Red Curry/curry Rojo Recipe

Prepare vegetables

Wash and dry spinach; roughly chop if leaves are large. Cut broccoli into bite-size florets. Trim and halve green beans. Thinly slice bell peppers and shallot. Mince garlic and grate ginger. Measure out curry paste and liquids.

Heat a large, deep skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the neutral oil (2 tbs). When oil is hot but not smoking, add sliced shallot and cook until softened and translucent, about 2 minutes.

Add minced garlic and grated ginger and cook, stirring, for 30–45 seconds until fragrant (do not let brown).

Add the red curry paste (3 tbs) to the pan. Fry the paste in the oil and aromatics for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, to bloom the spices and deepen the flavor.

Pour in about 100 ml of the coconut milk and stir to loosen the curry paste, forming a smooth, concentrated curry base.

Add the remaining coconut milk (300 ml) and vegetable broth (250 ml). Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

Stir in fish sauce or soy sauce (2 tbs), brown sugar (1 tbs), and optional extra soy sauce (1 tsp). Taste and adjust seasoning—it should be balanced sweet, salty and slightly tangy.

Add the broccoli florets and green beans to the simmering sauce first, since they take longer to cook. Stir to coat and simmer for 4–6 minutes, until broccoli is bright green and just tender-crisp and green beans are fork-tender.

Add bell peppers and simmer another 2–3 minutes until peppers are slightly softened but still have bite.

Finally, stir in the chopped spinach in batches. The spinach will wilt quickly—cook for 1–2 minutes until fully wilted and incorporated into the sauce.

If the sauce reduces too much, add up to 50–100 ml additional broth or coconut milk to reach desired sauciness. Adjust seasoning with more fish/soy sauce, sugar or lime juice to taste.

Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice (1 tbs) to brighten the flavors. Add fresh basil or cilantro leaves and gently mix.

Ladle the red curry with vegetables over steamed rice or noodles. Garnish with lime wedges, toasted sesame seeds or crushed peanuts, and optional chili flakes or sliced fresh chili for heat.

Serve immediately while hot.