
Samlar Kari – Khmer Red Curry
A Cambodia dinner made with chicken. Ready in about 56 minutes. Difficulty: medium.
- 21 minPrep (about)
- 35 minCook (about)
- 56 minTotal time
- 4Servings
- MediumDifficulty
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Join the waitlist Not nowIngredients
Main ingredient
- 4 ¾ lb chicken thighs
Fresh & other
- 5 onions
- 14 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup + 2 ½ tsp ginger
- ½ cup + 1 tbsp red curry paste
- 5 cans coconut milk
- 4 ¾ cups chicken stock Shopping tip: Chicken broth (carton or can), or a chicken bouillon cube in hot water.
- ¼ cup + 2 ½ tsp brown sugar
- 4 ¾ cups bamboo shoot
- 5 red bell pepper Shopping tip: Bell pepper (UK recipes call it pepper).
- Pinch basil Shopping tip: Fresh leaves, not dried. Thai basil is best; regular basil works.
- To serve lime
Sauces & oils
- ¼ cup + 2 ½ tsp vegetable oil
- ¼ cup + 2 ½ tsp fish sauce
How to make it
Steps in our own plain words.
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Heat ¼ cup + 2 ½ tsp vegetable oil in a big pot or big heavy pot over medium-high heat till it shimmers, about 2 minutes, 2.
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Add 4.8 lb chicken bits to the pot.
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Cook until browned on all sides, about 5–7 minutes, stirring every so often to prevent sticking, 3.
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Remove the chicken from the pot.
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Set it aside on juices, leaving any oil and a plate in the pot, 4.
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Turn the heat down to medium.
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Add 5 sliced onions to your pot, cooking till softened and translucent, about 4 minutes, 5.
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Mix in 14 cloves minced garlic plus ¼ cup + 2 ½ tsp grated ginger, cooking for 1 min until it smells good to avoid burning, 6.
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Add ½ cup + 1 tbsp red curry paste to your pot.
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Cook for 1 minute, stirring the whole time to toast your spices and deepen the flavor, 7.
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Pour in 5 cans coconut milk plus 4 ¾ cups chicken broth, scraping bottom of the pot to mixed in any browned bits for extra richness, 8.
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Mix in ¼ cup + 2 ½ tsp fish sauce plus ¼ cup + 2 ½ tsp palm sugar until fully dissolved.
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Return the browned chicken to the pot.
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Bring the mixture to a gentle boil.
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Turn the heat down to low.
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Cover.
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Simmer for 15 minutes to let the flavors to meld, 10.
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Add 4 ¾ cups bamboo shoots plus 5 sliced red bell pepper to your pot, simmering uncovered for an more 5 min until the vegetables are tender-crisp, 11.
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Remove the pot from the heat.
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Mix in 4 ¾ cups Thai basil leaves until wilted, around 1 minute, to preserve their fresh aroma.
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Dish up your curry hot, garnished using lime wedges for a bright, acidic finish.
On the side: Naan
A side we added to round out the meal. It is not part of the original recipe.
How to make it (5 min)
- Warm the naan in a hot pan or the oven for 1 to 2 minutes.
More chicken recipes
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Join the waitlistRecipe from TheMealDB, adapted from the original. Steps rewritten in our own words. Times are estimates.