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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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.
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.
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.
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.
Green Thai Curry is considered the hottest of all curries that will give you that burning but tasty flavor all over your mouth. For those who think that red curry is the spiciest among the Thai curries, it's about time to change this mindset.
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!
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.
Did you know that Thai green curries are hotter than red! Our hot green paste is made with a combination of fresh kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil, coriander and spicy green chillies, while our medium-spiced red paste mixes red chillies, galangal and aromatic lemongrass.
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.
To make khao soi paste, I mix red and yellow curry paste together, and if I have ginger and black cardamom on hand, I throw some of that in, too. You can also boost the flavor of a store-bought paste that you consider a bit “weak” by adding more of the spices and herbs it already contains.
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.
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.
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.
The pastes can usually be stored in the fridge for a reasonable amount of time and add heat and spice to a variety of dishes. Unfortunately we can't recommend substituting green Thai curry paste for red Thai curry paste, as the two have very different flavour profiles.
Most likely, you'll encounter red curry more frequently than the other types as it is the most used for its versatility. But if you can brave the spiciness right away, you'll probably enjoy authentic green curry. If you're opting for the healthiest option of the three, then the best Thai curry for you is green curry.
Usually, the Panang curry also includes a bunch of various vegetables. While very similar to red curry, Penang is usually seasoned to be less spicy than red curry and has the added ingredient of peanuts that gives it a sweeter flavor.
Introduction: My name is Tish Haag, I am a excited, delightful, curious, beautiful, agreeable, enchanting, fancy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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