Thai curry/ja: Difference between revisions

[[Khao kaeng]] or {{Transliteration|th|khao rat kaeng}}, meaning "curry-on-rice", is a traditional type of [[fast food]] restaurant in Thailand which specialises in ready-made curries, and often several other dishes as well, served with rice. Their popularity in [[Bangkok]] as a place for a quick lunchtime meal is in decline.

==Typical ingredients==

[[File:Green curry ingredients.jpg|thumb|Ingredients for green curry]]

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===Curry paste===

[[File:Curry pastes Thailand (cropped).JPG|thumb|Red, green and yellow Thai curry pastes]]

[[File:HAT YAI MARKET 2.jpg|thumb|Different types of Thai curry pastes for sale at a market in [[Hat Yai]], in southern Thailand]]

Thai curries are always made with a [[curry paste]]. Common ingredients used in many Thai curry pastes are:

*[[Shrimp paste]]

*[[Chili pepper|Chillies]]; depending on the curry these can be dried or fresh, red or green

*[[Onion]]s or [[shallot]]s

*[[Garlic]]

*[[Lemongrass]]

*[[Galangal]]

*[[Coriander]] (cilantro) root

Depending on the type of curry, additional ingredients for the paste can include spices such as [[turmeric]], [[Black pepper|pepper]], coriander seeds, [[cardamom]] pods, and [[cumin]], or other ingredients such as boiled fermented fish, and [[Boesenbergia rotunda|fingerroot]].

Ingredients are traditionally ground together with a [[mortar and pestle]], though increasingly with an electric [[food processor]]. With many curries, the paste is first stir-fried in [[cooking oil]] before other components are added in to the dish. This allows certain flavours in the spices and other ingredients in the paste to develop that cannot be released at the lower temperature of boiling water.

Both ''khrueang kaeng'' ({{lit|''kaeng'' ingredients}}) and ''[[nam phrik]] kaeng'' ({{lit|''kaeng'' chilli paste}}) are used to describe "curry paste" in Thailand. The latter is sometimes even shortened to only ''phrik kaeng'' ({{lit|''kaeng'' chilli}}).

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===Main ingredients===

Most Thai curries are made with meat, fish or [[shellfish]] as their main ingredient. Vegetables and fruit, but also certain tree leaves such as from the ''[[Acacia pennata]]'' (''cha-om'') and the ''[[Ficus virens]]'' (''phak lueat''), and flowers such as those of the ''[[Sesbania grandiflora]]'' (''dok khae'') and [[banana]] (''hua pli''), can be added. Curries that contain mainly vegetables are, for example, ''kaeng liang'' (mixed vegetables) and ''kaeng nomai'' ([[bamboo shoot]]s). Ingredients were dictated by regional and seasonal availability: both [[Domestic pigs|pork]] and [[chicken]] (possibly first domesticated from wild [[Gallus gallus|jungle fowl]] in what is now Thailand) are easily available, and so are many varieties of fish, and shellfish, both fresh water species from the many rivers, lakes and rice paddies, as well as salt water species from the [[Andaman Sea]] and the [[Gulf of Thailand]]. Other traditional ingredients in Thai curries include [[frog]]s, [[snake]]s, [[snail]]s, [[bird|wild birds]] and [[Game (food)|game]] such as [[Sambar (deer)|Sambar deer]] and [[wild boar]]. Commonly used vegetables in curries are [[Thai eggplant]] (''makhuea pro''), [[Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis|yardlong beans]] (''thua fak yao''), and different types of [[Squash (plant)|squash]] and [[pumpkin]]s (''fak'').

