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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

WHAT IS A THAI CURRY PASTE?

WHAT IS A THAI CURRY PASTE?
A Thai curry dish is made from curry paste, coconut milk or water, meat, seafood, vegetables or fruit, and herbs.
Green curry is a variety of curry in Thai cuisine. The name "green" curry derives from the color of the dish. Green curries tend to be as hot as red curries. Most Thai curry dishes call for freshly prepared curry paste that is best used fresh just before cooking.
All Thai curries were made with the same ingredients except for one thing: the chilies. Red curry was made with red chilies, while green curry was made with green chilies, and yellow curry was made with yellow chilies. But as time went on, other ingredients were added to enhance each of these curries.
So the Yellow curry began to see turmeric added as one of the vital ingredients, giving the curry its typical golden-yellow hue.
Green curry has been made 'more green' over the years with the addition of some or all of the following: fresh coriander (cilantro), lime leaf (kaffir lime leaf), and basil.
Surprisingly Red curry has more or less remained the same.
Generally Thai curries are always made with a curry paste. The most common ingredients used in many Thai curry pastes are:
Shrimp paste, Chillies, depending on the curry these can be dried or fresh, red or green. Then Onions or shallots, Garlic, Lemongrass
Galangal [ Thai ginger] n Coriander (cilantro) root.
Also the paste can include spices as, turmeric, pepper, coriander seeds, cardamom pods, and cumin, or other ingredients.
Green curry paste is made by pounding in a mortar green chillies, shallots, garlic, galangal, kaffir lime peel, roasted coriander and cumin seeds, white peppercorns, shrimp paste and salt.
The main ingredients for the sauce consist of coconut milk, green curry paste, eggplant (aubergine), pea aubergine, sugar, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves, and Thai basil leaves.
The paste is briefly fried in split coconut cream, then coconut milk, meat or fish, and vegetables added along with a pinch of palm sugar. Finally, kaffir lime leaves, phrik chi fa ("sky-pointing chilies", large mild chilies) and Thai basil are added just at the end of cooking for fragrance.
The Fish sauce is not only used when cooking the curry as a flavoring agent but also for its salty taste. It is usually kept on the table as a condiment.
A Useful tip ..
If any excess Thai curry paste remains then just fill a tray with the leftover paste and freeze it. Then transfer the cubes to a zipper-lock bag.

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