The Inside Dish: Thai technique curries flavour

published by asingh on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 19:11

 

By Natasha Chudyk
Special to The Post
 
Thai curry may have borrowed from India’s great chefs, but it stands alone when it comes to flavour.
Indian spices like cumin, coriander, and cardamom intertwined with local Thai ingredients like galangal (Thai ginger), and lemongrass, giving the dishes their own unique flavour.
Coconut milk and oil replaced Indian ghee, giving Thai curry dishes a sweeter and creamier taste than their subcontinental counterpart.
Small cuts of stewed meat such as chicken, beef, pork, prawns or fish are all commonly found in Thai curries. Plenty of fresh vegetables are added as well like carrots, peppers, eggplant, bamboo shoots and even pineapple.
The beautifully presented curries are referenced by their colour.
For example, red, considered the spiciest of thai curries, gets its name from the red chilies and tomato pure used in the dish.
Green curry gets it colour from the use of green chilies, basil and kafir lime juice.
The sweetest of the curries is yellow, made using cauliflower, ginger and tumeric.
Sticky rice is served alongside the creamy curries. Rice serves an important roll in Thai culture - it is frowned upon to waste rice as the Goddess of Rice (known as Mae Posop) could potentially bring bad luck to the crops and cause wide-spread famine if angered.
 For more on Thai curry or other Asian dishes, go to Natasha's food blog  www.BettyDish.ca or follow on Twitter @Betty_Dish.
 
Natasha’s Choice: 
Sandar's Thai Garden, Unit 105, 7500-120th St. Surrey
Gaeng Kari (Yellow Curry) with chicken, lunch special including spring roll & soup. $8.99
Sawasdee Thai Restaurant, 4250 Main Street Vancouver
Gaeng Kiaw Wan Neua (Green Curry) with Prawns $13.95
 
Leave a comment
FACEBOOK TWITTER