This easy Thai red curry with shrimp and snow peas is quicker to make at home than to order a takeout! Not to mention cheaper!!
Take a look at our Instant Pot Chicken with Thai Glaze if you are a fan of these flavours.
You will love this Thai curry recipe because it’s exactly the kind of dish that will warm you up from the inside on a cold winter night without being too heavy.
It’s colourful and delicious and takes 15 minutes to make with barely any chopping involved. Throw your rice in a rice cooker and by the time it’s done, your curry is waiting for you.
I know what you are thinking that curry pastes are difficult to make from scratch. They take a lot of time, ingredients and knowledge of the Thai cuisine.
All true but because we are focusing on quick and easy dinners we are going to cheat a little. We are going to use pre-made high quality Thai red curry paste!
Recipe Tips
- Get all ingredients ready on your countertop because things will move fast once we start.
- Use either shrimp or chicken breasts for a quick dinner.
- Make sure your curry paste is of the best quality you can afford. That will ensure authentic flavours. You can use red or green curry paste. The green one is generally spicier.
- Use vegetables in your curry that cook equally fast like snow peas that I used.
- Garnish your curry with fresh, aromatic herbs like cilantro and Thai basil and fresh lime wedges for added flavour.
- Serve with either rice or noodles.
Thai curry ingredient suggestions
This curry is made with shrimp aka prawns but you can easily use chicken. Or make it vegetarian (which I often do).
You can also add any vegetables you like to it. Green beans, mushrooms, asparagus, bok choy and zucchini all taste amazing.
If you are a soup fan, there is no reason why you wouldn’t turn this curry unto a soup like Thai Noodle Soup right here. Just add more broth and you are golden.
More Easy Curry Recipes to Try:
- Indian Butter Chicken
- Chinese Chicken Curry
- Chickpea and Butternut Squash Curry(Vegetarian)
- Easy Cauliflower and Potato Curry(Vegetarian)
This recipe was originally published in 01/2014. Updated and republished in 02/202
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 ts[ Sesame oil optional
- ½ fresh red chilli sliced or ¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 yellow or red pepper large, sliced
- 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste if using very thick, concentrated paste, ½ cup/190gr if using runnier paste (for UK readers)
- 1 lbs prawns/shrimp
- 400ml/14 oz coconut milk full fat
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 65g/1 cup snow peas
- 10g/3 tbsp cilantro chopped
- ½ lime, juice only
- 2-3 basil leaves Thai basil is preferred
Instructions
- Slice the bell pepper and fresh chilli. Take cilantro leaves off their stalks, chop up the stalks finely.
- Heat a large frying pan on medium heat and when it's hot add both vegetable oil and sesame oil. Then add chopped cilantro stalks, sliced pepper and chile, stir fry for a couple of minutes.
- Add the curry paste and cook it while stirring for a minute, then pour in coconut milk and fish sauce, mix to combine.
- Add the shrimp and snow peas and cook for 3 minutes. Both of those need very little time to be done. As soon as shrimp turns pink turn the heat off. Stir in cilantro and basil leaves.
- Taste your curry and squeeze some lime juice into it if needed. Serve over rice or noodles.
Joy Good says
Is there a way to make this dish NOT spicy?
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
Hi Joy, Thai curries are usually spicy but when you purchase the curry paste try to look for a mild one. That would determine the spice level.
Mary says
I made this recipe tonight, I served it as part of an Asian banquet.
It was a real hit. Such an easy, quick and delicious dish. Thank you Julie.
vikalinka says
Thank you for such great feedback, Mary!! So happy everyone enjoyed the recipe!
Carol says
Hello
I am looking forward to making this
Can I use coconut cream and lemongrass?
Thank you
vikalinka says
Hi Carol, yes absolutely I love using coconut cream instead of coconut milk. So much flavour there! And lemongrass is a lovely addition as well.
Carolyn says
Made this tonight and it was delish!
Thanks for the recipe
vikalinka says
Great news, Carolyn! I like making this curry after Christmas too. It wakes up the tastebuds after all the rich food!
Tanya says
What can I substitue cocnut milk with? Regular milk?
vikalinka says
Tanya, coconut milk gives this dish a very distinct and authentic Thai flavour, I wouldn’t substitute it with anything.
sarah says
I just made this tonight for our dinner.
Absolutely lovely recipe, thankyou. Although I had to substitute a can of coconut cream instead of milk – accidentally opened the wrong can from the cupboard!
vikalinka says
I’ve done that before, you just end up with extra creamy curry, Sarah, happy to hear you loved it!
Jennifer says
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I subbed sambal oelek for the chili pepper and it had some nice heat. Recipe was perfect and quick, thank you!
Samantha says
When I made this Jidee, my boyfriend, said it wasn’t near spicy enough and also gave a couple more suggestions. So I am going to make it again tonite, because he loves curry as do I, and I’m going to spice it up a bit and add a bit more curry along with it. Looking forward to it! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Samantha says
I am going to attempt to make this for my Thai boyfriend tonite. Hopefully I don’t fail and it is as good as what his mom makes.
vikalinka says
You can do it, Samantha! 🙂
Samantha says
Thank you for your optimism! If successful then I will try more Thai recipes for him. 🙂
megan says
I made this tonight and I can not say enough good things about it! It was so easy, so delicious, & so fresh tasting. I loved everything about it. My husband kept saying, dang this is so good! That is a major plus in my book. We all were members of the clean plate club tonight! Thabk you for sharing!
vikalinka says
Thank you for such amazing feedback, Megan! We love that recipe and curries in general. Every time we feel like we need to slim down a bit we always turn to curries and stir frys! Quick, easy and fresh and loaded with veggies. 🙂
Oksana Novikov says
So I made this dish for a girl’s get together this past Friday night and all I can say is: “Delicious”! Everyone was so impressed with this dish! And it is so easy to make!!! This curry is definetly going to grace my lunch and dinner tables over and over again.
vikalinka says
Thank you for your feedback, Oksana! 🙂 I love curries, especially after the holiday meals, I really crave something spicy!
Leslie says
What size can of coconut milk did you use ?
vikalinka says
13.5 oz/400ml
Allison says
I made this tonight for my parents and I….huge hit!! So delicious over some white rice, thanks for sharing 🙂 I wish I could post a picture of my results here!
vikalinka says
Happy to hear it Allison. 🙂 You can always post a picture on my Facebook page. 🙂
Pauline says
Made this last night – it was delicious and so easy, i couldn’t find fresh red chilis so I used roasted red chili paste and guessed at amount – still was fantastic. Thanks for the recipe!!
Pauline
vikalinka says
So great to hear, Pauline! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says
thai curries are always my go to..those paste comes very handy.
Marina | Let the Baking Begin! says
This looks so comforting and warm!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Your curry looks healthy and delicious, a wonderful way to transition into the new year!
vikalinka says
I’ve been really craving spicy and not too heavy dishes. I love cheese but I think I really had my fill after the holidays! 🙂