Making an authentic Thai curry can be a labour of love, especially if you make your own curry paste, but there is a much simpler and quicker way. This Instant Pot Thai chicken curry is made in 30 minutes using ingredients you can find in most grocery stores. That's why we call it a curry in a hurry.
⅓cupred curry pasteless or more depending on the spice level
2teaspoonssugarwe used 1 teaspoon stevia sugar alternative
1tablespoonfish sauce
1cupcoconut milkcoconut cream, see notes
⅔cupchicken stockor water with ½ cube chicken stock
Part two:
Juice of ½ lime
1large carrotsliced
½large zucchinisliced
½head of broccoliflorets cut in halves
1red peppersliced
To thicken: 2 tablespoons tapioca flour or arrowroot flour
¼cupcoconut cream
¼cupchopped cilantro
Garnish: diced scallions/spring onions and more cilantrooptional
Instructions
Turn the Instant Pot on and press the Sauté button. Once the pot is hot, add the olive oil, onion, ginger and garlic and stir through. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, then add the chicken.
Add the curry paste and stir through the chicken. Now, add the sugar, fish sauce, coconut cream, and chicken stock. Stir through well and press Cancel to stop the Sautéing.
Pop the lid on top and lock, making sure the valve is pointing to Sealing. Press Manual/Pressure Cook, HIGH pressure and set to 7 minutes. The Instant Pot will say ON and it will take about 5-10 minutes for the pressure to build up, after which the timer will start. Though, the curry will be cooking during the whole time.
Once the timer finishes, allow a couple of minutes for natural release, then use the quick release method (point the top valve to Venting) to let off the rest of the pressure. Be careful of the hot steam jet!
Open the lid and press the Sauté button again. Add juice of half a lime and stir through. Have a little taste. Add more salt or fish sauce if needed.
Add all the vegetables and cook on Sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring a few times.
Dissolve the tapioca or arrowroot flour in 2 tablespoons of water. Stir into the curry to thicken the sauce. Finish adding the remaining coconut cream and then stir in cilantro.
Notes
Curry paste: we used ready-made red curry paste but you could use green or Panang curry paste, or make your own. We used ⅓ cup because the brand of the paste isn't super hot, but you might need to adjust the amount depending on the curry paste you use.Coconut milk: Use full-fat coconut milk that is at least 60% coconut content (not the diluted drinking coconut milk). Refrigerate ahead of time so that the thickened milk (coconut cream) separates from the liquid. Using the thickened part will give you creamier curry but of course, you can also add the whole can with cream and liquid.Stovetop method: If making this curry on a stovetop, repeat the first few steps and once all the ingredients are in the pot, simply cook over medium heat, covered with a lid, for 20-25 minutes.