut-milk base and a red curry paste built on dried red chilies, galangal, lemongrass, garlic and shrimp paste. This version simmers thin-sliced pork shoulder with bamboo shoots and kaffir lime leaf, finished with fish sauce, a little sugar and Thai basil, and served over jasmine rice. The flavor is layered and balanced in the Thai way: coconut richness against chili heat, the salt of fish sauce against a touch of sweetness, and the sharp citrus lift of lime leaf cutting through it all. Bamboo shoots add a mild, crunchy foil to the tender pork, and the basil brings an anise fragrance right at the end.
The step that gives this red curry its depth is cracking the coconut cream. The thick cream skimmed from the top of the tin is simmered until it separates and turns oily and glossy, and the curry paste is fried in that hot fat until it darkens and becomes intensely fragrant before the rest of the coconut milk goes in. That frying is what unlocks the paste's aromatics and keeps the finished sauce from tasting raw or flat. Cooking the rice at the same time means the whole dish lands in about thirty-five minutes. It is best served in bowls over jasmine rice, ready to soak up the sauce, and welcomes any tender protein or vegetables you have to hand.
Thai Red Curry: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Thai Red Curry?
A serving has about 691 calories — 31.2g protein, 20g carbs, 57.3g fat, 6.7g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 31.2g of protein, roughly 18% of its calories.
Is Thai Red Curry gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Thai Red Curry has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Thai Red Curry take to make?
About 35 minutes start to finish, but only around 18 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Thai Red Curry?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out jasmine rice — it's optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Thai Red Curry make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.