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===Additional ingredients===

Fresh [[kaffir lime]] leaves (''bai makrut''), [[fingerroot]] (''krachai''), or fresh herbs such as [[Thai basil]] (''horapa'') are often added to Thai curries. Kaffir lime leaves and ''krachai'' are often cooked along with the other ingredients but fresh herbs such as Thai basil are nearly always added at the last moment to preserve the full taste and serve as a contrasting note to the flavours of a curry. [[Fish sauce]] is not only used when cooking the curry as a flavouring and for its salty taste, but it is usually also available at the table as a [[condiment]], mixed together with sliced green [[bird's-eye chilli]]es for those that prefer their curries more salty and spicy.Sugar (traditionally [[palm sugar]]) is used with curries that need to be sweetened. Besides lime juice, [[tamarind]] juice can also see use in sour curries as the souring agent such as in ''kaeng som''. To achieve the most fragrance from the ingredients in a curry paste, the curry paste is often first fried together with vegetable oil or coconut oil that has separated from the [[coconut cream]], before adding in the other ingredients.

==Popular Thai curries==

[[File:แกงรัญจวน บ้านยาหอม.jpg|thumb|''[[Kaeng ranjuan]]'']]

*[[Yellow curry|{{Transliteration|th|Kaeng kari}}]] ({{lit|{{-"}}curry" curry}}, it is known as "[[yellow curry]]" in the West)

*{{Transliteration|th|[[Kaeng khae]]}}, a curry of northern Thai cuisine

*[[green curry|{{Transliteration|th|Kaeng khiao wan}}]] ({{lit|green sweet curry}}, it is known as "[[green curry]]" in the West)

*{{Transliteration|th|[[Kaeng pa]]}} ({{lit|jungle curry}}, in addition to the curry paste, it uses whatever is available in nature)

*[[red curry|{{Transliteration|th|Kaeng phet}}]] ({{lit|[[Piquance|spicy]] curry}}, it is known as "[[red curry]]" in the West)

*{{Transliteration|th|[[Kaeng som]]}} ({{lit|orange curry}}, every region has its own variety)

*{{Transliteration|th|[[Massaman curry|Kaeng matsaman]]}} ({{lit|Muslim curry}}; the name {{Transliteration|th|matsaman}} is supposedly derived from "[[mosalman]]", an [[Archaism|archaic]] word for "Muslim")

*''[[Kaeng ranjuan]]'' (a leftover food with spicy, sour, sweet, and salty beef curry seasoned with no more than fermented shrimp paste chili sauce)

*{{Transliteration|th|[[Khao soi]]}} (a [[Burmese cuisine|Burmese]]-influenced curry [[noodle soup]] from northern Thailand)

*{{Transliteration|th|[[Phanaeng curry|Phanaeng]]}} (the name possibly refers to the [[Malaysia]]n island state of [[Penang]]; this is a creamy and generally mild curry)

*{{Transliteration|th|[[Phat phrik khing]]}} ({{lit|stir-fried chilli ginger}}, this Thai curry actually does not contain [[ginger]])

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==Gallery==

File:Curry paste fried with coco cream.JPG|''Phanaeng'' paste is fried together with [[coconut cream]]

File:Kaeng phak lueat.JPG|''Kaeng phak lueat'', a northern Thai curry with ficus leaves

File:Thai style Otah.JPG|''Ho mok pla'', steamed fish curry

File:Khua kling.JPG|''Khua kling'', an extremely spicy, dry fried curry from southern Thailand

File:2014 1204 Khao Soi in Chiang Mai.jpg|''Khao soi'', a curry [[noodle soup]] from northern Thailand

File:Kaeng kradang.jpg|''Kaeng kradang'', a pork curry [[aspic]]

File:Tom jued tahoo.jpg|''Kaeng chuet'', the curry that isn't curry, but actually a soup.

File:Kaeng tai pla34.JPG|''[[Kaeng tai pla]]'', made from fermented fish entrails

File:Thai Seafood Curry.jpg|A seafood curry in the United States inspired by the flavors of Thai cuisine

File:แกงฮังเล ที่ หลู้ลำ.jpg|''[[Kaeng hang le]]'', a northern Thai curry with Burmese influences