Red Curry Tamales

A Thai twist on tamales where they are stuffed with spicy red curry pork, and served in a creamy coconut red curry sauce! This is a fever dream of comforting goodness in a bowl! Two of the all time greatest meats for me are tamales and red curry and putting them together makes me so happy! The way the red curry coconut broth smothers the tender sweet corn tamale with spicy pork inside creates pure magic!

The inspiration for this recipe

I love combining Thai and Mexican foods because the flavors just work together. Think about it – lots of lime, cumin and coriander, cilantro, and chili peppers are common in both cuisines. When I decided to fill tamales with red curry it was an exciting idea for me, but when I realized you could serve it in a coconut broth the whole thing soared to the next level and I had to make it ASAP!

Make the red curry pork

I wanted to combine a bit of Mexican and Thai seasonings for the pork, since the tamale dough would be fully from the Mexican side, and the coconut broth would be fully from the Thai side. That way they could meet in the middle – literally! I used curry paste, lemongrass, garlic, and ginger, then later added chipotle, Mexican chili powder, cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika. Let this cool fully before using.

Make the Tamale Dough

Masa harina, salt, and baking powder first. Then stir in some lard and really mix it well to combine into the masa harina. Then finally, stir in the chicken stock and you are ready to go!

Form the red curry tamales

Spread some dough onto the corn husk, then add on the pork, then roll it up! I wanted these to be somewhat small and more square rather than the long cylinder of a traditional tamale. That way you could have two in the broth per serving. Add the finished tamales to a steamer and steam for 2 hours.

Make the red curry coconut broth

Curry paste and oil in the pan, then add garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and red bell peppers. Stir to cook.

Then add in chicken broth, coconut milk, and some basil.

Serving the red curry tamales

Beautifully steamed tamales ready for the plate!

Add the red curry tamale to the bowl or deep plate and ladle the coconut broth over it. Some serrano peppers on top and it’s time to dig in!

This was probably the best thing I have made in the past 6 months. I couldn’t stop eating them! The creamy red curry broth on the outside is the perfect sauce for the more intense red curry filling.

Twists on this recipe

You could use a store bought tamale in this recipe and just smother it with the red curry coconut broth for a quicker version of this. You could also swap out the pork with vegetarian meat crumbles if you want to go in that direction, just make sure to omit the fish sauce or use soy sauce if fully vegetarian.

For more on making traditional tamales, check out this recipe. For more on making traditional red curry, check out this recipe.

If you are looking for fun twists on red curry, check out my red curry biscuits and gravy, red curry chilaquiles, or this amazing red curry fried fish sandwich!