RED THAI COCONUT CURRY WITH SHRIMP AND CORN

THIS RED THAI COCONUT CURRY WITH SHRIMP AND CORN IS A PERFECT DINNER PARTY DISH

We are always on the lookout for dishes that take center stage on the dinner party table. This Red Thai Coconut Curry, flavored with lemongrass and ginger, gets its richness from coconut milk and its texture from mushrooms, bok choy, and fresh kernels of corn. Served with Jasmine Rice, we put a big bowl of the dish in the middle of the dinner table, and let our guests add everything from fresh chiles, sweet basil, scallions, roasted peanuts, and a spritz of lime, and voilà! (or Dạngnận [ ดังนั้น ] in Thai.)  Dinner is served!

THE SECRET TO THIS DISH’S SUCCESS?  FULL-FAT COCONUT MILK AND HONEY

Lower-fat Coconut Milk is thickened with stabilizers that can break down and you end up with the flavors of the dish being a little off.  Poaching the shrimp at the last minute and over low heat in the fragrant curry sauce keeps the shrimp tender and butter-soft.  The honey is a surprising addition because it doesn’t sweeten the dish as much as it rounds out the spicy red curry paste and the fresh chiles.  Jasmine Rice is recommended here for its fragrance but in a pinch, any long-grain rice–like Basmati or American-grown Carolina Gold—will do. And basil can be substituted for fresh cilantro, mint, chives, or a bit of all three.

WE ADDED KERNELS OF FRESH CORN TO ADD TASTE AND TEXTURE TO OUR COCONUT CURRY.

Sweet corn adds a sweet and crunchy texture to this curry.  Sweet corn is a variety of maize with a high sugar content, which gives it its sweet taste.  But beyond the flavor and crunch, sweet corn is a good source of various vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, thiamine, and folate. It also contains dietary fiber, for digestion and to promote a healthy gut. Finally, Sweet corn has antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin which are especially important to eye health. As to its minerals, sweet corn contains both magnesium and potassium which are key to maintaining healthy blood pressure levels and overall heart health.

HERE’S TODAY’S RECIPE AND SOME OTHER DINNER PARTY DISHES TO CONSIDER.

RED THAI COCONUT CURRY WITH SHRIMP AND CORN

September 1, 2023

Servings: 8

Prep: 15 min

Cook: 25 min

Total: 40 min

Difficulty: The prep is the hardest part of the recipe

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This Red Thai Coconut Curry, flavored with lemongrass and ginger, gets its richness from coconut milk and its texture from mushrooms, bok choy and sweet corn. It's the perfect dinner party dish.

By: Monte Mathews

Ingredients

• 2 lb. jumbo shrimp, cleaned and de-shelled.
• 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 8 small shallots, finely chopped
• 8 lemongrass stalks, woody tops trimmed, tough outer layers removed, finely chopped
• 8 scallions, white and pale green parts, and dark green parts separated, thinly sliced
• 8 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1-2

Directions

• Step 1 Sprinkle Shrimp with 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt and 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• Step 2 set aside. Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Cook 8 small shallots, finely chopped, 8 lemongrass stalks, woody tops trimmed, tough outer layers removed, finely chopped, white and pale green parts of 8 scallions, thinly sliced, 8 garlic cloves, finely grated, and one 2″ piece ginger, peeled, finely grated, stirring often, until softened and fragrant, 6–8 minutes.
• Step 3 Add 12 oz. white mushrooms, sliced, to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden in spots, about 5 minutes. Add 6 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste and stir to coat mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until the paste is fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 4- 13.5-oz. cans of unsweetened coconut milk, 2 Tbsp. fish sauce, and 4 tsp. honey, and bring to a simmer. Add 4 baby bok choy, coarsely chopped, stir gently to submerge in sauce. Add sweet corn to the pot. Return to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook at a bare simmer. Add shrimp and cook for about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and gently stir in zest and juice of 4 large limes and 1/2 cup coarsely chopped Thai or sweet basil.
• Step 4 Add a scoop of cooked jasmine rice to each guest’s bowl. Let your guests spoon curry over the rice. And then let them top the bowls with their choice of dark green parts of scallions, red Thai chiles, finely chopped, and 2/3 cup salted roasted peanut, and Thai basil leaves. Serve with lime wedges.

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