Thai Red Prawn Curry

Juicy prawns simmered in a fragrant coconut and red curry sauce lifted with lime, fish sauce and Thai basil. It's fast enough for a weeknight but tastes like a proper Thai kitchen. Serve over jasmine rice and dinner is sorted.

Thai red curry is all about balance: creamy coconut against sharp lime, salty fish sauce and the gentle heat of red curry paste. Prawns are perfect here because they cook in minutes and drink up the sauce. Frying the paste first is the trick that wakes everything up, so don’t rush that step.

Ingredients

• 400 g raw king prawns — peeled and deveined; thawed if frozen
• 3 tbsp Thai red curry paste — Mae Ploy or Thai Taste for real depth
• 400 ml full-fat coconut milk — don't shake the tin
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp fish sauce — plus more to taste
• 1 tsp palm sugar or soft brown sugar
• 1 red pepper — sliced
• 100 g mangetout or fine green beans — trimmed
• 4 kaffir lime leaves — torn; or zest of 1 lime
• 1 lime — juiced, plus wedges to serve
• 1 handful Thai basil leaves — or regular basil
• 1 red chilli — sliced, to garnish (optional)

Method

1. Pat the prawns dry with kitchen paper and set aside. Heat the oil in a wide pan or wok over a medium heat.
2. Spoon in the thick coconut cream from the top of the tin along with the red curry paste. Fry, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until the paste smells fragrant and the oil starts to split from the cream.
3. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk, then stir in the fish sauce, sugar and torn lime leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer.
4. Add the red pepper and mangetout and simmer for 3-4 minutes until just tender but still with a little bite.
5. Slip in the prawns and simmer gently for 3-5 minutes, turning them once, until they are pink, opaque and firm right through with no grey translucent patches.
6. Turn off the heat and stir through the lime juice and most of the Thai basil. Taste and balance: more fish sauce for salt, sugar for roundness, lime for sharpness.
7. Scatter with the remaining basil and sliced chilli, and serve piping hot over jasmine rice with lime wedges on the side.

Serve it with

• Steamed jasmine rice
• Sticky rice
• Thai fragrant rice with lime
• Prawn crackers
• A crunchy cucumber and shallot salad

Why this works

Frying the curry paste in the split coconut cream toasts the spices and lemongrass, releasing far more aroma than tipping everything in cold. The prawns go in last so they stay plump and never turn rubbery.

Common swaps

• Swap prawns for firm white fish, chicken thigh or tofu (adjust cooking time so it's cooked through).
• No kaffir lime leaves? Use the zest of one lime plus an extra squeeze of juice.
• Thai basil is best, but regular basil or a little coriander works at a pinch.
• For a milder curry, use 2 tbsp paste; for more heat, add extra sliced chilli.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Boiling the sauce hard, which makes the coconut milk grainy and the prawns tough. Keep it at a gentle simmer.
• Skipping the paste-frying step, so the curry tastes flat and raw.
• Adding the prawns too early and overcooking them until rubbery.
• Forgetting to balance at the end. The lime, fish sauce and sugar are what make it sing.

Storage, freezing & reheating

Storage: Cool quickly and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The prawns will firm up slightly on reheating, so avoid overcooking them the first time.

Freezing: Freezes well for up to 1 month, though the prawns can soften a little. Cool fully, freeze in a sealed container and defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Reheating: Reheat gently in a pan over a low heat, stirring, until piping hot throughout. Avoid the microwave on high, which can toughen the prawns.

Allergen notes: contains Crustaceans, Fish. Always check individual product labels.

Estimated nutrition

Per serving, estimated from typical ingredient values — not a substitute for precise dietary calculation.