Thai Curry and Thai Curry Paste Recipes, Cooking tips, Facts and Information

 About Thai Curry Pastes

The secret to a good Thai curry paste is the spices you use.

A standard Thai curry powder is a good (if somewhat unoriginal) start. This entry offers just a few words on Thai curries...

Notes on Thai curries from Colonel Ian KP- Thai 'curries' are typically made using a 'curry' paste. However that is an oversimplification: firstly the word used for these Thai curry dishes in Thai is kaeng (pronounced 'gang') and it covers soups, stews and of course Thai curries. A Thai curry paste which is used could be used just as well for a soup as for a Thai curry. Secondly of course it is not true that Thais call them curry: the word for curry is kari and it is only applied to a small number of dishes: the dishes that appear on western Thai restaurant menus as 'curries' are kaengs, and they are made not with Thai curry paste but with a Thai curry sauce made from prik kaeng (which in this case could be translated better as chili paste). There are many different prik kaeng in Thai cuisine and from them you could make a vast number of different dishes by using different protein ingredients, and vegetable ingredients and so on to the extent that it is said that most Thai housewives could cook a different kaeng every day of the year.  However if you know the four basic pastes listed here, you can make a vast array of dishes, if not perhaps quite one per day for a year.

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Prik kaeng Panaeng Thai Curry Paste

This is a paste for a 'dry chili'

Ingredients

1 cup of prepared red chilies
10 tablespoons of shallots, chopped
5 tablespoons of garlic, chopped
10 tablespoons of lemon grass, finely sliced
5 tablespoons of galangal, grated
1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
1 tablespoon of cumin seeds
5 tablespoons of coriander root. chopped
1 tablespoon of kapi
5 tablespoons of freshly toasted peanuts, crushed

Method

For this thai curry paste follow the same general method, toasting the seeds, then blending everything together.

Prik kaeng masaman Thai Curry Paste

Masaman is a mild hot and sour dish equivalent to the Indian vindaloo.

Ingredients

1 cup of prepared red chilies
3 tablespoons of coriander seed
1 tablespoon of cumin seed
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of cloves
1 tablespoon of star anise
1 tablespoon of cardamom
1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper
10 tablespoons of shallots, chopped
10 tablespoons of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons of lemon grass, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon of galangal grated
3 tablespoons of bai makroot (lime leaves, or lime zest)
3 tablespoons of kapi
a small amount of salt (pinch)
a small amount of turmeric (just a pinch as a colourant).

Method

Toast the seeds, and blend everything in a food processor to a fine paste.

Prik kaeng kiao wan Thai Curry Paste 

This is a paste for a green curry, and the 'wan' indicates that it should be slightly sweet as well as hot.

Ingredients:

1 cup of prik ki nu (green birdseye chilies)
5 tablespoons lemon grass, finely sliced
10 tablespoons of shallots (purple onions), chopped
10 tablespoons of garlic, minced
5 tablespoons of galangal (kha) grated
5 tablespoons of coriander/cilantro root, chopped
2 tablespoons of coriander seed
1 tablespoon of cumin seed
1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of shredded bai makroot (lime leaves)
4 tablespoons of kapi
1 tablespoon of palm sugar.

The General method for preparing Thai Curry Paste ingredients 

Coarsely chop the chilies.Toast the dry seeds in a heavy iron skillet or wok, and grind them coarsely. Add all the ingredients to a food processor and process to a smooth paste. Place in tightly stoppered jars, and keep in the fridge for at least a week for the flavours to combine and develop before use.

The remaining three pastes are all made from dried red chilies: those sold in Thailand are frankly stale.Those sold in Europe and America are generally barely fit for human consumption.

If you must use them then break them up and shake out the seeds, and soak them in tepid water for about 30 minutes before use. Preferably dry fresh red chilies. All these recipes call for one cup of fresh red chilies, or half a pound of red habaneros, or one pound of red jalapenos, deseeded.

Dry them in the sun, or if the climate doesn't allow then dry them in a herb desiccator, or smoke them in a smoker or over a barbecue.

The dried chilies (which need not be tinder dry - it is enough to remove most of the water) are then toasted under a broiler until *almost* burnt. Treat this stage with extreme caution: if you overcook them a noxious gas closely related to Mustard gas is released.

This is quite dangerous.At a minimum cook them in a very well ventilated room with a fan on and have a damp cloth ready to cover your mouth and nose in case of emergencies -- and disconnect your smoke detector/fire alarm!

Cruang Gaeng Ped  (Red Thai Curry Paste)

12 chilies - or less if you must.
12 Black pepper corns
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
12 cloves of garlic
1 large onion chopped
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp ground Kah powder (Indonesian LAOS or Galangal) ** See Note below
1 Tbsp Kapi (Indonesian Trassi - Malay Belachan)

** We're talking fermented Shrimp paste here...... Open all windows. Hold your Nose. But above all USE IT. It's not the same without it. But you will even upset your neighbours from the smell of it.

3 Curry leaves (omit if unavailable)
2 Tbsp finely sliced Takrai (Indonesian Sereh...Lemon Grass)
2 + Tbsp of fresh chopped coriander - use roots, stalks and leaves
2 tsp Lime or lemon Zest.
4 whole cloves
1/2 + cup of vegetable oil
Add paprika or capsicum for redness.

Method

Pour oil into blender and add all other ingredients.Blend till smooth. Using more oil if necessary for easier blending.

Extra oil will ease blending and also act as a natural preservative. Put in a jar with a tight fitting lid and store refrigerated.

You can freeze individual portions in small lock zip plastic bags or freeze in ice cube trays.

Each cube being approximately1 Tbsp of paste. Most recipes require 1 to 2 Tbsp of paste. Note If you can get it, use fresh, frozen or dried Laos/Kah.

If you get the fresh stuff, don't put the powder in. Use a slice of the fresh Kah during actual cooking. (cikp)

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