Red chicken curry in the Thermomix® only works when the curry paste goes in after the cream. Added earlier, the paste would overcook at 100°C and lose its heat and aromatics. We add 40 g of red curry paste together with the chicken at 90°C, so the essential oils stay intact and the spice level remains precisely controllable.
We have cooked this curry at least twice a month for years. The base of tomatoes and vegetable stock gives body without making the curry too thick. The 200 g of double cream and 120 g of yoghurt at the end create the creamy texture that sets an Indian curry apart from a plain tomato sauce.
Red Chicken Curry with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 15 ✓
- 20 g ginger
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 onion
- 20 g rapeseed oil
- 400 g chopped tomatoes (tinned)
- 200 g vegetable stock
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 500 g chicken breast fillet
- 200 g double cream
- 120 g full-fat yoghurt
- 40 g red curry paste
- 4 sprigs coriander
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 40 g water
Instructions 0 / 9
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1
Chop the vegetables.
Peel ginger, peel garlic, peel onion and halve. Place ginger, garlic and onion in the mixing bowl and chop for 5 sec / speed 8.
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2
Sweat the vegetables.
Add oil and sweat for 3 min / 100°C / speed 1.
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3
Add the sauce ingredients.
Add tomatoes, vegetable stock, salt and pepper and cook for 5 min / Varoma / speed 1.
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4
Dice the chicken.
Meanwhile, dice the chicken.
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5
Add the cream.
Add double cream to the mixing bowl and cook for 4 min / 100°C / speed 2.
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6
Cook the chicken and curry paste.
Add chicken, yoghurt and curry paste to the mixing bowl, stir with the spatula and cook for 10 min / 90°C / speed 1.
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7
Prepare the coriander.
Meanwhile, wash coriander, shake dry and pick off the leaves.
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8
Add the cornflour.
Mix cornflour with water, add to the mixing bowl and cook for 2 min / 90°C / speed 1.
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9
Serve.
Serve the curry garnished with coriander.
Tip: Serve with naan bread.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why the curry paste only goes in at 90°C
Red curry paste contains chillies, lemongrass, galangal and coriander roots. These aromatics are heat-sensitive. If you add the paste when sweating the onions, it cooks out at 100°C over several minutes. The result is a mild, slightly bitter sauce with no heat.
We add the paste together with the raw chicken and the yoghurt into the already-prepared tomato and cream base. At 90°C for 10 minutes the chicken cooks through, while the paste releases its aromatics without overcooking. The lower temperature protects the essential oils.
The base needs time at Varoma
400 g of tinned chopped tomatoes and 200 g of vegetable stock form the foundation. We cook this mixture for 5 minutes at Varoma and speed 1. This reduces the liquid slightly and concentrates the acidity of the tomatoes. Without this step the sauce stays watery.
The 200 g of double cream then goes in for 4 minutes at 100°C. This binds the sauce and makes it velvety. Only once the cream has fully cooked in can you add the curry paste without getting pools of fat on the surface.
Cooking the chicken breast directly in the mixing bowl
We dice 500 g of chicken breast fillet into pieces about 2 cm across. That size matters: smaller pieces fall apart during cooking, larger ones stay raw after 10 minutes. We add the raw chicken directly to the hot sauce. At 90°C and speed 1 it cooks evenly through without the outside drying out.
The yoghurt in the mixing bowl stops the chicken from sticking to the hot sauce. Without the yoghurt, the outer pieces of chicken would turn rubbery after 10 minutes while the inner ones are still juicy.
Cornflour thickens at the end without lumps
Mix 2 tsp of cornflour with 40 g of water before adding it to the mixing bowl. This prevents lumps. The cornflour thickens the sauce in 2 minutes at 90°C and speed 1 without any need to stir constantly. Without cornflour the sauce stays too thin despite the cream and yoghurt, and runs straight off the chicken.
If you add the cornflour directly as a powder it forms lumps that will not dissolve again. The cornflour and water mixture spreads evenly and binds the liquid cleanly.
Fresh coriander as the finishing touch
Wash 4 sprigs of coriander, shake dry and pick off the leaves. We scatter the leaves over the curry only when serving. Coriander cooked into the dish loses its aroma and goes soggy. Scattered fresh on top it gives a green, citrusy accent that balances the heat of the curry paste.
If you dislike fresh coriander or cannot find it, simply leave it out. The curry works without it, though it loses that final fresh note.
Naan bread goes perfectly with this curry
We serve the curry with Naan bread from the Thermomix®. The bread soaks up the sauce and adds a more substantial component. Alternatively, basmati rice works well alongside. The rice absorbs the liquid without overpowering the flavour.
If you enjoy more Indian cooking, try our Butter Chicken with the Thermomix®. It is milder and creamier than the red curry.
Storing the curry in the fridge
The finished curry keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. The sauce thickens as it cools because the cornflour continues to set. When reheating, add a splash of water or stock to restore the consistency.
Freezing works for up to 3 months. The cream may separate slightly on thawing, but once reheated and stirred the sauce becomes smooth again. The curry paste retains its heat even after freezing.
How other recipes approach this dish
Also goes well with: Mango chutney.
Most recipes for red Thai chicken curry in the Thermomix® fry the curry paste in oil at the start. This does release some aromatics, but at the cost of heat and essential oils. We add the paste at 90°C after the cream, so nothing overcooks. For vegetables, many blogs use peppers and green beans. We also add carrots, bamboo shoots or sugar snap peas for crunch and sweetness. Chicken thighs without skin work instead of breast and stay juicier. Full-fat coconut milk gives a creamier sauce than the light version, and fresh coriander or Thai basil added at the end lifts the whole dish.
More Indian recipes with the Thermomix®: Naan bread, Butter Chicken, Mango Buttermilk Drink.
