Thai Red Curry

Whenever we decide to go out for a formal-dining, we would first prefer Thai cuisine. I love Thai food for not only its similarities with Indian food but also the divergence of it. The array of colorful veggies and exotic coconut flavor is also a clearly scoring factor. Trying to search for recipe for Thai curry online, I landed on Aipi's USMasala. For this month's Tried & Tasted event the selected blog is Aipi's US Masala hosted by Priya of Mharo Rajasthan. Aipi is one of my first blogger friends who used to visit my blog and give lovely comments. She has a very beautiful (colorful) space with lots of interesting recipes and I chose to try Thai Red Curry from her blog.

Ingredients:
For the Red Curry paste:
Shallots/Pearl onions - 2 small
Dried Red chillies - 7 (soak in 1/4 cup of warm water)
Galangal / Ginger - 1" chopped
Garlic - 4 big cloves
Lemon rinds - 1/2 tsp or Lime leaves - 1-2
Cilantro stems - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Paprika - 1/4 tsp
For the Curry:
Red curry paste
Coconut milk - 2 1/2 cups or 3/4 of a can
Water - 2 cups (If using canned coconut milk)
Snap peas - about 10 (Blanch for 3 mins and transfer to cold water)
Extra Firm Tofu - about 1 cup cubed - Saute in a tsp of oil
Bell pepper strips - 1/2 cup
String beans - 8-10 - cut in half and then length-wise
Cauliflower - 5 florets
Broccoli - 5 florets
Shallot/Pearl onions - 2 chopped
Soya sauce - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Thai Basil leaves - 6-7 (or Basil leaves)
Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

Blend the ingredients under Red curry to a paste with little water.
Heat oil in a wide skillet and add the red curry paste and saute in medium heat. The paste should cook until oil separates. Add the coconut milk (and water if using) and stir for a while. Add in the soy sauce, salt, vegetables and tofu. Cook until the veggies are half-cooked but still maintain the crunch, approximately 5 mins in medium heat. Put the torn basil leaves and boil for about a minute. Garnish with more basil leaves and serve with steamed rice.

Sending this to 'Tried & Tasted' event by Lakshmi of Kitchen chronicles guest hosted my Priya of Mharo Rajasthan.

And to Dish it Out - Tofu/Paneer and Bell Peppers event by Vardhini.