We love getting takeout, and one of our favorites is Thai food. Sometimes nothing beats the ease of picking up dinner on the way home, but often it is worth saving some money and also healthier to make it at home.

This Thai Shrimp Coconut Curry tastes even BETTER than what we can get from our local Thai place, AND we know exactly what is in it!

A one pot dinner is THE BEST for a weeknight, but this meal is so fancy you can make it for Sunday dinner. Also, if you are not a shrimp person you can easily switch it out for chicken or even tofu to make this recipe plant based. You may also add in whatever vegetables you want. Be bold and make this your own! Moving forward we will share with you how we make it.

With a recipe like this, where you toss everything in, I like to prep all the veggies and everything first. Chop the onions, mince the garlic (or use bottled minced garlic). Trim and chop the green beans. Slice the bell pepper. Blanch the beans and peppers if you desire. Rinse and dry the shrimp. Remove the tails, if they have them.

Blanch the vegetables – This isn’t absolutely necessary but it does help the veggies to be bit more tender and the overall texture is better. Boil about 5 cups of water, then carefully dump the beans and peppers in. Let them boil for about 1 minute. Drain into a mesh strainer and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

After everything is prepped and ready place a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Drizzle in 3-4 Tablespoons of olive oil. Carefully add in the minced onion, garlic and ginger. Sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add in the spices and sauté for another 1-2 minutes to activate those spices with the heat.

Next, add in the beans and peppers. Sauté all together for a minute. Add in the 2 cans of coconut milk. Cook over low heat while scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen all the flavor. Bring to a low simmer

Next add in the shrimp, or 2 lbs of cut up chicken thigh or breast meat. Or you could leave the protein out for now and prep some tofu. If you want to do plant based cut up some firm tofu into bite sized blocks. Sauté in a skillet with olive oil and garlic till all the sides are lightly crisped. Set aside to add later, at the end, with the fish sauce.

Stir the shrimp constantly over medium-low heat, turning them till they are pink and curl up. Be careful not to overcook them. If you are adding chicken, then simmer and stir for about 10 minutes, till the chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat and add the fish sauce.

For Vegan – substitute the fish sauce with some mushroomy umami broth or buy some vegan fish sauce. You could also substitute with coconut aminos.

Fish sauce smells so bad on its own, that sometimes I have a hard time adding it to recipes. It is made from fish that has been encased in salt and fermented for 2 years. It is a condiment that goes back to the Roman Empire, but these days is mostly used in Asian cooking. I am always glad I add it. It adds just the right flavor to pull off the authentic Thai taste that I am looking for.

If you are using tofu as your protein, add it in now with the fish sauce.

If you like this dish, then you must try – 

  1. Chicken Cashew
  2. Lettuce Wraps
  3. Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma
  4. Broccoli Beef
  5. Pad Thai
  6. Asian Noodle Salad
  7. Korean Noodles

Serve this delicious shrimp curry over hot rice. The leftovers are great! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, if it lasts that long.

 

Thai Shrimp Coconut Curry

Better than take out, this meal is balanced, fast and easy. All the flavor and nutrients you need in one pot. If you are not into the shrimp, you could make with chicken or sauteed blocks of firm tofu.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American, Thai
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cups cooked rice
  • 1 cup sweet onion, minced
  • 2 Tbsp garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp ginger root, minced or grated
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 Tbsp yellow curry powder
  • 1 can coconut milk, full fat
  • 1 cup green beans fresh trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 sweet bell pepper, thinly sliced I like to use red for this recipe. The color is great!
  • 3 lbs shrimp, raw and tails off
  • 3 Tbsp fish sauce
  • to taste salt & pepper shakers
  • to taste cilantro, fresh chopped

Instructions
 

  • Get the rice cooking.
    Prep, slice, cut and chop all the ingredients so they are ready to go. Rinse and pat dry the shrimp.
  • Bring 5 cups of water to a rapid boil. Add in the beans and bell pepper slices. Boil hard for 1 minute to blanch them. Quickly remove them back to a clean bowl, using a large mesh strainer. Rinse the vegetables with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
  • Heat a heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil. Sauté the onions, garlic, ginger. Once the onions are soft and fragrant, turn the heat down slightly. Add the cayenne and curry powder. Sauté about 1 minute longer to activate the spices.
  • Stir in the beans and peppers and stir for 1-2 minutes over medium heat.
  • Shake the can of coconut milk before opening and adding into the pot. Heat over medium-high heat while scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen all the flavor. Stir often till the milk is heated through.
  • Add the shrimp into the heated mixture. Stir over medium heat. Constantly turn the shrimp over and they coil and pinken up. Be careful not to over cook.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the fish sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.
    Serve over hot rice and garnish with cilantro.

Notes

For Chicken - Cut up 2 pounds of thigh or breast meat. Set aside and put it in, in place of the shrimp. It will take longer to cook and the heat can be turned up to a medium-high heat. Proceed the rest as directed. 
For Tofu - Cut up firm tofu into bite sized pieces. Sauté in a skillet with oil and a little garlic till all the sides are a little crispy. Set aside and add in at the very end with the fish sauce. 
Keyword coconut milk, Curry, homemade takeout, pad thai, shrimp