Thai Mango Curry with Chicken - Made from Scratch

Author Notes

I remember having a Thai red curry with mangoes many, many years ago when we were on vacation - it was a small restaurant and the owner's wife was Thai, so there were some Thai inspired dishes on the menu and this red curry was one of them. The very fact that I remember it after all these years should tell you how delicious the curry was!

When I started thinking about making a mango curry, I didn't want to use a canned paste, instead, I wanted to play around with some of the Thai pantry essentials that I had in my kitchen. I love the combination of kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass in a curry - if you have never smelled them sauteing in your kitchen, you are seriously missing out on something! After that it was dash of fish sauce, a glug of mushroom soy sauce (this is the sauce used in making Pad see ew) and some rice vinegar and this curry came together in no time at all! The addition of the mangoes gives it an additional layer of sweet and tart flavor, which helps to balance out the spiciness of the curry. Enjoy! —Madhuja

Test Kitchen Notes

This recipe results in a delicious combination of hot, sour, sweet and savory. As authentic Thai as I’ve ever prepared. There is a bit of prep work, but once you have your mise en place it comes together in no time and simmers just long enough to cook the rice. (I used basmati, but jasmine would have been the bomb). The two elements that really shine are the curry paste and the mango. My mangos weren’t ideally ripe so I opted to add the optional brown sugar. I probably didn’t need to because as the mango heated through during the last few minute’s simmer, they became just soft enough and even seemed to sweeten up a bit. Due to ingredient availability I used jalapeno peppers completely seeded with ribs removed. (I like very spicy food and this was plenty hot for me.) I used jarred shredded kaffir lime leaves and galangal paste I found at my local Indian grocery as they were out of fresh. I was skeptical but these ingredients worked quite well. (The products’ website is www.thaitaste.us.com). I also used a Vietnamese chili garlic sauce, Tuong Ot Toi by Hoy Fong (the Rooster Sriracha people) and homemade chicken stock. I love Thai food and Madhuja’s recipe really impressed me with its fresh, bright and spicy flavors. Definitely a keeper. —Gmarkb