Red Curry

Method

1. reduce6 min
   thick coconut cream from the top of the unshaken can, medium heat, until glossy and beginning to show clear fat
   Spoon the thickest coconut cream into a wide pan and simmer it until it tightens and becomes glossy. If clear coconut fat begins to show, use it; if the milk is homogenized and never separates, add the optional teaspoon of oil. The point is not to break the whole sauce — it is to create a small fat-rich phase that can dissolve and carry the curry paste's aromatic compounds.
2. saute4 min
   red curry paste in the concentrated coconut fat, medium heat, stirred constantly until the raw smell disappears
   Stir in the red curry paste and cook it before adding the remaining liquid. The paste should darken slightly and smell rounded rather than raw. Adding all the coconut milk first dilutes the pan temperature and leaves the aromatics tasting boiled; cooking the paste in fat first is the common mechanism across the researched methods.
3. simmer10 min
   remaining coconut milk + water + makrut lime leaf, gentle uncovered simmer
   Add the remaining coconut milk, water and torn makrut lime leaves and keep the curry at a gentle simmer until it lightly coats a spoon. Do not hard-boil it: vigorous boiling drives off aromatic top notes and can make the coconut fat separate coarsely instead of staying integrated in the sauce.
4. season5 min
   low heat, then off heat for basil; adjust after tasting the actual curry paste brand
   Stir in fish sauce and palm sugar, taste, then adjust salt, sweetness and heat rather than trusting the label on the paste. Curry pastes differ dramatically in salt and chile concentration, so the final balance has to be made in the pan. Turn off the heat and fold in Thai basil; add the optional lime only if the sauce tastes heavy rather than automatically making every red curry sour.