Thai curry is made from paste, coconut milk or water and then seafood/meat/poultry/vegetables and fresh herbs are added. Thai curries differ from their Indian cousins thanks to their use of fresh ingredients like herbs and aromatic leaves rather than spices.
– Chillies (the type of curry will determine whether dried or fresh, red or green are used)
– Shrimp paste
– Onions/shallots
– Garlic
– Coriander (cilantro) root
– Lemongrass
– Galangal
Other ingredients sometimes added include spices like turmeric, pepper and cumin and perhaps the less attractive sounding boiled fermented fish. The ingredients are then grounded together in a mortar and pestle – this is not as easy as it sounds! Prepare to get a good arm workout doing this! The paste is then stir fried in cooking oil (it is important to use this and not water as the oil releases all of the spices from the paste). In Thai, a “Thai curry” is known as kaeng/gaeng but the word “curry” is kari. Dishes that use the Indian style of spices are known as phong kari or kaeng kari. Similar to most cultures, curries are traditionally eaten with rice in Thailand – jasmine rice in the south and central Thailand and sticky rice in the north and north east regions. There are many popular Thai curries, but these are the most popular, and indeed some of our favourites:
Well, that has got our appetites going now – we’re off to order a penang curry. Or maybe a green one. Or perhaps both? Please don’t judge! Are you a fan of Thai curry? Which one is your favourite?
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