If you’re a fan of Thai food then a Slow Cooker Thai Red Curry is a must try – a good slap of chilli heat, sweetness, and buckets of flavour, all on one plate!
Slow Cooker Club followers will know that the Friday night fakeaway is a thing in our house – why bother paying your local takeaway for food when you can cook something healthier and better tasting yourself?
We usually have an Indian or a Thai (creatures of habit!) – now this recipe has been added to the repertoire there’s no chance of that changing any time soon.
What’s the best Thai Red Curry Paste?
If you don’t want to make the paste yourself (let’s be honest, if you’re pressed for time – who does?), then the paste you use will make or break your curry.
We’ve tried loads of them, and the best Thai red curry paste is Mae Ploy, imported from Thailand. It has the right balance of flavour, spice and heat, and is bloomin’ marvellous. It’s also the same brand of paste we use for our slow cooker thai green curry recipe.
Sadly you can’t buy Mae Ploy paste in many places – our local supermarkets didn’t have any stock, and the pastes they did have were pretty dreadful. The best place to buy it is online – Amazon UK stock 400g and 1kg pots.
More Delicious Slow Cooker Curries
Crockpots are great for making curries. Why not try one of these alternatives?
What’s the difference between Thai Red and Green Curry?
You may not be surprised to learn that the key difference is the chillis used to make the curry paste. Thai red curries use red chillis, and Thai green curries use…green! A Thai green curry usually has more of a kick than a Thai red curry as green chillis are hotter.
Thai red curries tend to lean towards the more savoury side, whereas green curries will be sweeter.
What vegetables are best for a Slow Cooker Thai Red Curry?
Like all curries – don’t be afraid to experiment! Our recipe contains peppers, shallots, sugar snap peas and bamboo shoots.
Other vegetables that could also work well in a slow cooker Thai red curry include:
- Diced sweet potato
- Butternut squash
- Green beans
- Mushrooms
Can I freeze leftovers?
Leftover Thai curry can be kept in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. Alternatively it’ll keep for three days in the fridge.
We recommend that you recook fresh rice rather than reheat any leftovers.
Slow Cooker Thai Red Curry
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 g chicken thighs skinless and boneless
- 3 tbsp red curry paste the quantity will vary slightly according to the type of paste used
- 1 stick of lemon grass
- 4 shallots echalion or 'banana' shallots cut into slices
- 1 red pepper sliced
- 120 g bamboo shoots canned and drained
- 100 g sugar snap peas cut in half
- 600 ml coconut milk full fat
- 1½ tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 lime juice only
- coriander fresh for serving
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp corn flour
Instructions
- Add the curry paste to a pan on the hob and cook it over a high heat for 2 minutes until the paste has loosened slightly. Pour in the coconut milk and stir through for another minute to mix with the paste then remove from the heat.
- Roughly chop the chicken thighs and place in the slow cooker with all of the chopped vegetables. Sprinkle over the corn flour, salt and pepper to coat the vegetables and meat.
- BAsh the lemon grass stalk with a rolling pin to open up the flavour and add into the cooking pot. Pour over the coconut milk and curry paste sauce ensuring the meat and vegetables are completely covered.
- Add the sugar, lime juice and soy sauce into the sauce and stir through. Cook on high for 4 hours or 7 hours on low.
Notes
- Soy Sauce – use Tamari instead.
- Curry paste – check the brand used is gluten free.
Kylee Beard
Saturday 19th of March 2022
I made it before reading you’re recipe. If you dont pre cook the paste will it still work? Thanks
Mark
Friday 24th of December 2021
I've got on the go in the slow cooker now - ready for Xmas day. Good recipe.I had to use Sainsbury's paste and used a whole jar for 1 kilo of 'cook from frozen' chicken breast, (which I thoroughly defrosted). I used a whole 400g tin of coconut milk. It's the right consistency and all the right flavours are there.The Sainsbury's paste has a fair kick which doesn't require more fresh chilli. This from a self-confessed chilli fiend with asbestos mouth. I look forward to doing this recipe again with the Mae Ploy paste.
Susan
Wednesday 27th of October 2021
This is the first recipe we’ve cooked from your website and it most certainly won’t be the last - really, really delicious! Highly recommend you give it a go. More Thai recipes, please!
Bec
Saturday 30th of October 2021
Thank you for the review, great to hear you enjoyed this.
Craig
Wednesday 21st of April 2021
If you are in western australia you can find Mae Ploy paste insome IGA stores or go to one of the campbells cash and carry as they stock it... best paste ever... Red and Green
Bec
Wednesday 21st of April 2021
That's really useful to know, thank you! 😊
Martin Gerrard
Thursday 8th of April 2021
Brilliant recipe very authentic tast. Loved it. I am fortunate enough to live near an Asian supermarket and got the paste recommended. Definitely make it again.
Bec
Friday 9th of April 2021
That's a great shop to have nearby for picking up ingredients! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the review.