Curries are an important part of Thai cuisine and refer to both the dish as well as the curry paste used to make the dish. There are three main types of Thai curries—red, yellow, and green—which are categorized by the color of the curry paste. The color of the chilies and other ingredients gives each curry its distinct hue.
Traditionally, all Thai curries were made with the same ingredients except for one thing: the chilies. Red curry was made with several red chilies for a fiery hot dish, while green curry was made with green chilies and yellow curry was made with yellow chilies. In Thailand, these chilies have slightly different taste characteristics in addition to their color. Over time, however, other ingredients have been added to the curry pastes to enhance each recipe, making them more distinct from one another.Although all three colors may be spicy-hot depending on the chef, normally green is the mildest and red the hottest with yellow falling somewhere in between.
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Green Curry
Green curry is considered the most popular curry in Thai cuisine. Thegreen color of Thai green curry sauce has become more vibrant over the years with the addition offresh coriander (cilantro), makrut lime leaf and peel, and basil. These herbs are combined with fresh green chilies and several other ingredients such as lemongrass, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, and shallots.
Two common recipes featuring green curry paste (kreung gaeng keo wahn)areThai green curry with chickenor beef and fish dumplings. Green curry may be the most distinct Thai curry as it is the most different from other countries' curries.
Red Thai curry paste has more or less remained the same over time, with traditional Thai chefs adding up to 20 red chilies to give it that red color and make it spicy. However, some modern chefs prefer to reduce the number of chilies in exchange for chili powder and sometimes tomato sauce, which have the added benefit of enhancing the red color as well as imparting a deeper flavor.
The most versatile of the curry pastes, red curry paste (kreung gaeng phet daeng) is found in a wide range of dishes, fromThai red curry with chickento baked salmon in Thai red curry sauce. Both of these recipes incorporate coconut milk in the sauce along with the curry paste, which includes garlic, spices, galangal, and shrimp paste along with the red chilies.
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Watch Now: The Best Homemade Red Curry Paste
Yellow Curry
Yellow curry paste (nam prik gaeng karee)has a mild, somewhat sweet taste with a little bit of spice. In addition to the turmeric, curry powder is pounded combined with coriander seeds, cumin, lemongrass, galangal or ginger, garlic, and yellow or red chili.The paste is often combined with coconut milk and used in fish stews.
As in traditional Indian curry, Thai yellow curry includes turmeric as one of the vital ingredients, giving thecurryits typical golden-yellow hue. In fact, someThai yellow curriesresemble Indian curry in appearance while remaining distinctlyThaiin taste.
Other Types of Thai Curry
There are numerous other types of Thai curry in addition to red, yellow, and green. These include Massaman curry, Penang curry, and sour curry.
Massaman curryis one of the more unique Thai curries thanks to Persian influence. It originated in the south of Thailand near the border of Malaysia and is a thick sauce with a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Massaman curry dishesdistinguish themselves by the inclusion of several whole spices and peanuts, otherwise uncommon in a Thai curry.
Thai Penang red curry is richer and sweeter yet drier than the other curries. It is named for the island off the west coast of Malaysia and is served sometimes topped with coconut cream. The paste is made of dried or fresh red chilies and is usually prepared to be extremely spicy. You will most often see this curry cooked with beef.
Sour curry paste is made of just five ingredients, earning this the easiest curry to make. It has a looser consistency than the other curries and is usually prepared with fish or pork, similar to this Goan curry. Tamarind, sour pineapple, or other sour fruit give the curry its distinct sour flavor.
In general, Thai yellow curry is the mildest, Thai red curry is medium-hot and Thai green curry is spicy, although it can sometimes vary depending on what region of Thailand you are in. Read on for my complete guide to Thai curries… and all my tips and tricks on how to dial down the heat.
While all three can be super spicy, usually red is hot hot hot and green is milder, with yellow in between. The most popular of the bunch, Thai Green Curry has got even greener over the years with the addition of ingredients like basil, coriander and kaffir leaf.
Massaman has much more complex in flavour and includes ingredients like mace (outer covering of nutmeg), cinnamon, clove and cardamon. These additional ingredients make this dish towards Malaysian and Indian flavours. Panang Thai curry is basically Red Thai curry's sister, just a sweeter and milder version!
Red curry is made with a paste made of red chili peppers. This gives it a signature deep red color. Green curry, on the other hand, is made with a paste that includes green chili peppers, kaffir lime zest, and cilantro/coriander roots. This gives the dish its bright green color and more herbal flavors.
Green curry is considered the most popular curry in Thai cuisine. The green color of Thai green curry sauce has become more vibrant over the years with the addition of fresh coriander (cilantro), makrut lime leaf and peel, and basil.
Massaman Curry is a mild, slightly sweet, and lightly tangy Thai curry made by simmering meat, potatoes, vegetables, in a mixture of coconut milk and fragrant curry paste. It tastes thick and creamy, richly aromatic, and oh-so-wonderful!
People love green curry because of the gentle balance of heat, sweet, and acid from the chiles, lime, and fresh herbs. Green curry is great with chicken and shrimp because it offers a punch of seasoning to the protein. The long list of herbs also makes green curry one of the healthiest Thai cuisine dishes.
In general, Thai yellow curry is the mildest, Thai red curry is medium-hot and Thai green curry is spicy, although it can sometimes vary depending on what region of Thailand you are in.
Vindaloo. Well known as one of the spiciest Indian dishes, Vindaloo can be found on most Indian curry house menus, and is Goan in origin with a Portuguese influence. ...
Naga Chicken. Naga chicken is made with one of the world's hottest chilli peppers, the naga chilli. ...
While it has similar ingredients, Panang curry is a bit stronger, richer, sweeter and thicker than Red Curry, as well as slightly nutty thanks to the addition of ground peanuts in the paste. The curry paste is a quick 30 second stick blender blitz!
The curry is an all-time favourite that most Thai people love to eat- not only because it is easy to make, but also because it contains many health benefits. It is easy to find Massaman curry in restaurants, street food stalls, and certainly in any market or supermarket.
Massaman curry: Masaman curry is one of the sweetest styles of curry. It's a Thai style, but is also influenced by many varieties of Indian curry. Rather than spices, most of masaman curry's flavor comes from cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, according to Traveling 9 to 5.
Green curry is considered the most popular curry. With coconut milk as one of the main ingredients, there is a hint of sweet flavoring as well. Because the green curry paste is made with green chilis, it is far hotter than other curries. However, for most curry lovers, the spicier the better!
Quick-cooking, lean cuts of beef such as sirloin or strip steak are a popular choice for panang, with the meat sliced thin and simmered briefly until cooked through with the curry paste and coconut milk.
Thai people use a spoon and fork to eat curry, unless it is a noodle with curry soup like Khao Soi in which case chopsticks are used. Add a small amount of curry (meat and vegetables) on top of the rice, mix well into the rice and scoop the rice and curry with small and perfect bites.
Thai red and green curry pastes can be used interchangeably. The flavour profile and intensity will be different but not necessarily in a bad way. Other Thai / Malaysian curry pastes such as, yellow curry, laksa or Massaman also work well as substitutes.
Because Thai yellow curry contains both coconut cream and coconut milk, it's much milder, richer, and creamier than other curries. It's usually made with chicken or beef, carrots, onions, and potatoes, but other starchy vegetables can be added or substituted as you prefer (some add red and green peppers or both!).
Introduction: My name is Merrill Bechtelar CPA, I am a clean, agreeable, glorious, magnificent, witty, enchanting, comfortable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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