Cambodian Chicken Red Curry
Cambodian Chicken Red Curry, known as Somlar Kari Saek Mouan or sometimes Khmer Red Curry, is a rich, flavorful curry made with coconut milk, chicken, eggplant, green beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and a wonderful red curry paste called kroeung. It's similar to Thai red curry, but not as spicy.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 524kcal
Ingredients
Red Kroeung Paste
- 2 lemongrass stalks, outer leaves discarded and tender insides roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 shallots, peeled and chopped
- 2 kaffir lime leaves, cut into thin strips (or the zest of two limes)
- 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh turmeric, peeled and grated or finely minced (or 1 teaspoons of ground turmeric powder)
- 2 inches galangal, peeled and grated or finely minced
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 Thai chili pepper (aka bird's eye chili)
- 5 large dried red peppers, seeds and stems removed, rehydrated by soaking in hot water for 10 minutes (reserve ¾ cup of the water!)
Curry
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6-10 Tablespoons red kroeung paste, to taste
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs, each cut into 2 pieces
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 5-8 yardlong beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 small eggplant, also known as aubergine, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 large white potato, peeled, then cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled, then cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2-3 Tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
- 2 Tablespoons palm sugar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 3-4 cups water
Instructions
Kroeung Paste
- Combine the kroeung paste ingredients in a blender, adding the ¾ cup reserved water from soaking the dried red peppers as needed and blending until a smooth paste forms. It should be a deep red color. Store any leftover kroeung paste in the freezer until ready to use.
Curry
- In a large heavy bottomed dutch oven or pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the kroeung curry paste and stir for one minute.
- Add the chicken and 1 cup of the coconut milk and stir to combine with the curry paste. Cook for 2 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
- Add the onion, beans, eggplant, and potatoes and stir to combine.
- Add the remaining coconut milk and water, along with the fish sauce, shrimp paste, palm sugar, and salt. Increase the heat to medium-high just until the liquid comes to a boil, then decrease to medium-low and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are soft.
- Serve with french bread, rice, or noodles.
Notes
Adapted from 196 Flavors, this traditional Cambodian red curry video, and this curry paste video from Dany Kao.
Nutrition
Calories: 524kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 149mg | Sodium: 890mg | Potassium: 912mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 6185IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 4mg