Thai-style Shrimps in Coconut Milk

A little pot of Basil can go a long way. Its rain-drenched leaves are there all ready for you to pluck when you need a little sprig for a Thai-inspired Shrimp curry.

Ingredients for Thai-style Shrimps in Coconut Milk are:

400 grams shrimps, cleaned, deveined
1 can of coconut milk
Handful each of vegetables which cook easy like green peas, snap peas, green bell pepper
2-3 green onions (just the green portions)
1 knob of ginger, very finely chopped
2-3 fat cloves of garlic, minced
Handful of fresh coriander, chopped
Few leaves of basil, torn
5-6 dry red chilies
Fish sauce (I use a Thai brand)
Sesame oil
Sugar
Salt

Heat sesame oil in a wok and toss in the snap peas and sliced bell peppers. Sauté for a couple of minutes and keep aside.

 

In the same oil, add the ginger, garlic and dry red chilies. Stir for a couple of minutes, reduce the heat to the lowest gas mark and add the coconut milk. Drizzle fish oil into the coconut milk, I added about two tablespoons.

Cook the coconut milk adding little water for about five minutes. Add the shrimps then.

When the shrimps start turning pink, add the already sautéed vegetables, handful of green peas, and season with sugar and salt. Cook for not more than 2-3 minutes.

Check on the seasoning. This curry should have a sweet balance to it because of the coconut milk. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander and some torn basil leaves. Just before you serve, finish it with some chopped green onions.

Its best to serve it straight out of the wok and onto the dinner table. With a hot bowl of rice, some more torn basil leaves and lemon wedges. I had some Gondho Lebu (you could try Kaffir Lime) which I used to squirt over my rice and curry and honestly it just took my Shrimp Curry to another level.