Thai Red Curry

This is a simple curry from Thailand which uses red curry paste,cocnut milk and fish sauce(soy sauce for vegan version).Compared to the green curry,this curry uses fresh/dry red chillies and other roasted ingredients along with optional shrimp paste.I referred several sites and especially based my curry paste from here.I made a simple curry using the paste referencing Tarla Dalals red curry and whatever vegetables I had.

Ingredients:
Red Curry Paste: gives 1/2 cup
Dry Red Chillies: 2-3 can also use fresh red chillies
Garlic: 2+ cloves depending on taste
Lemon Grass: 1 stem
Coriander: 1 small bunch especially the stems and very little or no leaves
Roasted Coriander seeds: 2 tsp
Shallots/Onion: 1/4 cup chopped or 1 small onion
PepperCorns: 1 tsp
Salt
Kaffir Lime/Lemon zest: 1 tbsp

Red Curry:
Red Curry Paste: almost 1/2 cup
Coconut milk: 1 cup +
Cornflour:1 tbsp (optional)
Thai Eggplants( green long eggplants): 1 big chopped into rounds/cubed
Baby Corn: 1/4 cup + chopped
Carrot : 1 small chopped

Fresh Basil Leaves: 15
Soy Sauce:1 tsp

Preparation:
Red Curry Paste:
Chop the chillies,lemongrass,coriander and onion/shallot and if needed deseed the chillies.I did not.Place all the ingredients in the blender/processor and blend into a paste.The colour of the paste will be red or reddish green depending on the chillies and also the amount of coriander .Make sure you use the stems rather than leaves of the coriander.You can use Kashmiri Red Chillies which will give more red colour though the heat will be less.

Red Curry:
Mix cornflour in coconut milk and keep aside.You can use thick or thin milk or tinned milk.You can avoid the cornflour as well as it is used for quick thickening.

Heat oil in a pan and add the paste.Saute for a few minutes till the raw smell disappears.Add the coconut milk,basil leaves,soy sauce and the cubed veggies.Mix well and let it simmer (on low fire) till the vegetables are tender.Check for taste and add the salt.Boil for 1-2 minutes and not more till the required consistency is reached.Cornflour if used quickly thickens the curry.I did not and I got a semi thick gravy.

Serve with rice or noodles.

I found the curry only medium hot may be because I used less paste(I always start with 2 tbsp and then add more) or maybe due the chillies or the thick coconut milk or may I am used to the spicy Indian curries.It is a nice change from the Indian curries and a healthy one as well.I had used the basil and soysauce combination the first time and was surprised that it was good.

A warm bowl of this vegan curry travels to Its a Vegan World:Thai an event started by Vaishali of HolyCow and currently hosted by Priya of Akshayapaatram