Thai Red Curry: Prawn, Mutton & Egg Flavor Profiles

(Updated Version)

The vibrant, aromatic Thai Red Curry Paste is the heart of many delicious dishes. Once you've made this paste, you’re almost ready to whip up a flavorful Thai Red Prawn Curry. It’s a versatile paste, perfect for adding your choice of seafood, chicken, or pork. While I can't say for sure if it works with beef, I can definitely vouch for my Thai Red Mutton Curry. In fact, I’ve made it countless times, along with prawn and egg variations (THAI SPICY EGGPLANT).

Thai Red Curry Paste Tips
Make a batch and store it in small containers in the freezer. This way, you can take out just what you need, avoiding thawing and refreezing a larger container. This helps maintain the paste's color and flavor, and it also prevents spoilage. Always use a dry spoon to scoop the paste out - since it’s preservative-free and all-natural, it’s sensitive to contamination.

The basic ingredients include chilies, lemongrass, galangal or ginger, onion, garlic, and shrimp paste. You can also add coriander stems, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds if you like. I personally reserve coriander seeds and cumin seeds for my Thai Green Curry Paste (THAI GREEN EGG CURRY & THAI GREEN CRAB & BASIL PEPPER CRAB).

I don’t add herbs like coriander leaves, basil, kaffir lime leaves, or spring onions directly into the paste. I prefer to vary these herbs when cooking the actual curry dishes, which gives me flexibility in the scent and flavor.

The best part? All the herbs I use in my Thai Red Curry dishes are organically grown right here at Nava’s Zen.

A video for making Thai Vegetarian Red Curry Paste is attached and also available on our YouTube channel.

From this Thai Red Curry Paste, I’ve made:
Thai Red Prawn Curry
Egg Anchovy Thai Red Curry

Below are two more recipes, but feel free to experiment and create your own version.

Authentic Thai Red Prawn Curry
Ingredients
For the Red Curry Paste
3 dried red chilies
3 fresh red chilies
5 garlic cloves
½ inch ginger
1 medium red onion
½ inch roasted shrimp paste (belacan)
1 large stalk of lemongrass
Blend these ingredients with a bit of water to form a thick paste.

For the Prawns
½ kg medium prawns, deveined (heads removed, tails left on, pat dry)
1 tsp turmeric powder
Mix the prawns with turmeric powder and set aside.

Other Ingredients
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
¼ cup thick coconut milk
Palm sugar, to taste
A few kaffir lime leaves, shredded
½ tbsp fish sauce
¼ cup oil
Salt, to taste (adjust after tasting)
½ cup water

Method
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add the curry paste and sauté until fragrant and the oil separates.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes and cook until softened.
Add water and simmer until the sauce thickens.

Add the turmeric-coated prawns, followed by palm sugar, fish sauce, and salt.

Simmer until prawns are almost fully cooked.
Stir in the coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves.
Cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat. 

Thai Red Mutton Curry (Oil-less and Pressure Cooked)
Ingredients
For the Red Curry Paste
Dried red chilies (adjust to taste)
1 tomato
2 stalks of lemongrass
1 inch galangal
1 inch ginger
6 garlic cloves
Blend these ingredients with water to make a smooth paste.

For the Mutton
½ kg mutton, cut into bite-sized pieces
Water, as needed
Place the mutton and enough water into a pressure cooker. 
Cook until the mutton is tender.

Other Ingredients
½ cup thick coconut milk
Fresh coriander leaves
Basil leaves
Spring onion
Salt, to taste

Method
Cool down the cooker under running water or once the pressure is released, open the cooker and stir in the red curry paste.
Season with salt and simmer for a few minutes.

Pour in the coconut milk and allow the curry to heat through.
Remove from heat, and stir in coriander leaves, basil leaves, and spring onions.
Cover and let the curry sit for an hour to allow the flavors to soak into the mutton before serving.