Thai Red Curry with Shrimp and Vegetables is served with infused rice for the most flavorful and easiest curry ever! It’s filled with vegetables, the most aromatic and delicious red curry-coconut milk broth, and the rice is infused with star anise and cardamom for even more flavor! The curry comes together in minutes, and you won’t be able to stop using this method for making the best rice ever!
Quite possibly my favorite recipe of this entire Healthyish January series is this thai red curry. It’s INSANELY flavorful (I know I say that about everything, but I really mean it!), creamy as all get out (hello full-fat coconut milk), and the infused rice just puts the cherry on top of this amazing meal.
Curry is one of those things that always sounds good.
Kind of like Mexican food. I can always go for some tacos + chips and guac, and I can always go for some Thai red curry. You know? Tell me that one of you gets me!
The flavors in curry are tough to beat, and the creamy, aromatic coconut milk broth just makes me quite honestly want to drink it with a straw. Too much? I don’t think so.
Although I love green curry, I’d have to say that red curry has a slight advantage in my book. I love how it’s slightly spicy, especially with the natural sweetness of the coconut milk. There are so many flavors that just punch you in the face in this bowl of goodness. From the Thai red curry paste, to the lime juice and lime zest, to the fresh cilantro and Thai basil, there’s literally nothing better.
Before I get into how much I’m in love with this curry, I have to talk to you about the infused rice.
Yes, INFUSED RICE. And if you’ve never done it, you’re in for a real treat.
I’m all for regular ‘ol basmati or jasmine rice. Basmati especially is so aromatic and flavorful on its own, but when you add things like star anise and cardamom pods into the pot, you will be AMAZED at the flavor. Not only that, but it so beautifully complements the curry. Seriously a match made in heaven.
Sometimes I’ll add bay leaves or toasted coconut to my rice, but this star anise and cardamom rice is hands down, my absolute favorite way to make rice. And the best part is, it’s so easy! You make rice like you normally would, and just throw in a couple star anise and a few cardamom pods. It’s as easy as that.
And you’ll seem like a culinary genius to whoever you’re serving this to. Win, win.
Tips For This Shrimp Red Curry Recipe
A few of my tips for the most flavorful curry ever:
- I typically use red curry paste from the store when I don’t have time to make my own. That being said, there are ways to enhance store-bought curry paste. The easiest way to do this, is to “bloom” your curry paste (just a fancy way to say enhance the flavor of), by sautéing it with extra aromatics – like garlic, ginger, scallions, and shallots. And that’s exactly what I did here! The heat and the extra ginger and garlic especially will bring out the beautiful flavors of that red curry paste!
- Use full-fat coconut milk. None of that “lite” stuff. It’s basically just coconut cream watered down with more water, so it’s less creamy. The full-fat stuff is really what you need for the most luxuriously flavorful and creamy Thai red curry.
- Use lots of lime and fresh herbs. I’m talking lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, Thai basil, scallions, and whatever else your heart desires! Always extra lime wedges for serving, too. Make sure you add your lime juice at the very end, because heat makes citrus flavor dissipate. You want it to be as bold and bright as possible!
Super simple tips I know, but I assure you they make all the difference when making curry at home!
One of the reasons why this curry is so quick, is that shrimp is so quick cooking, and so are the vegetables I used. The shrimp quickly poaches in the coconut milk curry broth along with the veggies in just a few minutes, and then it’s ready to be served on a pile of that star anise and cardamom infused rice goodness.
As for quick cooking veggies, I like to use thinly sliced bell pepper, broccoli cut into small florets, and carrots shaved into ribbons with a vegetable peeler so that they cook in no time. A few other ideas if you wanted to switch it up would be to add snap peas, zucchini noodles, or small cauliflower florets.
If you don’t like shrimp, you could totally use scallops, salmon cut into small pieces, or any quick cooking fish instead.
You can totally make it your own!
The final step for the curry is to hit it with lime zest, lime juice, a handful of cilantro, and a little bit of soy sauce for a hint of that umami flavor.
How badly do you want to dive into that skillet?!
And the best part, is how amazing all of that coconut milk red curry tastes with the infused rice. It’s a flavor punch to the face in the best way possible. It’s kind of the only thing I wanna make for dinner for the foreseeable future!
If you love curry as much as I do, you will love these recipes too!
