What Makes Thai Curry So Distinctive?

Although the word ‘curry’ comes from the Hindi word ‘kari’ referring to the curry plant native to India, the term has travelled the world and expanded in meaning.

Most obviously, a curry is regarded as a (generally spicy) sauce to accompany rice or bread. Logically it is also associated with India, but there are many other Asian countries that are home to their own varieties of ‘curry’.

Take Thailand; their variations of the dish, typically separated with beautiful simplicity into ‘green’, ‘red’ and ‘yellow’, are served with rice or noodles and are gaining popularity for their distinctive taste.

So what differentiates Thai curry from the rest?

Unlike their Indian neighbours, Thai cooking focuses only on fresh ingredients, including the ‘spicy’ elements of their dishes. This includes fresh chillies, herbs, and roots.

As a result, the curries are cooked for a shorter time and the original base to any dish is necessarily a paste, not dry spices.

The spicy kick therefore tends to be more powerful initially – being fresh – whereas Indian curry flavours will stay with you for longer.

The ingredients that represent the foundation of most Thai dishes are not always easy to find, and their taste is difficult to replicate otherwise. A few of the rarer essentials include:

Galangal – ginger’s less common sister (see below)

Lemongrass – visually very similar to spring onions but harder to find since they are grown in tropical regions. It has an extremely unique citrus edge.

Shrimp paste – made from fermented shrimp and salt, this odd ingredient adds a lot of flavour to the paste. Sometimes a fish sauce is added to the mix, also common in many Eastern Asian cuisines.

If you are lucky enough to have an Asian supermarket nearby, you’ll be able to recreate tastes from Thailand! If not, it’s very rare to use those ingredients of a daily basis, making the combination of flavours very distinctive.

Whichever of the traffic light curries you choose to eat (red, yellow, or green), the bulk of the sauce will typically be coconut milk, providing the trademark watery texture we all love.

Drop by Chili Thai to try one of our delicious curries today!!!