I use extra big prawns. loved smelling all the things that im cutting(except the onion) lemon grass first time using it on the dish really tough to cut im telling yah came close to just throwing it to the food processor.

I've recently just started cooking (probably 3 weeks) over all I love it and I get excited sometime I sleep with notes and recipes on my bed and when i wake up I just roll over sometime and go straight to the kitchen and totally forget that im still in my pajama. love the feeling of knowing and sharing food.

I used minced chicken and wasn't impressed. I think I'm not a fan of the coconut and/or lemongrass. It's probably the coconut. I didn't really like those dishes when I lived in Thailand.

When I made this, I found 3 large shallots and once diced, they amounted to over 1 cup of shallots! Was that the right amount? Seems like a lot to me. Since shallots come in a bulb which is made of 2 to 3 smaller "sub-bulbs", I am a little confused to know what a "big" shallot is. So can you tell me, when a recipe calls for "a large shallot", about how much is that in volume?

There is no exact measurement for a shallot as they are different sizes; however for a general guideline I would say that one medium shallot equals about 3 tablespoons once minced.

This recipe calls for 3 shallots and while that may seem like a lot, shallots and onions are often used in larger quantities when cooking, as they add a wonderful layer of flavor, while not overpowering the dish.

Honestly though when it comes to things like shallots and cooking in general really, it is most often not an exact science, therefore, when a recipe says "add 3 or 4 shallot" or "one onion" or "one large carrot", it is up to the cook to ultimately decide how much they want to use in a particular dish. Hope this helps!

but based on the comments, I was expecting for it to be great. Thanks for your response on the shallots, Dawn. They did help.

However, I am not sure if this dish was just not for me, or whether my preparation was to blame. I made a couple of errors, but are any of these so egregious that it would change the dish significantly from its intended outcome?

1. I used ginger because I didn't have galangal and forgot to saute it with the shallots and lemongrass so I added it as the sauce was reducing.
2. I used my Le Creuset b/c none of my stainless was big enough. Can't do the water test on ceramic coated cast iron (apparently) so I was unsure of the temperature of the pan. Turns out that it was too hot to sweat the shallots/lemongrass, and started to carmelize them a bit.

Those were the only two deviations. Were these the culprit? Or does this dish just not resonate with me?

Hard to say really Barbara, perhaps this is just not the dish for you or perhaps the flavors were altered by not cooking out the strong flavor of the garlic and/or perhaps cooking the shallots and lemongrass over too high a heat. But like I said, it's hard to say as I was not there to see for myself. The only true way to know would be to try the dish over again. But that I guess would be up to you, you may just want to move on.

I personally love the dish and have made it several times, but if it were me I was just so-so about a dish, I would either fix it, try and tweak it to my liking or move on. Hope this helps Barbara - Cheers!

I ate leftovers today, and like I said before, it was good. I do love the flavors of Thai food, so I think it has potential. At some point in the future, I will give it another shot and try to get a pan where I can predict the temperature a little better and make a few tweaks to the ingredients. When I do, I will be sure to let you know my results. Thanks for the lightening fast replies Dawn!

You are most welcome for the replies (I just happen to come to the computer this very second, so this one is a quicky as well :-)).

I say, good for you for giving it another try. As for loving Thai food, I don't think this one is the ultimate in authenticity. Have you tried any of the other Rouxbe Thai recipes - pad thai, panang red curry or green curry? These we actually learned while we were in Thailand. Cheers!

This recipe was brilliant, I absolutely loved it! I will definitely be making it again in the future!

When I made it I substituted brown sugar for cane sugar and ginger for galangal. From the comments above I think next time I will try and get myself some galangal.

Next time, I'd also like to increase the heat. Can you give me advice on the best way of doing this without making overpowering?

With Many Thanks,

Andy

There is a tip video attached to Step 1 of this recipe called "Chilis - Turning Up the Heat". Hope this helps!

I was wondering if you could make the sauce and freeze it? I can occasionally am able to get Thai basil but I never seem to have it when I need it. If I could make the sauce (including the basil) and freeze it, I could just throw some shrimp in once it is thawed. Do you think the sauce would freeze okay?

You could certainly give it a try. I have not actually tried it yet. Freezing the sauce may take away from some of the flavor as the herbs will no longer be fresh etc. but it may still be fine. If you try it let us know how it turns out. Cheers!

I think you would be happier if you freeze the Thai basil by itself, rather than putting it it in the sauce early and freezing the whole thing. Basil really loses its flavor if you cook it for long, which is why recipes always have you put it in at the very end of the cooking process (here, after the prawns are done).

Plus the rest of the sauce just won't be as tasty, either... and if it's only the basil you have a hard time finding, might as well enjoy as much of it fresh as possible.

I made this dish, and added a bit of curry paste that I had on hand, and it was out of this world good. As far as a solid base recipe goes, this is by far the best I've tried. Cheers!

I had some shrimp and was looking for something quick and easy to make and I came across this recipe. I was absolutely amazed by how tasty this was! I also made the coconut infused rice and it complemented it very well. My fiance also loved it! I'll definitely make this again.

I would really like to make this for my husband when he comes home from Afghanistan. The problem is he is allergic to coconut. What can I substitute for the coconut but keep the same flavor profiles in the dish?

Unfortunately, there is no substitution for the rich flavor of coconut milk, at least not one that would give you the same, or even close to the same, flavor profile.

You could try making the dish without the coconut milk. You best bet would be to use a veloute instead of the coconut milk. But again, you will not achieve the exact same flavor profile.

This recipe for Thai Curry Prawns and Scallops would be like what I am referring to. Instead of the green curry use red and for the aromatics use the ones in this recipe to keep it close to the same flavor profile. Hope this helps. Cheers!

I tried to post this question in the forum but something went wrong.
Actually I wanna use coconut milk but didn't find anywhere in the city, so I decided to make it myself for the first time, and I don't wanna fail at it :S
Can anyone help me with their experience? And I mean the light one.
Thanks in Advance

Also I have a question about the coconut fruit, I bought one and when I opened it I found no water inside, and it doesn't look so much white as usual, it looks like this photo
http://gingerfresh.com/jersey/images/IA/KACHALI.jpg
Is that normal?

As a coconut ages, the liquid inside evaporates, so it sounds like the coconut you purchased is quite mature. There are several sites (for example ehow and Thai Food) that walk you through the process of making your own coconut milk. A lighter version would mean that you simply add more water to the final coconut milk/fat to thin it down. Cheers!

Thanks Kimberley, about the coconut I have is it OK to eat it? or make coconut milk from it?

The best way to know is to try it out. Unless it smells old, I'm sure it will be fine. Cheers!

Actually the smell is a little bit acidic or citrus but the taste is normal :S

I have read the comments but I still have one questions about substitutions. If I wish to use chicken, should I brown it first or let it cook on the sauce?

You can do either. Browning first will just give the chicken a bit more flavor, but typically it is added raw and simmered very gently until it is JUST cooked through. Either way, just make sure not to overcook the chicken or it will be tough and stringy. Cheers!