Kua Kling (Southern Thai-Style Red Curry)

By Ali Slagle

Updated Dec. 16, 2020

Kua Kling (Southern Thai-Style Red Curry)
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(1,542)
Comments
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Whereas larb is bright and acidic — light on its feet — this simple adaptation of a traditional Southern Thai dry red curry, is grounding and spicy. It owes much of its flavor to red curry paste, turmeric and fresh chile that have been toasted until they shake awake. For scorching heat (a curry like this is typically brutally hot), add more chile. As the chicken — though it could be ground pork, sliced beef or chicken, or mushrooms — cooks, its fat renders and the fired-up curry paste adheres. Season it with brown sugar and fish sauce, and serve with rice, cabbage, herbs, avocado, cucumber and-or a crisp fried egg.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed
  • ¼cup Thai red curry paste (ideally one with makrut lime, lemongrass and shrimp paste)
  • 1teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2Thai or serrano chiles, thinly sliced, or to taste
  • 1pound ground chicken
  • ½teaspoon dark brown sugar
  • 2teaspoons fish sauce
  • ¼teaspoon freshly grated lime zest, or 10 makrut lime leaves, deveined and thinly sliced
  • Rice, sliced cabbage, chopped herbs, sliced avocado, chopped cucumber and fried egg, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

337 calories; 17 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 22 grams protein; 385 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, warm the oil and toast the curry paste, turmeric and chiles (if using) until extremely fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir and lower heat as needed to prevent sticking.

  2. Step 2

    Add the chicken and cook, breaking the meat up with a spoon. Stir to coat the meat in the curry paste and to prevent sticking, and cook until the chicken is opaque, 7 to 10 minutes. If everything is sticking, don’t panic — just add a little water or neutral oil.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in the brown sugar, fish sauce and lime zest, and cook just until the liquid’s been absorbed, about 1 minute. Season to taste with more brown sugar and fish sauce. (The chicken should be spicy first, salty second.) Serve at once with desired toppings.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,542 user ratings
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Comments

anna

Delicious!!! 1 tsp grated ginger added with curry paste 8oz mushrooms + 3/4# ground chicken thigh meat needed 1 tsp lime zest and more of both brown sugar/fish sauce at the end served with: coconut rice mint cucumber cabbage cilantro lime wedges

Ana

We love this recipe. Instead of ground chicken, I slice up boneless chicken thighs. They take a little longer to cook but make the dish sooo much better. Added minced ginger with the paste and turmeric, and followed advice to add lime juice and mint leaves at the end.. delicious. Perfect served with rice and a cucumber-red bellpepper-peanut salad with homemade Thai dressing. Will not stop making this ever.

Tom

Super dish. Quick and easy. A great way to get those familiar Thai flavors basically from the pantry. I used thighs, and ran them through a food processor for a few pulses. This left them with some texture. Also served with a spicy dipping sauce of lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, pickled chiles, garlic, and cilantro.

BK

The brand of curry paste likely has a huge impact on the spice level. Based on reviews, I started with 3T rather than 4 and skipped the Thai chili, figuring I would add some later if needed. It was NOT needed. It was super spicy as is. Very easy and fast to pull together. I served it with rice, a quick cucumber & red onion pickle, and fresh mint leaves. My husband loved it. Will def add to our weeknight rotation.

Missy L.

Thought this was pretty plain, but to be fair we didn't serve with cabbage or the other acoutrements. I will say by itself it is far better than a plain piece of chicken. The fried egg probably would have added something a little more interesting. Overall, a nice recipe for when you need something quick with ingredients on hand and not much else.

ThatGirlAnna

Super tasty! I added lime juice to make it tastier and green curry paste (I didn’t have any red curry paste). Next time will use 1 tbsp or fish sauce and 1 tsp brown sugar. Not sure how much the tumeric has an effect on the dish. If you don’t like spicy stuff like me do not despair. The curry paste is not that spicy.

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