Thai red chicken curry with butternut squash is a classic and a great favourite of mine. The colouring effect of the squash results in a curry that is orange rather than red; however it is still very definitely a Thai red curry. And if that sounds confusing, what you have to know is that in Thai when we refer to a red or green curry we are talking about the colour of the chilies we use to make the curry paste, not the colour of the finished curry. You can chop and change the ratio of chicken to squash in the recipe as you wish, or even omit the chicken altogether if you prefer. The kaffir lime leaves are optional and if you scroll to the bottom you will see where to buy them and how to prepare them.
Ingredients
One packet of red curry paste
300 g of butternut squash
1 can of coconut milk
500 g of chicken thighs sliced.
Peppers.
Cut the butternut squash into chunks and place in a saucepan with just enough water to cover the squash. Bring to a boil and simmer until just tender when pierced with a fork. This will normally be around 10 minutes. Drain the butternut squash and set aside.
In a separate pan heat the red curry paste until it starts to bubble.
Add half the can of coconut milk and heat again until it bubbles.
Add the sliced chicken thighs and stir through.
Cover and simmer gently for around 8 minutes.
Add the remainder of the coconut milk and stir.
Add the butternut squash and some of the chopped peppers, reserving some to garnish the dish, and cook for around another 8 minutes, check that the squash is tender.
Serve with the reserved peppers. (Optional) I’m also using some finely cut kaffir lime leaves, if you want to do likewise then check out this page on where to buy them, Kaffir Lime Leaves. Prepare the kaffir lime leaves by rolling several of them together and then chopping them finely into strips with a sharp knife as in the picture below.
I also like to serve this dish with a basic Thai “prik nam pla”. This consists of equal amounts of Thai fish sauce and fresh lime juice into which a couple of chilies are chopped. This is optional depending on how spicy you like your food!
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
If you like this recipe please click the star rating or add a comment below! Kop Khun Kha, Nitsa.x
This is such an easy curry to make, and you can also chop and change ingredients as you wish but the combination of butternut squash and chicken in a luscious Thai red curry sauce is good enough to make me not want to change it too much!
Cut the butternut squash into chunks and place in a saucepan
with just enough water to cover the squash. Bring to a boil and simmer until
just tender when pierced with a fork. This will be about 10 minutes. Drain and
set aside.
Heat the red curry paste in the pan until it bubbles.
Add half the can of coconut milk, preferably the thicker part
from the top of the can and heat again until it bubbles.
Add the sliced chicken and stir through the sauce.
Cover and simmer gently for around 8 minutes. You can add a
little water if needed.
Add the remainder of the coconut milk and stir.
Add the butternut squash and most of the chopped pepper,
reserving some for garnish, and cook for around another 8 minutes.
Check that the squash is tender and serve with the reserved
peppers.
Recipe Note
I also like to serve this dish with a basic Thai “prik nam
pla”. This consists of equal amounts of Thai fish sauce and fresh lime juice
into which a couple of chilies are chopped. This is optional depending on how
spicy you like your food!
As always using
the “right” type of coconut milk is a game-changer. See here.
Made this recipe this evening. Simple to put together (your curry pastes are excellent!) and very flavorful. I didn’t garnish with lime leaves cut chiffonade; I forgot!; but will do so next time. All three of us (my sister and her husband) thought it was very good, another “make again” dinner entree.
John Clark
October 28, 2024
Really tasty and healthy, easy recipe which I like 👍
Rachel Smith
March 24, 2024
Made this tonight however forgot to get peppers!! 👍👍 from us here it was so delicious even my 15yr old ate it. Might try it next time with aubergines
Have you ever tasted something so delicious that it feels like a culinary revelation? That's exactly how it feels to bite into a perfectly cooked beef short rib. I’m deeply in love with them, the rich slow cooked meat practically falls off the bone, leaving you craving for more. No wonder I’ve fallen head over heels for this underrated cut of meat. Gone are the days when you had to visit a specialty butcher to get your hands on beef short ribs as well, thanks to supermarkets like Sainsbury's ...
My first confession is that that I never thought I would be sitting here writing a recipe for a Thai Curry pie, but times change and we change with them or stagnate. My interest was sparked on my first trip back to Bangkok after the pandemic, chicken curry puffs have long been a popular Thai snack but savoury pies, usually steak and kidney, were very much something that was restricted to the Bangkok expat pub scene. All that had changed, bake shops were springing up outside the traditional to...
This is the essential Thai dipping sauce you see all over Thailand. An absolute must for the Pad Kaprow recipe but also used to spice up almost any dish, particularly grilled meats or similar. And for many Thais they can't think of eating a fried egg without some Prik Naam Pla to top it. More than anything, it sums up the Thai food tastes of sour sweet and salty. Spicy? Of course that also depends on what chillies you use for this, and if you're prepared to do the extra work of separating out...
Finally got around to trying Nitsa's beef short-ribs recipe. I followed the instructions to the letter and it was absolutely superb! My wife start making alarming gurgling noises and I thought I might have to call a doctor. But no, she was just in raptures having had her first bite of the slow cooked ribs! I garnished it with some Thai basil and that worked beautifully. I did find I had to boil away quite alot of the liquid and should perhaps have added a little less than I did, but I got it to the right consistency eventually! 10 out of 10!
Finally got around to trying Nitsa's beef short-ribs recipe. I followed the instructions to the letter and it was absolutely superb! My wife start making alarming gurgling noises and I thought I might have to call a doctor. But no, she was just in raptures having had her first bite of the slow cooked ribs! I garnished it with some Thai basil and that worked beautifully. I did find I had to boil away quite alot of the liquid and should perhaps have added a little less than I did, but I got it to the right consistency eventually! 10 out of 10!
Paul Loughman
November 04, 2024
Made this recipe this evening. Simple to put together (your curry pastes are excellent!) and very flavorful. I didn’t garnish with lime leaves cut chiffonade; I forgot!; but will do so next time. All three of us (my sister and her husband) thought it was very good, another “make again” dinner entree.