Coconut milk flavored with peanut butter and red curry paste makes a classic Thai-inspired creamy sauce. When mixed with shrimp and peppers, it’s an easy dinner!

I

feel like I’ve led you astray. I didn’t deliver that. That I was just a big mockery.

There were actually a plethora of you who said that was exactly what it was, when you sent me a mass email asking where the recipe was for the photo of this dish on my Friday favorites because I hadn’t shared the recipe.

You are right. I owe you this recipe for coconut curry shrimp. So I’m delivering it in two different versions: the original of a cereal cooking challenge that I was a part of and another minus the cereal for those of you looking for a simpler option.

This recipe was my divine inspiration when I was put on site for a cooking challenge at General Mills headquarters. We were commissioned to create recipes using a General Mills cereal, ANY cereal. And that’s a lot of cereals!

I channeled my main man into the kitchen (my husband) and used Reese’s Puffs to create a Thai-flavored dish, grinding Reese’s Puffs and covering shrimp to make a peanut crust.

To recreate the recipe, I went to the store to buy the cereal and came home with… Cocoa Puffs, not Reese’s Puffs. So instead of taking another trip to the store, I’m also giving you the simplified version, minus the Reese’s Puffs coating.

What’s in this Thai shrimp curry?

Here’s what you’ll need to make my opinion on

Thai shrimp curry:

• Jumbo shrimp
• Vegetable oil Garlic
• Kosher salt
• Red chili flakes
• Onion
• Pepper Coconut milk
• Thai red curry paste
• Fish sauce
• Peanut butter
• Lemon juice
• Ground ginger
• Brown sugar
• Basil
• Cilantro
• Green onion

How to make coconut curry shrimp

First, peel and devein the shrimp. Then, mix the shrimp with some oil, garlic, kosher salt and red chili flakes. Let the shrimp marinate for 10 minutes.

Cook the onion and peppers in a hot skillet until softened, then transfer them to a bowl. Working in batches, cook the shrimp in the pan and then place them in a separate bowl.

Next, make the coconut shrimp sauce. The creamy sauce is amplified by combining coconut milk with salted fish sauce and lemon juice, plus peanut butter, red curry paste, brown sugar, and ground ginger. Don’t be afraid of fish sauce. It sounds strange, but it gives a distinctly Thai flavor to the dish. My husband read somewhere Red Boat is a highly rated fish sauce, and it’s 100% natural, so it’s the one we buy now.

Add the cooked onion and peppers back into the pan and pour the coconut milk mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. Add the shrimp to the pan with the basil and cilantro and mix to top.

When serving these shrimp to coconut curry, it’s all about the garnish. Coriander leaves, fresh basil, sliced red jalapeño, chopped green onion and a splash of lime simply enhance this dish in my opinion. And if you’re using Reese’s Puffs, a few tablespoons of crushed puffs add a crunchy peanut butter.

Can I add extra vegetables?

Of course! Feel free to swap one of the peppers for another favorite vegetable.

What type of coconut milk should I use?

You should use canned coconut milk unsweetened and whole in fat. If you use low-fat coconut milk, the sauce will be thinner and have a tendency to break.

How to make coconut milk shrimp with cereal If you want to try the

cereal-crusted shrimp version, simply grind 1 cup of Reese’s Puffs in a food processor. Marinate the shrimp for 15 minutes, roll the crushed cereal and sauté in the pan.

You will need to clean the pan after each batch and you may also need some extra oil.

It’s a pretty tasty crunch, if I say it myself. (Pat on the back…)

Tips for making coconut curry shrimp

PLEASE TAKE NOTE! There have been some comments that the dish is too salty. I think this is due to the use of a lower quality fish sauce, which will give it a saltier taste. Please use a high-quality fish sauce like the one I recommend, or add just 4 tablespoons of sauce and then try it and add more to your liking.

Use fresh or dried ginger in this dish. I’ve used both. If you use fresh, use 1 1/2 tablespoons of chopped ginger and cook with the peppers and onions and omit the dried ginger from the coconut milk mixture.

I like Key West Pink Shrimp on my shrimp dishes. In my opinion, they are sweeter and tastier than the striped shrimp or tiger that are usually farmed. I find the wild shrimp caught in Key West in the freezer section at my local Kroger (under the Private Selection brand).

Keep the queues. I like to leave the queues on this plate for the sake of presentation, but if you want, feel free to remove the queues from the beginning.

Serve over brown rice for another layer of nutty flavor. If you’re a white rice eater, do it. Cellophane or rice noodles would also be very good underneath, or spiral some zucchini noodles to keep the flow of vegetarian love.

More Thai-inspired recipes

you’ll love

Thai quinoa salad Thai chicken and

cucumber salad
• Slow cooker Thai chicken soup

with basil Thai Chicken with Thai

• Basil (Pad Krapow Gai) Chicken

with Thai coconut and rice

• Salad
• Thai
• Noodle with Coconut

If

mak e this recipe, please let me know! Bookmark this recipe and leave a comment below, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.