Coconut milk and red curry paste on spaghetti sounds like a collision of two cuisines, and the recipe treats it as one dish rather than a fusion joke: the curry is built properly, bloomed in oil and simmered, then the pasta is tossed through it.
The prawns get two short exposures instead of one long one. A minute or two a side to sear, out of the pan while the sauce is made, then back in only until opaque.
Why This Recipe Works
- Searing the prawns first gives colour the sauce would never produce.
- Blooming the curry paste for thirty seconds after the aromatics releases its fat-soluble colour into the oil.
- Five minutes of simmering thickens the coconut milk enough to coat spaghetti without any cream or flour.
- Reserved pasta water loosens the sauce at the toss, so it clings rather than sits.
Ingredient Notes
- Large prawns
- A pound, peeled and deveined. Seared to nearly opaque, then finished in the sauce until fully opaque.
- Red curry paste
- A tablespoon and a half, bloomed for thirty seconds with the garlic and ginger.
- Full coconut milk
- One 13.5-ounce can, simmered five minutes. It is the entire sauce — there is no cream in this.
How to Make It
Pasta, and keep the water
Cook spaghetti until al dente; reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.
Sear the prawns
Season prawns and sear in oil 1 to 2 minutes per side until nearly opaque; transfer.
Aromatics and paste
Cook onion for 4 minutes, then add garlic, ginger and curry paste for 30 seconds.
Build and return
Stir in coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar; simmer 5 minutes. Return prawns until opaque.
Toss and serve
Toss with spaghetti and lime juice, loosening with pasta water as needed. Serve with cilantro and lime.
Building the Curry Sauce
The sauce is made in the pan the prawns just left, in three passes, while they wait on a plate.
The aromatics
1 finely diced small onion for 4 minutes, then 2 garlic cloves and 1 tbsp grated ginger
The sweet base, softened in the oil and fond the prawns left behind.
The bloom
30 seconds only - it catches quickly.1 1/2 tbsp red curry paste, 30 seconds
Colour and heat. Thirty seconds in hot oil is what turns the paste orange and fragrant; stirred straight into coconut milk it stays raw and flat.
The body
Simmer 5 minutes, then the prawns go back in until opaque.1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp brown sugar
Five minutes of simmering thickens the coconut milk to a coating consistency. The fish sauce and sugar balance each other so the sauce is savoury rather than sweet.
Then tasteTossed with 12 oz of spaghetti and 1 tbsp of lime juice, loosened with the reserved pasta water, then cilantro and lime wedges at the bowl.
Success Tips
- Take the prawns out while they still look slightly underdone; the sauce finishes them.
- Reserve the pasta water — a coconut sauce tightens as it cools and needs loosening at the toss.
- Add the lime juice at the toss, off the simmer, so it stays sharp.
Serving Ideas
Four servings in bowls, the spaghetti coated in orange coconut-curry sauce with the whole prawns on top, cilantro leaves and lime wedges alongside.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why cook the prawns twice?
The sear gives colour, the sauce finishes them. Doing it all in one go overcooks them.
Is there cream in the sauce?
No. It is coconut milk, simmered five minutes.
How do I know the prawns are ready?
Pearly, white and opaque.
