Lets first start with the fact that I love Thai food. My favorite dish to order if eating out at an actual Thai restaurant is Tofu Pad Thai. I have yet to make my own, but that will soon come. It used to be drunken noodle with shrimp, but I had given up shrimp for a while until this night, Thai night.

I wanted to mix things up a bit and so I ended up purchasing about a pound of medium sized shrimp. There are a lot of things that are not good for us to eat, but if in moderation then it certainly will not kill us. I stopped eating shrimp the same reason we do not really eat catfish. They are bottom feeders. I did however take my time and thoroughly clean the shrimp prior to preparing for this meal.

Despite the reputation of shrimp because of its bottom feeder status, there are some health benefits. Shrimp have a good source of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory carotenoid nutrient, astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is often referred to as the “king of carotenoid.” This is where salmon get the reddish-pink pigment color from. It has been linked to healthier skin, endurance, heart health, joint pain, and may even have a future in cancer treatment. I am not sure how many shrimp you have to eat to experience the benefits, but what I do know is that it may not be so bad after all to indulge and eat shrimp here and there. 

This recipe is another one of my “A Mom, A jar, and A plan” meals. It was quite simple and it tasted delicious.

For thai inspired dishes, I recommend the Thai Kitchen brand items located on the Asian/Internationl aisle. The original recipe for this dish came right off the back of the red curry paste jar.

On to the recipe…

Ingredients: 

1 lb of wild caught, medium/large, raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tbs Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste 

1-13.66 oz can Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk 

2 tbs Thai Kitchen Premium Fish Sauce

1 tbs brown sugar

1 tbs olive oil

1/4 cup fresh basil

1/2 green pepper, sliced

1/2 red pepper, sliced

1/2 yellow pepper, sliced

1/2 sweet onion, sliced

1 tbs ginger, minced

1 tbs garlic, minced

1 cup rice, follow package instructions

Instructions: 

1. Simmer coconut milk in a large skillet.
2. In another skillet, heat olive oil and add garlic and ginger. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add peppers and onions.
3. In skillet with coconut milk stir in red curry paste and brown sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.
4. Add shrimp to large skillet with coconut milk and red curry paste. Stir in peppers and onions.
5. Cook for 5 minutes or until shrimp is pink and vegetables are tender.
6. Stir in basil and and fish sauce.
7. Add red curry shrimp to a bowl and serve with rice on the side.
8. Enjoy !