There are three main parts to making a Thai curry: preparing the paste, cooking and seasoning. The paste, and adding garnishes, such as herbs, aromatics, and meat, fish, and so on.

Preparing the Curry Paste

. While making a Curry paste in a blender or food processor is undoubtedly more convenient, Thai food purists believe that the best paste is made by hand, using a mortar and pestle. The larger the mortar, the more practical since it allows for easier, quicker production of a fine Curry paste.

However, it is made, a good quality paste is one where the original, often rough initial state is reduced to a fine purée. To ensure this each ingredient should be pulverize completely before the next is added. The normal order is the hardest, most fibrous ingredients first, the softer ones last.

All the ingredients for the Thai curry must be prepared in advance. This means that most ingredients need to be washed, peeled, and chopped prior to adding to the mortar. The more finely chopped the less time required to reduce the ingredient to a pulp. Perhaps this is rather obvious, but it is certainly a welcome relief when actually pounding.

Cooking the Paste.

There are two methods for cooking the paste. The simplest and oldest sister dissolve it in simmering season the liquid, be it water, stock, or in southern Thailand, coconut milk. After this, the boiled Curry is seasoned, usually with fish sauce and tamarind water. Sometimes a pinch of white sugar is added to balance the tartness.

The alternative method is to fry the Curry paste. Depending on the style of Curry in the region, frying is done either in oil (some older recipes use rendered pork fat) or income cracked coconut cream. With oil, the paste is fried over searingly high heat for just a minute or two, until it smells piercingly aromatic. Pastes cooked in oil are mostly season with fish sauce, rarely was sugar, and are then moistened with stock. This forms the basis of “jungle” Curry and many other curries from the north and northeast of Thailand, where coconuts are less common.

More familiar or curries based on coconut, where the paste is fried and coconut cream that has been simmered until the oil begins to separate out or is “cracked”. The frying takes quite a long time – up to 5 min. over moderate heat, stirring regularly. The aroma develops and deepens, conveying the changes in the paste as it cooks. The longer the cooking, the more mellow the flavor becomes as the disparate elements become unified.

Seasoning.

Seasoning transference the Curry paste – it is this process that so distinguishes Thai food. Thai cooking is a deft balance of hot, sweet, salty, and sour. Most curries are salty, summer also sweet, many can be sour as well, and if you have all of these elements. Wise cooked refrain from complete seasoning at this stage, since it removes the possibility of the final adjustment. Just before serving. After the seasoning process, the Curry is moistened with either stock or coconut milk and then simmer gently for a few minutes to incorporate all the components.

Adding the Garnishes

The third stage is where the garnishes are added. To the Western sensibility, this defines a Curry, but to a tie it is just one element in a complex dish. Garnishing is quite straightforward with a boil Curry, since it is usually only made with fish or seafood cut up into bite-size pieces that cook quickly. Any vegetables, fresh herbs, and other aromatic garnishes are added in order of the time it takes to cook them.

With a fried Thai curry, the meat is cut into very small pieces to allow for an easy an equal share for all, as well as to ensure the tough meat will become tender. Then the aromatic garnishes are added, usually including Kaffir lime leaves, fresh chilies, and picked herbs, such as holy, Thai, or lemon basil. Once garnishing is completed, the Curry is left to rest for a minute or so, to allow the flavors to mingle and mellow. Then the seasoning is checked. Once more, so any final adjustments can be made before serving.

Making a Thai curry is a complex process in which the layers of taster finely poised in the seasonings finely balanced: it is as sophisticated as Thai culture itself. Please enjoy the Thai curry recipes on our website.

1 lb fresh green beans
2 T Thai Curry Paste
2 T vegetable oil
Bamboo shoots optional
6 c chicken broth

Methods:

Clean and pick green bean tips.In a dutch oven (or equivalent size vessel),heat oil.Add curry paste and “fry” until fragrant, about 1minute.Add broth, green beans,bamboo shoots (or other
vegetable).Bring to a rapid boil and cook like that for about 15-20 minutes(watching that liquid doesn’t reduce too much; add water as necessary).Reduce heat to a hard simmer and continue cooking until green beans are very done and have absorbed the flavor of the curry broth. Serve in
bowls over rice.

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3 fl ounce (90 ml) coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tablespoons sugar
6 kaffir lime leaves (bai ma-grood)
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons nam prik panaeng
8 ounce (250 g) tender beef, sliced
1/8 cup sliced green bell pepper/capsicum
1/8 cup sliced red bell pepper/capsicum
¼ cup sliced onions
2 tablespoons ground roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon coconut cream
1 kaffir lime leaf (bai ma-grood), very thinly sliced

Methods:

Mix together the ingredients for the sauce and set aside. Heat a large skillet and add the oil and curry paste.Cook for 1 minute on low heat.Return the temperature to high and sauté the beef,adding the sauce.Cook until the sauce is thick.Add the sliced peppers,onions and ground peanuts. Cook for 2 minutes,then pour the mixture into a serving bowl.Top with the coconut cream and lime leaf strips.

1 tablespoon coriander seeds,ground
2 teaspoons cumin seeds,ground
3 tablespoons Mussaman curry paste
½ cup coconut cream
400 g beef, cut into thin strips
1 ½ cup ground roasted peanuts
2 ½ tablespoons fish sauce
¼ teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons chopped palm sugar
6 kaffir lime leaves, torn in half
1 red chili, thinly sliced

Methods:

Mix the ground coriander and cumin with the Mussaman curry paste. Heat coconut cream until some of the oil surfaces, then add the curry paste and slowly bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Put in beef strips and cook for 5 minutes, add remaining coconut milk and the rest of ingredients except for the kaffir lime leaves and chili. Stir well and simmer until the meat is tender. Add the kaffir lime leaves and chillies, remove from the heat and serve with white rice.

