Guide to Thai Curries

The term ‘Thai curry’ applies to any dish within Thai cuisine that is prepared with various Thai curry pastes. The term may also be used to describe the pastes themselves. Curries are popular across Thailand, and like most countries, there are many regional differences in the curry recipes. Southern recipes will tend to include more coconut milk, and Northern recipes prefer lime juice.

Broken down to its bare essentials, Thai curry is made from curry paste, coconut milk or water, meat, seafood, vegetables and herbs. There is, of course, much scope for some amazing combinations and flavours within this basic summation!

In many recipes, the curry is also served with rice, usually jasmine fragrant rice. Thai curries differ from their Indian counterparts in that they prefer to use herbs and leaves over spice mixes to enhance their flavours.

Typical Thai Curries

Thai curries tend to be split into three main categories: green, yellow and red. These colours come from the colour of the ingredients used in the recipe, most notably the chilli that makes the curry paste. The colours are not always an indication of how hot a dish will be, but red tends to be the most fiery and green the coolest, with yellow somewhere between the two.

Traditionally, the only thing separating the colours was the choice of paste, and all the other ingredients were the same! However, as the dish has grown, new ingredients have been added to each coloured curry to cultivate more distinct and delicious flavours.

Green Curry

Green curry is probably the most iconic of the Thai curries as it can be enjoyed by people who aren’t as fond of extreme spice. Along with the green curry paste, cilantro, makrut or kaffir lime leaves and basil give this dish its vibrant colour.

Green curries also frequently include lemongrass, garlic, ginger, fish sauce and coconut milk to add to the sauce’s depth of flavour. Many recipes will make use of chicken and green beans to give some bulk to the dish.

Yellow Curry

Like green curry, yellow curry has a mild taste, but it also has a slightly sweeter layer to its flavour profile. Turmeric is one of the vital ingredients that turn the dish its bold and distinctive colour, along with yellow chilli paste, of course!

Other common ingredients include curry powder, cumin, coriander seeds, nutmeg and ginger. Dishes that use yellow curry will frequently combine coconut milk to create a creamy sauce. Both chicken and a variety of different fishes also make excellent additions to this kind of curry.

Red Curry

Traditionally, Thai chefs have been known to use up to 20 red chillies in their recipes to give red curry that fiery colour! More modern recipes tend to reduce the number of chillies and instead add tomato sauce and chilli powder to maintain the vibrancy while also keeping the spicy kick. Red curry paste is thought to be one of the most versatile pastes and is incorporated into a wide variety of dishes.

Common ingredients used to complement the rich flavour of red curry include garlic, galangal, coconut milk shrimp paste and a combination of spices. Red curry dishes are usually meat-based and will taste great with anything from beef to shrimp!

Other Curries

Thai curries can be split into these three main colour categories, but there are numerous other curries within Thai cuisine. Other popular curries include:

• Massaman curry: one of the sweetest styles of curry that includes cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.
• Penang curry: commonly served with beef and coconut cream. It is a richer and sweeter version of red curry with a more intense kick.
• Sour curry: also called orange curry, it uses pineapple and other sour fruits to give it its flavour. It has a loose consistency, and fish or pork are frequently incorporated into the dish.

What’s your favourite Thai curry? There are so many diverse dishes under the Thai curry category; there’s sure to be something for everyone. If you are interested in authentic Thai food, check out our online Thai supermarket!