Thai Red Curry Shrimp

I'm also going to make August "Fish Sauce" month since it's not only used in this recipe but it's also a pet peeve of mine to have to buy a big jar of something for a specific recipe and not use it again on others. So good grapes, get ready for some tasty international dishes this month!

Today's recipe is for my coworkers, who often join me in picking up daily Thai Curry specials for lunch.  It was a surprise to find, deliciously easy to prepare and makes a healthy four servings meaning... lunch the next day!  I thought it tasted just like take-out, if not better.

Photo: my own lunch left overs

 

Thai Red Curry Shrimp 

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups water

1 cup uncooked jasmine rice

2 teaspoons butter

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Cooking spray

1 1/4 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk

1 tablespoon red curry paste

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce

4 teaspoons dark brown sugar

1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Preparation

1. Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a saucepan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp; sauté 3 minutes or until done. Remove shrimp from pan; keep warm. Spoon coconut cream (the thick part from top of the can) into pan using a slotted spoon*. Add curry paste; cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring constantly.

3. Stir in remaining coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 10 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Add bell pepper; toss to coat. Increase heat to medium-high; cook 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add shrimp; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice. Spoon 1 cup rice onto each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 cup shrimp mixture.

4. Next time, I'm going to add a bit of basil from my patio to add color and flavor to this dish.  

* I did not see this 'cream' part, so I just scooped the top 1/4 cup in part 2.  

Enjoy with your favorite white wine, such as a Chardonnay.

Cheers!

Ana