2 pound catfish, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoon red curry paste
1-2 tablespoon finely sliced prik ki nu daeng (red birdseye chilis)
1 tablespoon shredded bai makrut (lime leaves)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
palm sugar, to taste

Methods:

In hot oil, stir fry the fish chunks until crispy. Drain and set aside. Heat a little of the coconut milk, but don’t allow it to boil, stir in the curry paste, and continue to stir until a thin film of oil forms on the surface of the milk. Skim off, and discard the oil. Add the fish, chili, and lime leaves, and a little more of the milk, and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer until reduced, and add more of the milk, continuing until all the milk has been added and reduced to a thick sauce. Taste, and add sugar to balance, stir until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved in the sauce, and then turn the heat to high and reduce the sauce until it is almost dry. Serve with steamed white [jasmine] rice, and garnish with bai chi (coriander leaves), lemon and lime wedges, and red chilies cut into thin strips. Add a plate of cucumber slices and tomato wedges, and the usual table condiments (prik phon [powdered red chili], prik nam pla [chilies in fish sauce] and sugar.

2 large shallots, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic, about 3 cloves
1 tablespoon peeled, minced fresh galangal or 1 2 inch long slice dried
1 inch piece fresh lemon grass, minced, or 1 tablespoon dried, soaked in water for 30 minutes, drained and minced
8 dried whole red chilies, with seeds, minced, or 2 ½ teaspoons crushed red-pepper flakes
2 teaspoons minced cilantro root
1 fresh kaffir lime leaf, minced, or 2 dried, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes, drained and minced, or ½ teaspoon. grated lime zest
½ teaspoon shrimp paste
½ teaspoon salt

Methods:

In a mortar or a small bowl, combine all the ingredients. Using a pestle or the back of a metal spoon, press down on the mixture and stir until it forms a paste.

1 pound filleted fish (catfish or mackerel)
¼ cup fish sauce
½ cup shallots
½ cup crushed garlic
/12 cup prik ki mu
2 tablespoon kapi (fermented shrimp paste)
5 cups water
2 tablespoon palm sugar
1/3 cup tamarind juice
½ cup long beans
½ cup bamboo shoots

Methods:

If using mackerel discard the head and tail, cut the fish in half along its belly, discard the backbone. If using catfish just chop it into chunks, and warn the diners about the bones. Briefly fry the kapi to bring out it’s flavor. In a blender or food processor, place a cup of water, the fish sauce, shallots, garlic, thinly sliced prik ki nu and fermented shrimp paste. Blend to a coarse paste, and add to 4 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the fish, palm sugar, tamarind juice, sliced long beans and sliced bamboo shoots. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat until it is just boiling and the fish is cooked (about 5 minutes).

2 bai makrut (kaffir lime leaves), shredded
1 cup jack fruit or lychee’s
1 cup coconut or bamboo shoots
1 cup “game” meat, cut into bite sized pieces,
½ cup [blonde] sultanas
½ cup [dark] raisins
½ cup coconut cream (thick milk)
3 tablespoon red curry paste
3 tablespoon prik chi fa daeng (red Thai jalapeños), julienned
2 tablespoon kratiem (garlic), finely chopped.
2 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoon bai kaprao (holy basil), finely chopped
1 cup nam sup (chicken stock)

Methods:

Blanch the jack fruit for about a minute in boiling water, then immediately cool, peel, pit, and cut into bite sized pieces. Soak the sultanas and raisins in whiskey for about an hour. The meat is sprinkled with fish sauce and freshly ground black pepper and left to marinade for an hour.

The whiskey or sake is then discarded (or drunk). Heat a little oil and sauté the garlic, remove it, and reserve. Sauté the red curry paste until the aroma is brought out, then add the coconut cream and stir to combine and warm until the oil just separates. Skim off any excess oil, then add the meat and stir fry until it just begins to change color, then stir in all the other ingredients except the jack fruit, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the meat is tender. Remove the lid, stir in the fruit and stir until the fruit is heated through, and the meat and coconut shoots are fully cooked.

500 grams pork neck, cut into 1 inch cubes
7 grams hang lay powder
50 grams pre-prepared hang lay curry paste
50 grams roasted peanuts
50 grams pickled local garlic (small and roundish)
100 grams fresh garlic
100 grams shallots
200 grams onions, sliced
50 grams ginger, shredded
50 grams tamarind juice
50 grams palm sugar
20 grams light soy sauce
10 grams dark soy sauce

Methods:

Combine the pork with the hang lay powder,curry paste,peanuts fresh garlic, shallots,onions, ginger (all but a few teaspoonfuls),tamarind,sugar and both types of soy sauce. Marinade for one hour.

Heat up a pot, add the marinated pork and simmer over low heat until the pork is tender. Add the pickled garlic and reduce the heat to very low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 30 minutes.

Garnish with the remainder of the ginger before serving with steamed rice.

1 to 2 Mackerel Fish
250 ml Coconut Milk
1 Tablespoon Red Curry Paste
½ Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Sugar
2 Kaffir Leaves
2 Red Chiles

Methods:

Clean the mackerel and cut in half, gut it and steam for 10 minutes.

Put the coconut milk in the frying pan and warm it on the heat. When the coconut milk starts to steam, add the red curry paste and oil and stir until mixed for 30 seconds. Add the salt and sugar until it’s all mixed together then turn off the heat.

Place the mackerel on a plate, spoon over the red curry paste and finely slice the kaffir leaves and chilies and garnish the fish dish with it.

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