Name: Slow Cooker Red Thai Curry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 3 h 10 min
Total time: 3 h 25 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 2 tbsp coconut oil or rapeseed (canola) oil; 450g (1lb) skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite-size pieces; 400ml (13⁄4 cups) thick coconut milk; About 225g (8oz) vegetables, such as baby sweetcorn, broccoli florets or string beans; 1 tbsp light soy sauce*; 1 tsp tamarind concentrate; 1 tbsp palm sugar; Coriander (cilantro) leaves, to garnish; 70ml (1/4 cup) Chinese crispy chilli oil; FOR THE CURRY PASTE; 1 generous tbsp cumin seeds or ½ tsp ground cumin; 1 generous tbsp coriander seeds or ½ tsp ground coriander; 1 1/2 tsp white pepper; 12 dried red bird’s eye chillies, soaked in water for 30 minutes and then cut into small pieces; 12 garlic cloves, roughly chopped; 2 medium shallots, finely chopped; 1 thumb-sized piece of galangal, thinly sliced; 2 red spur chillies, thinly sliced; 1 lemongrass stalk, tough outer part removed and thinly sliced; 10 thick coriander stalks (about 1 generous tbsp); Zest of 1⁄2 lime; 1 tsp shrimp paste

Jump to Recipe

This slow cooker red curry tastes just like it was cooked using more traditional methods.

There are many ways you can cook this slow cooker red Thai curry. Slow cookers are often used because they offer a fuss-free way of cooking. You could actually just throw all the ingredients in your slow cooker and let it do its job. You’ll still get a delicious meal.

There are things you can do to make it even better though. You will find all my advice below.

About this slow cooker red Thai curry recipe.

When you first prepare this curry, you might think there isn’t enough liquid for it to work. Fear not! As the chicken cooks, it releases liquid that not only flavours but becomes part of the sauce.

If you just want ease of cooking, you could just throw all the ingredients into your slow cooker and cook for 3 to 6 hours. This will give you a delicious Thai curry.

You might want to take it up a few levels by first frying the curry paste. The vegetables can also be cooked to perfection by either cooking them separately or adding them toward the end of cooking. This time, I just through them in at the beginning and let them cook. The broccoli was a bit soft but the curry was still fantastic.

How do you cook the vegetables?

If you want crisper, fresher tasting vegetables, you could just steam them to your preference on your stove and stir them in just before serving. That is the most convenient and best way because you can more accurately cook them the way you like them.

You could also add the vegetables about an hour before the curry is finished cooking. This worked for me when developing other slow cooker Thai recipes but I didn’t have as much control over their doneness.

It’s worth noting that vegetables such as baby sweetcorn and mange tout can be added to the pot at any time as they don’t overcook. Vegetables that are best cooked al dente such as carrots, broccoli and cauliflower are best cooked separately.

Do you have to make homemade red curry paste?

For best results yes. There is so much that goes into a good homemade paste and the flavour reward is worth it.

That said, you could use about 3 generous tablespoons of shop-bought red Thai curry paste. Some Thai curry pastes that you buy are quite salty and spicy and lack the flavour you get from the other ingredients in the homemade version.

If you try the curry at the end and it needs a bit of a kick, you can always stir in a little more shop-bought curry paste and let it cook for a couple of minutes.

How important is it to fry the curry paste?

As I mentioned above, you could just throw everything in your slow cooker and cook it. By frying the paste, you will add more flavour. It’s to do with the The Maillard reaction which is a bit scientific for a recipe post but basically it’s a chemical reaction that happens when the natural sugars and amino acids in the paste are heated. It gives the paste a different flavour and colour which I highly recommend.

What if your slow cooker doesn’t have a searing mode?

No problem! If you decide to fry the ingredients as I recommend, you can do this in a pan on your stove. Then just pour everything into your cooker to slow cook.

There is a lot more homemade red curry paste compared to the amount of shop-bought?

Yes. The homemade paste includes a lot more ingredients and not all of them are spicy. Shop-bought pastes usually include the same ingredients but they have more salt and chilli in them.

So you need to be careful when using shop-bought pastes.

Can you substitute other meats for this slow cooker red curry?

