Thai Cuisine – Exploring Different Types of Thai Curries


 

Image by seadave sourced from wikimedia commons

If you are a lover of Thai cuisine it is quite probable that you have already tried a few variations of the ‘curry’ variety that form a large part of this style of SE Asian food.

People in different parts of the world do sometimes tend to have different ideas about what exactly qualifies as a curry though, so it may be worth first considering some of the variations or even misconceptions that may sometimes be associated with Thai curries.

Thailand’s curries come in many varieties that come from a range of influences. There are Indian, Chinese, and Malaysian flavours alongside those from other neighbouring regions to the north and the south. This has created an exotic array of amazing flavours that come through a combination of herbs and spices, curry pastes, meats and vegetables, and more often than not coconut milk – which means a delicious mix that makes up a Thai curry.

To be fair it can sometimes get quite confusing, and it is not entirely uncommon for something vital to be lost in translation when talking Thai curries. One of the first things to be aware of with Thai food is that the somewhat generic Thai word ‘gaeng’ is used in Thailand to cover what might be considered as curry dishes.

This may cause some problems though as it doesn’t strictly mean just curry, but also covers many other soup-type dishes that feature heavily in Thai cuisine as well, which may or may not be spicy.

Thai ‘curries’ as such are really the ones made with something known in Thailand as  ‘prick gaeng’, a type of Thai paste that dictates both the colour and the degree of spiciness of the dish.  These dishes also comprise coconut milk more commonly than not.

Image by papanovember sourced from wikimedia commons

What is Thai Curry Paste (prick gaeng) Made of?

Thai curry paste is not strictly ‘curry’ paste as there are only a couple of varieties that actually contain curry powder as such. Rather it is most commonly made from ground chilies, shrimp paste, onions, garlic, galangal, coriander and lemongrass as the main ingredients. The paste may be further seasoned with other herbs and spices such as turmeric, pepper or cumin, depending on the type of curry. These ingredients are crushed and ground together into a paste with the help of a mortar and pestle.

The particular type of paste used will vary in colour and flavour according to the region that it originated from and the colour (and spiciness) of the chilies used.

Other ingredients

Some types of herbs are almost always added to curries, with kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, turmeric, ginger root and Thai basil being some of the most common ones. The dishes themselves may be prepared using a mix of both dried and fresh herbs.

The dried ones are slowly cooked with the other ingredients, while fresh herbs, like Thai basil, are more likely to be added at the last moment so that they retain much of their flavour, going some way towards the creation of a striking contrast with the other flavours.

The translated or common concept of the word curry in Thai terms refers to a dish which is thick and stewed, and made with Thai (curry) paste, some kind of meat or seafood, and vegetables such as potato, eggplant, tomato, or mushroom ( although this differs depending on preferences and different recipes that come from various regions and influences).

So Thai curries have many different varieties and colours such as red, yellow, and green, and there are also various degrees of spiciness. Most individually-named Thai curry dishes have their standard ingredients but much of the meat/fish choices are interchangeable and can be ordered with chicken, shrimp, pork, beef, fish, or just vegetables (some will put tofu in as a vegan option in the more touristy areas).

It can be handy to know which Thai curry dish is preferable, which one is the hottest, and what the differences are in terms of the colours before ordering.

So without further adoo, let’s take a look at some of the variations of Thai curry with a rundown on some of the different types:


1. Green Sweet Curry (Gaeng Kiew Whan)

Image by acabashi sourced from wikimedia commons

Very probably the most well-known of all the Thai curries, this is a relatively spicy and creamy curry, mainly due to the green chili paste and the coconut milk used in the dish. (‘Kiew’ means green and ‘whan’ means sweet in Thai – hence sweet, green curry)

This is a dish that originates from central Thailand, and has a distinct taste that comes from the use shallots, lemongrass, white pepper, coriander root, garlic, kaffir lime, shrimp paste, and sea salt, all combined with the green chilli paste and coconut milk.

In keeping in line with the theme, Thai Green Curry is also most commonly made with green vegetables and fresh herbs such as sweet basil leaves, green eggplant, and sometimes other vegetables. This Thai curry can be made with almost any kind of meat or seafood, but most often in Thailand it will be served with chicken, or fish balls.

2. Penaeng Curry (Gaeng Penaeng)

Penaeng Curry is somewhat milder than the green curry, and is quite often mistaken for another common Thai curry of the same colour — ‘red curry’. Obviously some ingredients in the pastes are similar due to the colour and spices, but the Penaeng version paste is less hardcore, and is made with the spices cumin and nutmeg, along with long red chilies, shallots, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime rind, coriander root, white pepper, sea salt, and of course, shrimp paste.

Image by neilconway sourced from wikimedia commons

Penaeng is a milder curry, very close in consistency to green curry, and although the dish contains coconut milk, it has less than gaeng kiew wahn and other similar curries, keeping the texture a bit less liquid. It is generally served on a bed of rice and topped off with coconut cream.

In Thailand, the main ingredient in terms of meat is most likely to be beef or pork and depending on where in Thailand it is eaten, peanuts are another common ingredient. Usually it is made with a sparse array of vegetables.

Penaeng Curry is close in many ways to another Thai curry with a southern influence, Massaman, in that it is usually cooked a bit more slowly than some of the other varieties of Thai curry, and similarly contains peanuts.

