Sweet and Sour Red Curry with Chicken

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Having a great Curry recipe in your back pocket is a huge skill to possess in the kitchen. This Sweet and Sour Red Curry Recipe should be that go to dish. It’s such an easy meal to make, requiring only just one pot. It takes very little time at all. In fact, the whole dish is done from start to finish in under 30 minutes. Which makes it perfect for a midweek family meal. It’s hearty and robust, ensuring no one will be left hungry. Finally, and most importantly, it tastes so good! Seriously, for the simplicity of this recipe you’ll be amazed at the big bold flavors this Curry produces

This dish has an amazing blend of Sweet and Sour ingredients

The big flavors in this Sweet and Sour Red Curry come from the classic mix of Ingredients that bring sweetness and sourness to the dish. This combination of flavors is a very classical Asian preparation and is universally loved all the world! Achieving the Sweet and Sour flavors in this Curry all comes down to a few key ingredients. Let’s start with the sweet flavors first

Sweet Ingredients

The Sauce in this curry is a classic Thai Curry preparation. This includes the utilization of a vibrant and spicy Curry Paste and pairing it with Coconut Milk. Coconut Milk not only provides that creamy, velvety texture that is so synonymous with Thai Curries, but it also gives a subtle sweetness. Coconut is a sweet fruit, and the concentrated Coconut flavor in Coconut Milk only heightens the sweetness of Coconut. It’s perfect in this curry!

We recommend using some good store-bought Red Curry Paste for this dish. It’s so much easier and cheaper than making your own, and it’ll keep for months in the refrigerator. You only need 2 tbsp. of Curry Paste in this recipe, as the taste is so intense and concentrated. So, you’ll have loads leftover to make this dish again and again!

Pineapple Chunks are another classic sweet pairing in a Sweet and Sour Red Curry

Pineapple is a hugely popular ingredient in Thai Curries. They are plentiful in that part of the world given the tropical climate, so you’ll find them in lots of Southeast Asian dishes. They add a beautiful fresh, sweetness to the dish, look beautiful, and add a lovely juicy texture. You can either use fresh Pineapple if it is in season, or simply use canned Pineapple. We used canned Pineapple in this recipe, and it came out great. Try to use Pineapple in juice and not syrup

Sour Ingredients

The Sourness in the Curry comes from two primary ingredients: Lime and Fish Sauce. Both ingredients are super-common in Thai cuisine, and they are plentifully available all around the world. The Sourness is a critical addition to the dish, as it helps to break through the sweet flavors

The combination of Sweet and Sour make this Curry a well-balanced dish that doesn’t overload the palate. You can enjoy it just as much from the first bite to the last bite without feeling overwhelmed with sweetness

Fish Sauce is added to the dish when you add in the Coconut Milk. However, we recommend adding Lime Juice right at the end. Lime is one of those ingredients that begin to intensify with flavor the longer you cook it for. Adding it right at the end ensure you get that bright, zesty, Lime flavor without it being too strong

Keep the Cherry Tomatoes Whole

A fun textural component of the Sweet and Sour Red Curry dish is adding some whole Cherry Tomatoes to the Curry. Add them toward the end of the cooking process so that they just cook, but retain their full skin

Biting into one of these Tomatoes will essentially ‘burst’ them, which creates a unique and awesome eating experience. The delicious Tomatoes flavors will burst in your mouth and it’s such a fun ingredient. They won’t be overly hot, especially since you’ve just added them toward the end. They also add some additional subtle sweetness and sourness to the dish, which is exactly what we’re going for!

This dish is so easy to make, and only requires one pot

One Pot Dinners are really the best recipes. Especially for busy families looking for hearty, healthy meals during the week. This Sweet and Sour Red Curry is exactly that. All you need to do is through the ingredients into a pot and cook them for a bit and it’s done. No fancy techniques, and no need for multiple pans

Ok well it’s ‘slightly’ more difficult that just throwing everything in the pan. Like all good cooking, you need to build flavors over time, and that requires adding ingredients in stages. We start with the Onion and Carrots, then in goes the Red Curry Paste and Garlic, then the Chicken

Once the Chicken has browned, it’s time to add the Coconut Milk and Fish Sauce. Give that a good mix through and bring to a Simmer. Drop the heat and cook it for about 10 minutes, adding in the remaining vegetables a few minutes before serving

Adding the veggies at the end is a great way to keep them beautiful and crispy. They’ll just be cooked through, but remain crispy for that awesome, crunchy texture. To finish the dish, add some Basil, Lemon Juice, then top it all with some crushed Peanuts and it’s ready to eat. Easy!

The best way to enjoy a Sweet and Sour Red Curry is with perfectly cooked Jasmine Rice

There’s no better way to complete a hearty homemade Curry than with a big bowl of Rice. Jasmine Rice is the preferred grain of rice to enjoy with this curry, but you can honestly use any type that you like. Making Rice is super-easy, and you don’t need any fancy rice cookers or special tools to make perfect rice every time

We’ve written an article on how to make perfect rice here that we recommend you look at if you’re interested. It’s simple, and can just sit on the stovetop cooking away while you’re preparing the Curry

Sweet and Sour Red Curry Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 ⅓ lbs. / 600g Chicken Thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 400g Coconut Milk
• 2 tbsp. Red Curry Paste
• 1 tbsp. Fish Sauce
• Juice of 1 Lime
• ½ cup of Pineapple Chunks
• 1 ½ cups of Snap Peas
• ½ cup Cherry Tomatoes
• 1 Carrot, peeled and diced
• ½ Onion, diced
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• ½ cup Basil, roughly chopped
• ½ cup Peanuts, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp. Neutral Oil (Canola, Vegetable, or Peanut Oil)
• Salt
  
  

Instructions

1. Heat the Oil in a large frying pan or pot over medium heat, then add the Carrot and Onions. Cook until tender (about 5 minutes), then add the Garlic and Red Curry Paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring
2. Add the Chicken Pieces and brown while mixing constantly to cover well with the Curry Paste, about 2 – 3 minutes. Add the Coconut Milk and Fish Sauce and bring to a Simmer
3. Drop the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Add the Snap Peas, Cherry Tomatoes, and Pineapple Chunks and cook for 4 more minutes then turn off the heat
4. Add the Lime Juice and Basil and stir through the Curry. Plate the Curry along with some Lime Wedges and top with the chopped Peanuts. Serve immediately along with some freshly cooked Jasmine Rice
   
   

Recipe Notes

• An optional step is to cook an additional Chicken Thigh whole. Slice it up and serve it atop the plated Curry for a fancy presentation
• Try adding different types of Vegetables to the curry based on what is in season. This dish is so versatile, so will handle all kinds of Veggies well
  
  

That’s our simple one pot meal to produce a delicious Sweet and Sour Red Curry dinner. This delicious Curry is perfect for feeding a hungry family on a busy weeknight. It’s cheap, easy to make, and tastes amazing!

For more amazing, easy meals for the family check out some of these great recipes:

• Red Chicken Enchiladas
• Pad Kra Pao (Thai Basil Beef)
• Japanese Beef Bowl (Gyudon)
• Chicken and Chorizo Rice
  
  

Happy Cooking!