Yes. In this recipe I used chicken. You can use your protein of choice or even make it vegetarian by adding more vegetables. If you substitute red meats such as beef, pork or lamb, you will need to slow cook for longer. I recommend 4 hours on high or 6 to 8 hours on low.

How long can you store leftovers in the fridge?

If you have any leftovers in the fridge, you can store them in an air-tight container for 3 to 4 days. Then just reheat in your microwave or in a sauce pan over a medium heat until hot enough to serve.

Step by step photographs.

The ingredients for the recipe laid out on a countertop.

Get all your ingredients together before you start. It’s easier that way.

Frying the curry paste in a slow cooker set to searing mode.

Fry the curry paste in the oil for a couple of minutes until it begins to sizzle some.

Stir in the chicken to coat with the paste.

Stirring in the coconut milk, soy sauces and tamarind concentrate

Add the coconut milk, soy sauce and tamarind concentrate.

Adding vegetables to the sauce in the slow cooker.

Stir in your vegetables of choice. You could also have more control over their doneness if you steam or fry them separately and add them to the curry just before serving.

The slow cooker red Thai curry after cooking on high for 3 hours.

Cook for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Add fish sauce and salt to taste before serving.

Slow cooker red Thai curry on a serving plate with rice.

Serve with white rice or rice noodles with lime wedges and Chinese crispy chilli sauce that can be added to taste at the table.

Slow cooker red Thai curry on a serving plate with rice and crispy chilli oil.

Enjoy!

If you like this slow cooker Thai red curry, you might like to try some of these too.

Have you tried this slow cooker Thai red curry recipe?

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Yield: 4

Slow Cooker Red Thai Curry

This is a delicious Thai red curry with chicken but other proteins can be substituted. If you are using shop bought Thai red curry paste, you can skip to step 4.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours 10 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients

2 tbsp coconut oil or rapeseed (canola) oil
450g (1lb) skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite-size pieces
400ml (13⁄4 cups) thick coconut milk
About 225g (8oz) vegetables, such as baby sweetcorn, broccoli florets or string beans
1 tbsp light soy sauce*
1 tsp tamarind concentrate
1 tbsp palm sugar
Coriander (cilantro) leaves, to garnish
70ml (1/4 cup) Chinese crispy chilli oil
FOR THE CURRY PASTE
1 generous tbsp cumin seeds or ½ tsp ground cumin
1 generous tbsp coriander seeds or ½ tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp white pepper
12 dried red bird’s eye chillies, soaked in water for 30 minutes and then cut into small pieces
12 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
1 thumb-sized piece of galangal, thinly sliced
2 red spur chillies, thinly sliced
1 lemongrass stalk, tough outer part removed and thinly sliced
10 thick coriander stalks (about 1 generous tbsp)
Zest of 1⁄2 lime
1 tsp shrimp paste

Instructions

If making the curry paste, toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until fragrant and warm to the touch but not yet smoking. If time is an issue, you could just add ½ tsp each of ground cumin and coriander.
Transfer to a pestle and mortar to cool a little and then pound into a fine powder. Transfer this powder to a plate and add the white pepper. Set aside.
Add the remaining curry paste ingredients to a blender or food processor and pour in the cumin, coriander and white pepper. Blend to a smooth paste adding just enough water to do so. Some blenders will require more water for blending but try to keep it to a minimum. The paste needs to be thick, not runny so add water a spoonful at a time to blend.
Now heat the oil and add the red curry paste in your slow cooker using the searing mode or a pan over a medium-high heat. Fry it for a couple of minutes, stirring continuously. Stir in the chicken, coconut milk and your veggies (SEE NOTES) of choice. and bring to a simmer.
Stir all the ingredients well, including the soy sauce and tamarind concentrate in your slow cooker and cook for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low. After 3 to 6 hours stir in one to two tablespoons of fish sauce. Taste it and add more fish sauce or salt to taste. Serve over white rice or rice noodles.

Notes

COOKING THE VEGETABLES:

You can just add your vegetables of choice to the sauce before slow cooking. For better results, consider steaming or stir frying them separately. You will have more control and can cook them to your preferred doneness. Then just add the cooked vegetables to the curry before serving.