3. Thai Red Curry (Gaeng Phed)

An easy mistake to make when dealing with Thai curries is confusing one of them with another. Much of the confusion actually stems from a kind of over-simplification – often through categorisation by colour.

It may be true in many ways that a ‘red’ curry seems no different to a ‘green’ one, except for its colour and possible other ingredients such as choice of fresh herbs or vegetables. They are both likely to have very similar features, just different colours and degrees of spice. The Thai paste and coconut milk base is the same, soup-like curry sauce; even the ways of cooking are the same, only in different proportions according to the ingredients and order of preparation of each dish.

Image by Danielletsi sourced from wikimedia commons

But the differences, although subtle, are numerous. While the Penaeng dish is rather mild and faintly sweet, the Red Curry — or ‘Gaeng Phet’ in Thailand, is more in the savoury and spicy direction. This curry tends to be a lot less sweet, and the fact that it is more savoury means that it is best served with something rich like fatty pork or duck meat.

The pastes used to make the curries will also have a few underlying differences which will affect the taste considerably, even if the colour is the same. The paste used for red curry, for instance, is made from dried red chillies, whereas the Penaeng version of paste is made from longer, fresher chilies – same colour, different chili — and less likely to have quite the same ‘bite’ as the dried ones.

4. Sour Orange Curry (Gaeng Som)

Image by sumitsuri sourced from wikimedia commons

This is an example of a Thai ‘curry’ that is actually more of a soup, as there is no coconut milk added. And although the base paste contains only five ingredients, it can be one of the spiciest of all the curries since it is water-based.

The Gaeng Som paste consists of dried red chilies, shallots, sea salt, finger root ginger, and shrimp paste. The sour element of the dish comes from tamarind, and some kind of tropical fruit like pineapple.

This Southern Thai curry is typically made with fish or shrimp and whichever local vegetables considered suitable are available, which would have originally been southern-influenced. Even though this dish originates from the south it is popular in central Thailand and is found nationwide.

5. Massaman Curry (Gaeng Massaman)

Massaman Curry is much less likely to be found on the menus of some of the ‘quick’ restaurants as it is one of the varieties of Thai curry that takes longer to cook on lower heats. It is well worth the wait though, and the difference between slow and faster-cooked Thai curries is evident.

Image by Roozita sorced from wikimedia commons

Massaman is another southern-influenced dish that apparently found its way across the border from Malaysia.

This curry is a quite mild, and contains coconut milk along with a few other Muslim influences from the deep south in the form of spices like cardamon, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

Massaman curry usually comes stewed with chunks of potato and sprinkled with peanuts, and in some ways it is more unique than some other Thai curries because it is basically a Persian dish by way of origin.

This means that it is thicker and more stew-like, with a mild, slightly sweet taste, and this dish is commonly prepared with chicken, potatoes, onions, peanuts, cinnamon, white cardamom, and nutmeg as the main ingredients, although beef is also a common option.

 6. Jungle Curry (Gaeng Pa)

Jungle Curry is a dish from central Thailand, and is so-called because of the diversity of herbs, vegetables, and other ingredients and flavours that are inherent in it, which usually means that it can be very spicy!

Another water-based dish, the curry paste used in Jungle Curry is again the main factor. It is made from a variety of herbs and chillies along with holy basil, which gives it a unique flavour.

This Thai curry is commonly-made with chicken or pork, but some of the best jungle curries may actually use some variation of wild meat such as boar or even frog, adding to the exotic taste and flavour of the dish.

7. Khao Soi

Khao Soi is one of the most well-known, popular, and delicious curry-style dishes to come out of Northern Thailand.

Image by takeaway sourced from wikimedia commons

Unfortunately, it is still not that widespread in terms of global Thai cuisine, and usually tends to be limited to particular restaurants selling food from that particular region, even in Thailand. So in many ways this dish is somewhat underrated in terms of Thai curries, as it is certainly up there with green curry in terms of deliciousness.

Although it is served with its own portion of chili paste (which is very spicy) as one of a variety of other condiments, Khao Soi is basically a mild, coconut-based curry served over soft egg noodles and topped with crisp egg noodles.

The condiments are added in varying measures according to taste. Along with the dark, rich spicy paste there are usually other additions like lime, onion, chilli and pickled cabbage, along with dry, crispy noodles which finish the dish off perfectly.

Khao Soi is actually the only Thai curry on the list that is not served with rice, In fact, some people consider this a noodle dish, but it could also be considered as a coconut curry noodle soup.

In terms of texture and taste, this is another Thai curry not that far removed from the muslim-influenced Massaman. The paste is made using a mixture of moist aromatic and dry spices that are toasted. Chicken and beef are usually the preferred options, served with the noodles and accompanying condiments and additions.

8. Yellow Curry (Gaeng Luang)

 ‘Luang’ means yellow in Thai – hence Yellow Curry. This ‘Gaeng’ is another one that is more the water-based variety, originating from southern regions. In many ways this Thai curry is a somewhat spicier version of Gaeng Som.

Like many of the Southern dishes, this curry is normally made with a liquid fish base combined with the curry paste and turmeric, which are largely responsible for the yellowish colour.

Yellow Curry will most commonly be prepared with some kind of fish, like seabass, mackerel, or whatever is available. It is one of the more exotic Thai curries in terms of some of the ingredients such as bamboo shoots, green papaya, or lotus stems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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