Thai curries are prepared with either a spicy paste or sauce that is made with aromatic spices. Mixed with a protein and vegetables, Thai curries are typically served with rice or noodles. Recipes often include coconut milk, although some cooks will use broth or water. Fresh herbs like basil and cilanto and warm spices like cumin and galangal offset the heat of the chilies. Citrus juices balance out its richness. The results—intense, diverse flavors.
There are three categories of curries: red, yellow, and green. Their distinct color comes from the ingredients used in their preparation.
Red curry is made from red bell pepper, coriander, lemongrass, ginger, cumin; and red chilies give it its iconic heat. Red curry is one of the most versatile pastes.
Yellow curry has a savory, earthy flavor and gets its color from turmeric. It also includes galangal, ginger, cumin, garlic, and lemongrass and has a sweeter flavor than either red or yellow curry.
Green curry gets its color from cilantro, makrut lime leaves, and Thai basil and includes lemongrass, garlic and shallots. It has an earthy, sour taste and is one of the most popular curries in Thailand.
If you are tired of the same soup recipes, give my Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup a try. You’ll love its intense, diverse flavors.
Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup
Serves 6
In 2020 the price of boneless, skinless chicken breasts was $3.29 per pound. Now we pay anywhere from $4.45 to $8.49 cents per pound depending upon which brand we select—an increase of at least 30 percent. Look for my tips at the end of the recipe for selecting the very best chicken. Also, check out my tips on enhanced, injected, or plumped chicken. With the prices these days, we don’t want to pay for enhancers.
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 ½ cups white onion, diced
1 ½ cups red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
3 teaspoons minced garlic
¼ cup red curry paste
2 teaspoons minced ginger
6 cups chick broth
1 can (13.5-ounces) coconut milk
⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 green onions, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed
In a large kettle, place peanut oil over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add chicken and sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic and sauté another 3 to 4 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
Add red curry paste and ginger and sauté until fragrant, about 1 more minute.
Add chicken broth, coconut milk, and peanut butter and stir to combine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the kettle.
Add noodles, fish sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar and stir to combine. Cook until noodles are tender, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat. Add green onion, cilantro, basil, and lime juice and stir to combine.
Serve immediately.
Tips on selecting chicken: The skin of fresh chicken should have a yellow tint, and its meat should be a pink fleshy hue. As chicken ages, its meat fades to a dull gray color. Avoid chicken that has a hint of gray. Fresh chicken should be plump. When you press its meat, it should be resilient but return to its normal shape. Fresh chicken has a clean smell. If it smells fishy, sour, or like sulfur or rotten eggs, it has past its prime. Avoid chicken that has bruises or tears in its flesh. This can affect its quality. Avoid chicken that is blotchy and dried around the edges. Chicken breasts should be pale pink in color and possess little fat.
Tips on enhanced, injected, or plumped chicken: Some chickens are enhanced, injected, or plumped with a solution of salt water or chicken broth. Processors are required by law to indicate the presence of an enhancer as well as its percentage. Some chickens are injected with up to 15 to 30 percent of their body weight. All the ingredients in the enhancer must also be listed on the label. Chickens can be classified as “natural” as long as the ingredients in the solution are considered “natural”.
Carol Ann
Carol Ann Kates is the award-winning author of cookbook, Secret Recipes from the Corner Market, and international Amazon best-selling and award-winning author of Grocery Shopping Secrets. She’s an expert in how to shop, select, and store produce for maximizing home cooking outcomes and minimizing time and money spent. As a former supermarket and deli operator, Carol Ann shares grocery-insider wisdom—the same expertise you used to receive when patronizing a mom-and-pop establishment. Contact her at CarolAnn@CarolAnnKates.com and explore her website, www.CarolAnnKates.com.
Copyright Carol Ann Kates 2024.
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