Learn how to cook a Thai curry!

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Learn how to cook a Thai curry

Posted March 25, 2006

The key to making a great tasting Thai curry at home is to start with a good quality Thai curry paste. While it’s possible to pound your own paste, the ingredients required are often hard to find and the process is time consuming. An excellent alternative is to use a ready made paste. The most authentic tasting Thai curry pastes are those imported from Thailand and can be found in most Asian grocery stores. Western brands are often modified to suit the Western palate and may not taste as authentic.

The most commonly available Thai curry pastes include: Red, Green, Yellow, Penang, and Massaman. Each type has a different flavour and hotness which seem to vary between brands of curry paste. When the pastes are blended with coconut milk during the cooking process, a very fragrant and aromatic curry sauce is formed.

In addition to a good quality curry paste, which will set the basic flavour of the dish, you will need the following minimum ingredients:

» Meat and/or vegetables of your choice
» Coconut milk or cream
» Fish sauce
» Palm (or brown) sugar
» Kaffir lime leaves
» Thai basil leaves

These are all you need to make an authentic tasting Thai curry at home. However, if you want to play around with the basic flavour, you can try adding lemon grass, galangal, ginger, and garlic - most of which are included in the curry paste anyway. A squeeze of fresh lime can be used to give the curry a slight tang.

Meat and vegetables

You can use any type of meat, poultry or seafood with any type of curry paste, though some combinations are more popular than others. For example, a Green curry is normally done with chicken or beef. Massaman tends to go well with beef or lamb. Vegetables used normally include bamboo shoot, sow peas, baby corn, broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, red onion, and Thai egg plant. Massaman curries also tend to include potato and peanuts (but make sure neither you or your dinner guests are allergic to peanuts!!).

The general method for making a Thai curry is similar regardless of the type of curry, meat and vegetables used. The general recipe for a Green Chicken Curry is given below:

Green Chicken Curry (serves 5 to 6)

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient Comment

600 - 800g Chicken breast or thigh - cut into small pieces Chicken breast contains less fat but is drier. Chicken thigh fillet is a moister cut.

50-100g Thai green curry paste The more paste you use the more flavour but also the more chilli heat.

400- 600 ml Canned coconut milk or cream Coconut milk is normally thinner than coconut cream, but in some brands it’s the other way around. If you prefer a thicker style curry, try to find a thick coconut cream. Either type will work fine.

1 Tbsp Fish sauce Adds an essential Thai flavour and adds saltiness to the meal. You should not need to add additional salt.

½ – 1 Tbsp Palm or brown sugar Thai curries are quite sweet. Try a small amount of sugar first and taste the sauce. Adjust to taste.

1 Kaffir lime leaf Sliced thinly into hair-like strips.

1 small tin Bamboo shoots

Selection of other vegetables Baby corn, snow peas (add towards the end), broccoli.

4 leaves Thai basil Adds an aniseed like fragrance to the meal.

Method

Pour half the coconut milk/cream into a pot, add the green curry paste and bring the mixture to a strong boil while stirring with a wooden spoon. "Fry" the curry paste in the coconut milk in this way for one or two minutes to release its exotic flavours. Add the fish sauce, lime leaf, and any extra ingredients (ginger, garlic, galangal). Fry for an extra minute. Add the chicken, bamboo shoots, and remaining coconut milk. For a thinner curry, substitute some of the coconut milk for water. Bring the mixture to the boil, reduce the heat, and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add the sugar and any additional vegetables and cook until the chicken and vegetables are done (another 5 or 10 minutes, longer if using red meat). Add the Thai basil leaves and cook for a further minute or two. Test the curry for taste. It shouldn't need any salt but it may need more sugar and a squeeze of fresh lime.

You've now learnt how to make a great tasting Thai curry at home!

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