Butternut Squash Green Curry Rice Noodle Bowls
Green Curry Hummus
Roasted Sweet Potato Bacon Red Curry Ramen
Thai Green Curry Chicken and Vegetable Zucchini Noodles
Don’t forget to share a photo on Instagram and tag me @spicesinmydna if you make this recipe! Nothing makes me happier than seeing what you create in the kitchen. Be sure to hashtag #healthyishjanuary too so I can see all the Healthyish January recipes you make this month!
Thai Red Curry with Shrimp, Vegetables, and Infused Rice
Thai Red Curry with Shrimp and Vegetables is served with infused rice for the most flavorful and easiest curry ever! It's filled with vegetables, the most aromatic and delicious red curry-coconut milk broth, and the rice is infused with star anise and cardamom for even more flavor! The curry comes together in minutes, and you won't be able to stop using this method for making the best rice ever!
Ingredients
For the infused rice
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 3 cardamom pods, crushed with the back of a knife*
- 2 star anise pods*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the curry
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup Thai red curry paste*
- 2 (14.5 ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 yellow bell pepper, very thinly sliced
- 1 small-medium broccoli crown, cut into small florets
- 2 large carrots, shaved into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
- zest of 1 lime
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus extra for serving
- thai basil for serving*
- thinly sliced scallions for serving
- lime wedges for serving
Instructions
Begin by making the rice. Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan (that has a lid). Once boiling, add the rice, cardamom pods, star ansie pods, and salt. Stir to combine. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Fluff with a fork and discard cardamom and star anise pods.
While the rice is cooking, make the curry. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the coconut oil. Once hot, add the garlic, ginger, and a pinch of salt and sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the scallions and shallot and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent it from burning.
Add the coconut milk, salt, and pepper. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the shrimp, bell pepper, broccoli, and carrots. Reduce heat slightly and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked through and vegetables are cooked to your liking.
Remove from heat, let cool for a minute or two, and stir in lime zest, lime juice, soy sauce, and chopped cilantro. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve the curry over the infused rice, and garnish with extra cilantro, Thai basil, and scallions. Serve with lime wedges.
Recipe Notes
*Sometimes cardamom pods can be trickier to find, depending on your grocery store. These
*Same goes for star anise pods. I get them here
*This
*Make sure you use full-fat coconut milk here. The "lite" stuff isn't nearly as good, especially for this type of curry.
*If you can't find Thai basil, you can omit or use regular basil. It has a super unique flavor, so try to find it if you can!
There may be an affiliate link(s) in this post, which means that if you click on a product link above and complete a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you! As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you SO much for reading!
My husband said, “I am blown away!” And he was right. Exceptional meal!
Thank you SO MUCH Kendra!! You made my day!!
If I don’t have lime zest or lime can u use rice vinegar?
Hi Zohra, the lime is really important in this recipe because it adds acidity, but also citrusy brightness. If you use rice vinegar, it would change the flavor of the dish. I can’t say I’d recommend it, but you could certainly try. Let me know if you try!
Is it possible to use ground cardamom? I’m having such a hard time finding the pods in store even at Whole Foods 😭
Hi Tendai! Yes, I think that would work. I’d start with 1/8 of a teaspoon of ground cardamom or a good pinch and go from there. Let me know if you try it!
Really good recipe. Everyone loved it!!
So happy to hear that!! Thank you so much! 🙂
Made this tonight with regular rice (quarantine pantry troubles!) and the flavor was very good!! I think the curry paste blooming really made a difference and we will definitely be putting this shrimp curry in meal rotation!
Thank you so much Lauren! So happy to hear you loved the flavors! I really appreciate you making it and thank you for letting me know! 🙂
The curry was really flavorful! Thanks for the easy recipe ti have Thai food at home during lockdown 🙂
Thank you so much Neha! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
My husband said that this was the best meal he has ever had in his life! Winner!!! Thank you sooooo much!
Oh my gosh you completely made my day Victoria!!! Thank you SO much!! And tell your husband I said thank you so much!!! 🙂
This was a fantastic recipe!! Thank you so much for an amazing Thai curry recipe to add to my monthly dinner rotation — and also for entertaining guests! It’s definitely a showstopper and feels quite luxurious. I didn’t have the spices on hand for the infused rice so stuck with plain basmati and it was fantastic. Can’t even imagine the punch of flavor the infused rice would have! I did opt to cook the veggies in the sauce for about 4 minutes before I added the shrimp as I was worried the broccoli would need more time than the shrimp to cook, which worked out perfectly. I also used half full-fat, half lite coconut milk (against your reputation – sorry!) and I thought it was still velvety and rich. Thanks again!
