Thai Fish Curry

Craving some Thai food? Here is a super easy recipe that is so delicious and quick to make! This dish is near and dear to me as it was something I always asked my Thai mom to make whenever I visited home for the holidays. The creamy coconut milk and fragrant mild red curry is so good and goes so well with the soft eggplant pieces and bouncy fish paste chunks. Topped with herbaceous Thai holy basil leaves and a hint of citrus from the Kaffir lime leaves, this dish is complex in flavor and makes a great weeknight dinner!

The unique thing about this dish is the fish paste which gives the curry a lot of texture. For those not familiar with fish paste it’s essentially fish meat that’s been pounded to produce a creamy puree and when cooked has a nice bouncy and spongy texture. You can find already prepared tubs of fish paste in the fridge isle of your local Asian grocery store. Just make sure to buy plain version with no added herbs or seasoning.

When making this dish, I highly recommend you use Maesri red curry paste because their curry is well balanced and flavorful so it doesn’t really need any additional seasoning. If you cannot find this brand, you may need to adjust the seasoning a bit at the end of cooking. It’s also not too spicy so for those of you who cannot handle too much heat like myself and my husband I would say it’s about a 4/10 level of spiciness for the amount in this recipe.

The other thing to remember is to get the right coconut milk. Aroy-D is a great brand from Thailand and they don’t skimp on the coconutty-ness as some brands are really watery so make sure to get this as well. Thai basil has a slight licorice flavor that’s really refreshing and the fresh Kaffir lime leaves give a beautiful citrus note to the dish. You can also find these items at your local Asian grocer. Give this recipe a try and let me know how it goes!

Thai Fish Curry

Prep time: 5 min     
Cook time: 20 min   
Total time: 25 min   
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 long Chinese eggplants
• 300 g plain fish paste
• 1/2 can (2 oz) of Maesri red curry paste
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/4 milk (optional)
• 1 cup Thai basil leaves
• 4-5 Kaffir lime leaves

Instructions

1. In a pot over medium heat, reduce half a can of coconut milk until the coconut oil starts to separate from the coconut milk and slightly thickens.
2. Add half a can (a few tablespoons) of curry and stir constantly over medium heat until well incorporated.
3. Using a tablespoon, scoop up a tablespoon of fish paste at a time and it add into the coconut curry mixture.
4. Cut the eggplant into 2 inch pieces and add it into the pot along with roughly torn Kaffiir lime leaves.
5. Add the remaining coconut milk, bring to a simmer, and cook for approximately 10-15 minutes until eggplant is just cooked.
6. Adjust the taste with salt if needed and add  ¼ cup of milk (optional) for a more liquid consistency.
7. Right before serving stir in the Thai basil and serve with jasmine rice. Enjoy!