Dinner: Weeknight Red Curry

Recipe by /contributors/claire-saffitz Curry" rhymes with "hurry" for a reason. A few shortcut ingredients yield a gently spiced, deep-flavored sauce that’s ready in under an hour.

Ingredients

1 large shallot
6 garlic cloves
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons red curry paste
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 1/2 cups whole peeled tomatoes, plus juices from one 15-ounce can or half of one 28-ounce can
1 (13.5-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
Kosher salt
1 pound mixed vegetables (such as cauliflower, carrots, and/or shallots), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound firm white fish (such as halibut or cod), skin removed, cut into 2-inch pieces
Cooked rice noodles, cilantro leaves with tender stems, and lime wedges (for serving)

Instructions

Pulse shallot, garlic, and ginger in a food processor to finely chop. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add shallot mixture and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add curry paste and turmeric; cook, stirring, until paste is darkened in color and mixture starts to stick to pan, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, breaking up with your hands, then juices. Cook, stirring often and scraping up browned bits, until tomatoes start to break down and stick to pot, about 5 minutes.
Stir in coconut milk and season with salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until mixture is slightly thickened and flavors meld, 8 –10 minutes. Add vegetables and pour in enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender, 8 –10 minutes.
Season fish all over with salt and nestle into curry (add a little more water if it’s very thick). Return to a simmer and cook just until fish is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Spoon curry over rice noodles and top with cilantro and a squeeze of lime.