5-Ingredient Thai Curry in a Hurry

I should start off by telling you my friend Megan doesn’t call this recipe “curry in a hurry.”

Curry in a hurry is what I call it – because, my friends, this is a dish that can be on the table in 20 minutes or less.

If the rice and vegetables are cooked ahead of time, or at least simmering away on the stove while you’re off doing something else, the prep work required to make this meal barely qualifies as dinner prep. It takes less time to make than it would take to go pick up takeout!

Megan calls this dish red curry with pineapple. Although this meal is quick and foolproof, it’s also an amazing approximation of one of the most popular entrees that you’ll find at Thai restaurants everywhere in the US.

The knockout flavor-maker is the red curry paste. I use a store-bought version that’s made with red chili peppers, garlic, lemongrass, Thai ginger, salt, shallots, and makrut lime. It should be easy to find a jar at your local grocery store.

Combined with thick and rich coconut cream, fish sauce for a touch of savory umami flavor (or a little low-sodium soy sauce for a vegetarian version), chopped fresh pineapple, and red chili flakes added to taste, this dish is not just quick to make, it’s also the best knockoff takeout recipe that I know.

I recently rewatched “The Godfather,” and what hit me more than anything else upon this viewing was the food: Clemenza teaching Michael to make tomato sauce, a box of cannoli being salvaged from a murder scene, veal parmesan ordered at a restaurant, Connie’s insane wedding cake that is probably taller than our front door.

I’m endlessly fascinated by the way food serves as a backdrop to life, in the stories that we tell in books and movies, and in our lived day-to-day experiences.

I mean, here we all are, pursuing our different goals and nurturing our different relationships and fighting our different battles. But no matter what, we all have at least one thing in common: we all have to eat.

Food is the base layer, the setting against which we do everything else.

Sometimes these meals can be complicated, made lovingly and painstakingly, following recipes with many steps. Other times, we’re too tired to do more than toss a few ingredients into a pan and call it dinner.

But no matter what it is, if the ingredients are tasty and a touch of love is thrown in, you can create a satisfying moment that warms you from the inside out, and gives you the strength to meet life’s challenges.

Tim and I ate this amazing curry for the first time on a weeknight when we were both exhausted and preoccupied with work, the way we are on many weeknights in this season of our lives.

While I dumped the few ingredients in a pan in the kitchen, my laptop was still open on the table, and he was still propped up on the sofa, typing away.

These ordinary, full days, the kind that send us falling hard to bed, lend themselves to “mindless” meals that are easy to prepare. But that doesn’t have to mean microwaving something frozen out of a box, or picking up the phone to order delivery. This dish is the perfect simple, flavorful ending to a full day of life.

5-Ingredient Thai Curry in a Hurry

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• Author: Shanna Mallon
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

5-ingredient Thai curry is just the recipe to pull out when you need to get dinner on the table fast. It’s an easy meal that’s full of flavor.

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Ingredients

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1 14-ounce can coconut cream

2 tablespoons red curry paste

1 tablespoon fish sauce (or low-sodium soy sauce)

1–2 teaspoons crushed red chili flakes, to taste

1/2 fresh pineapple, chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 1 1/4 cups)

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Instructions

1. Add the coconut cream, red curry paste, and fish sauce to a large saucepan, and place it over medium heat. Stir to combine. 
2. Add 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, until thickened. 
3. Stir in the pineapple and warm through, about 3-4 minutes. Season to taste with additional red pepper flakes as desired.
4. Serve with jasmine rice and steamed vegetables, or your choice of accompaniments.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Curry
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Thai

Keywords: Thai, curry, pineapple, coconut cream, red curry paste

Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Chop Pineapple and Measure Remaining Ingredients

Chop half a pineapple into 1-inch pieces. You can use a pineapple corer or slicer to make this part easier. If you like, cut them a little bigger. You should have about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups total.

If you want to save even more time, you can buy pineapple pre-cut in the produce department of the grocery store. Just be sure to use fresh pineapple instead of canned for the best flavor. (In a pinch, you can use canned – I won’t tell anyone, and it will still be delicious!)

Measure out all of the remaining ingredients as listed on the ingredients list.

Step 2 – Make Sauce

Add the coconut cream, red curry paste, and fish sauce to a large saucepan over medium heat. Don’t forget that you can use soy sauce or even liquid aminos instead for a vegetarian option, if you prefer. Stir to combine.

Add red pepper flakes and bring the mixture to a simmer. I like to add 1 to 2 teaspoons for a nice kick. If you don’t like your food too spicy, add less to start, and season to taste until the heat level is to your liking.

Cook for an additional 5 minutes, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Step 3 – Finish and Serve

Stir in the pineapple and continue to cook until it’s warmed through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, and serve with jasmine rice or white rice and steamed vegetables, or any other veggie side dish of your choosing.

Note: You can also serve this curry with pre-cooked protein, if you like. Simply add 1 cup of bite-sized pan-fried tofu, poached or roasted chicken, grilled shrimp, or broiled fish to the mixture along with the pineapple. Cook until warmed through, and serve. This is a great way to use up leftovers if you have them.

About Shanna Mallon

Shanna Mallon is a freelance writer who holds an MA in writing from DePaul University. Her work has been featured in a variety of media outlets, including The Kitchn, Better Homes & Gardens, Taste of Home, Houzz.com, Foodista, Entrepreneur, and Ragan PR. In 2014, she co-authored The Einkorn Cookbook with her husband, Tim. Today, you can find her digging into food topics and celebrating the everyday grace of eating on her blog, Go Eat Your Bread with Joy. Shanna lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with Tim and their two small kids.

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