Thai curry
Thai curry
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Kitchen Thai cuisine
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Basis Vegetables
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Dish type Main course
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For who Fans of classics
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Spiciness pepper pepper pepper
What is Thai curry?
Thai curry or kaeng (pronounced “geng”) is a collective name for dishes made with Thai curry paste, coconut milk, meat, fish and/or vegetables and herbs.
A curry dish derives its character primarily from red, yellow or green curry paste (kreung kaeng). Traditionally, these three differently coloured dishes differ only in one ingredient: the type of chilli they contain.
Spicy red curry (kaeng pet) contains red chillies; sometimes there are twenty in the curry paste.
Green curry (kaeng khiao wan) contains green chillies.
Yellow curry (kaeng kari) is made from yellow chillies.
As well as chilli, the curry pastes all contain these flavourings and spices: lemongrass, shallots, galangal (also called Thai ginger), garlic, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, white pepper, fish sauce, shrimp paste, sugar and lime juice.
Some new additions have crept in over time. The taste and colour of red curry paste were enhanced by adding chilli powder. Yellow curry paste became even yellower thanks to turmeric, and basil makes the pale brown-green colour of green curry paste more vivid. Green vegetables are often added to a green curry: Thai aubergines (which are about the size of golf balls), green beans and lime leaves, for example.
The liquid used also varies. There are soup-like curries based on water, such as kaeng somh pla (sour curry) and kaeng pah (jungle curry). These are generally the hottest. On the other hand, there are coconut-based curries, such as red, green and yellow curries, as well as kaeng massaman (massaman curry) and kaeng panang (panang curry). The coconut softens the heat of the chilli. No wonder coconut curries are known and loved far beyond Thailand.
Did you know?
The word “curry” comes from the Tamil word kari, which means “spiced sauce”. Originally, kari was a soup-like sauce from South India. Thicker curries are now eaten in India, but Thai curries still have this authentic soup-like consistency, thanks to the addition of coconut milk and water.
How to make Thai curry
The ingredients for the curry paste are first ground into a fragrant, creamy paste. Nowadays this is often done in a food processor, or the paste is bought ready-made. The tastiest curry pastes are still made with whole seeds and fresh ingredients, crushed and mixed by hand.
The thick layer of cream from a can of coconut milk is then boiled and the curry paste is added to it, bringing out the flavours and aromas. The other ingredients are added – coconut milk, meat/fish and vegetables – and the curry is prepared without a lid over high heat.
How to eat
Curries are served with a plate of steamed rice. Spoon some curry on the rice and eat mouthfuls of rice and curry with your spoon.
