30 Minute Easy Red Thai Prawn Curry

This easy red Thai prawn curry is made with plump juicy prawns, fragrant red curry paste, creamy coconut milk, and simple vegetables. I've served it over noodles, but jasmine or basmati rice also works great!

I'm a big lover of all shellfish, but prawns specifically. They are easy to cook, low in calories, and high in protein and go with many different cooking styles, like in these Spanish garlic prawns, or these prawn tacos or in this one-pot prawn rice dinner.

Red Thai Prawn Curry
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Ingredients needed

1. prawns- (the package for these prawns say to cook from frozen, but we're peeling them, so go ahead and let them defrost overnight in the fridge or run the package under cold water for about 15 minutes until they're defrosted and peelable.
2. vegetables- courgette/ zucchini & sweetcorn- fresh, frozen or tinned is absolutely perfect here. whatever your budget allows and whatever is available.
3. Thai red curry paste
4. coconut milk
5. lime
6. honey
7. vegetable stock from a stock cube
8. soy sauce or fish sauce- if you prefer a stronger flavour use fish sauce. But my local Aldi doesn't stock it.
9. egg noodles- rice noodles are more traditional, but they both work
10. basil- Thai basil is traditional. It's peppery and very fresh but can be harder to find in a regular grocery store. Regular basil is a great substitute.
11. red onion
12. spring onion/ green onion for serving
13. Pantry items you already have- salt, pepper, olive oil

Step-by-step directions

1 & 2

• Boil the noodles and cook them according to the package directions and set aside.
• Prep the vegetables
  • Corn- If you're using fresh corn, then use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off of the cob. If using tinned, then drain the corn. Frozen corn can be added straight to the pan and doesn't need to be defrosted first.
  • Courgette- slice in half lengthways, then slice into half-moons. And slice the onion into thin half-moon slices.
  • Red onion- Cut the onion in half then slice each half into half-moon slices.
• To peel the prawns- peel the shell all the way down to the tail, leaving the tail intact.

This prawn peeling video should help guide you through the process.

3 & 4

• Heat your olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and once the oil is hot, saute the prawns on both sides. They'll only take about 2 minutes per side. Once they're done, remove them to a plate while you finish making the curry.
• Add the sliced onions into the frying pan and gently fry for about 3 minutes, until the onions are softened and starting to turn translucent. *Hint- Adding some salt to the onions starts to pull the moisture out and soften them quickly and evenly.
• Add in the sliced courgette, sweet corn, coconut milk, curry paste and honey. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook until the courgette is tender.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning and add a teaspoon of soy sauce.

• To serve, place the noodles in a bowl, ladle the curry over and place the shrimp on the top. Serve with fresh lime wedges and fresh basil leaves.

Variations

• prawns- you can use already peeled prawns to make this Thai curry. You can also add in some chicken if you have some leftovers from another meal.
• vegetables- bell peppers (red, orange or yellow), green beans, and snow peas are all great veggies to add to this curry. They're quick-cooking and their flavours go great with Thai red curry. The sweetness of these veggies helps to temper the spiciness of the curry.
• noodles- you can switch out the noodles and serve with basmati or jasmine rice instead.

Storing, freezing and reheating

• fridge- up to 3 days. Seafood doesn't usually lend itself to being reheated, but in this case, it can be done. Reheating the prawns in the curry broth will be much gentler and you will avoid that rubbery texture.
• freezer- Thai red curry should not be frozen. The prawns will change texture, the vegetables will go mushy and the coconut milk will go grainy.

• Thai Red Curry Turkey Meatballs
• Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
• Red Lentil Dhal Curry

Quick and Easy Prawn Curry

This quick and easy prawn curry makes the most of a red Thai curry kit (not cheating!) and some extra ingredients to boost the flavour. Using ingredients from Aldi only, it's a simple and budget friendly meal.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: noodles

Cuisine: Asian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 people

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Author: Deborah Rainford

Ingredients

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• 300 g (1 ⅕ cups) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) olive oil, separated
• 3 tablespoons (1) Thai red curry paste
• 400 ml coconut milk, full-fat
• 1 (1) red onion, thinly sliced
• Egg noodles, or rice noodles *See notes
• 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) honey
• 1 (1) lime, zest and juice
• 1 (1) courgette, cut in half lengthways then sliced
• sweet corn, fresh, frozen, or tinned
• ½ (½) bunch basil
• 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) soy sauce, optional *see notes

Instructions

• Cook the egg noodles according to the package directions, drain and set aside while you make the curry.
• In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and cook the shrimp for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Set aside in a small bowl or side plate.
• Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the non stick pan and gently sauté the onion until softened. Add in the sliced courgette (zucchini), sweet corn, coconut milk, curry paste, lime zest and juice, and honey. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook until the courgette is tender. This should only take about 5-6 minutes.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning. Stir in the soy sauce and basil.
• To serve, divide the noodles into bowls. Ladle the curry coconut broth over the noodles, take care to get lots of veggies in each scoop. Place the prawns on the top. Serve with fresh lime wedges and fresh basil leaves.

Notes

1. Rice noodles are more “authentic” for a recipe like this, but my local Aldi only had egg noodles at the time. But if you shop elsewhere then you may be able to pick up rice noodles.
2. Basmati or jasmine rice are also great alternatives.
3. Add the soy sauce to bring even more depth of flavour to the curry, but if you don’t have any or think that your curry doesn’t need it, then, by all means, skip it.

Nutrition

Calories: 351kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 189mg | Sodium: 1371mg | Potassium: 570mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 484IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 1mg

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