Thank you so much Natalie!! I’m so happy it was a hit!! Let me know if you ever make it again with the infused rice 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
Big hit with the family, Hubby didn’t seemed thrilled with the idea of shrimp curry and my son doesn’t eat shrimp. My daughter in law love curry and so do I. So i grilled some chicken for them and made the curry . Hubby tasted it and said it was delicious! My son ate the rice and sauce with the grilled chicken. My daughter in law and I finished the rest!!! I did cut the recipe by about half ( give or take!!) Will be making this again soon.
THANK YOU!!!!
Thank you so much Addie!! So happy it was a hit!! 🙂
Hi, I’d like to double the recipe – anything I should know? In the past I’ve doubled recipes and the coconut milk always ends up being too much!
Nope, you can double this as-is! I’d definitely use full-fat coconut milk for the best result. Let me know how it goes!
Hi, is there anything to note if weère doubling the recipe! Thank you!
Hi! Nope, this will double nicely! No other adjustments needed 🙂 Let me know how you like it!
Excellent curry recipe. I did saute my veggies (bell peppers, mushrooms, onions and leftover broccoli) before I made the curry, then added the veggies back and cooked the shrimp in the finished curry. A different recipe called for corn starch (not sure it made any difference) and another called for 1 1/2 tbs of brown sugar. I used both. Some might want more “heat” (sriracha does the trick). I think a splash or two of seasoned Asian vinegar at the end would punch it up, too. Grated carrot is a fun garnish. We had ours with whole grain rice. Shrimp was delicious.
Thank you so much!! So happy you enjoyed it!
Wow I never thought I could make something this delicious and it’s all thanks to your recipe. Thank you so much! Will make this all the time 🙂
Aww thank you so much Jas! I’m so glad you loved it!! Thank you so much for your sweet comment 🙂
Is one can coconut milk enough or does it really need two?
I’d recommend using two – with one can you won’t get much of the flavorful broth, and the curry will be spicier as it won’t be as diluted. I think would still work, it would just be bit different. Let me know if you try it!
My sister and I made this tonight and the family LOVED it. Great recipe we used bell pepper, carrots, broccoli and creamer potatoes with the shrimp, used the cooked and cleaned shrimp. AWESOME, will make this again.
Thank you so much Cathy!! So happy to hear that 🙂
This was a great dish. How could I increase the spice? Add more of the curry paste?
Thank you so much! Yes, you could start by adding another tablespoon of curry paste – the different brands vary in spice level as well. To be safe, I’d start with an extra tablespoon and go from there!
This might just be the best thing I’ve ever cooked. Absolutely delicious! Definitely saving this recipe. Thank you
Oh my gosh thank you so much!! I am so happy you loved it!!
Hi at what step do you add the 1/4 cup cilantro?
Sorry about that Jeanne! I’ve just updated the recipe – you add it along with the lime juice, zest, and soy sauce. Thank you so much for catching that!
I have a question. I’m looking forward to trying this as is (red curry is our favorite!). But I have some friends that don’t handle too much spice and I was wondering if you thought the same recipe could work with yellow curry paste too??
Yes, it could work with yellow curry paste, it will just be a different flavor profile. You could also reduce the amount of red curry paste if you’d like, it just won’t have as much flavor. Let me know if you try it!
This was a hit, everyone liked it.
My husband wanted more heat, he added some sambal to his dish.
Is there a curry paste that is spicier that red curry, I used the whole jar 4oz
Thank you
So happy it was a hit, thanks Brigitte! The addition of sambal or sriracha would be perfect – curry paste’s can differ greatly in heat depending on the brand, so it really depends! Depending on what you buy, going the sambal or sriracha route to cater to your tastes is what I’d recommend! Thanks!!
Hi
no fish sauce? Would you consider to add it? ☺️
Greetings
Brgds
Hi Thomas! I personally don’t love the taste of fish sauce and what it adds to dishes – I’m just picky about it. I don’t think this recipe needs it, but you can always add it to your taste! Let me know if you try it!
If you dont have shallots can you use yellow or red onions?
Absolutely! Let me know if you try it 🙂
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.my family loved it.will be sharing this recipe with my friends.they will like it.
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.my family loved it.will be sharing this recipe with my friends.they will like it.