Thai green curry
Recently, one Thai cuisine has been awarded the best world dish. It is called Masaman. That is one of the Thai curry menu. But today I will recommend another famous and I think more famous among westerners who love to have Thai food and it has been served in all Thai restaurants. This is Thai green curry. Curry is used in many cuisines including Indian, Malaysian, and Japanese food. The flavour is different from nations to nations. Thai curry dishes is relatively hot and spicy (except Masaman, that is the reason why it is famous among non-Thai who cannot eat too hot and spicy dish). The colours in Thai curry dish are different due to the added ingredient. Green curry paste used green bird chillies and other green herbs. Red curry used red bird chillies to make it red. There are many other varieties that are famous among each regions of Thailand that I do not know them very well.
Thai green curry is among the easy to cook as I used the ready mixed curry paste. It is quite difficult to do it fresh because I cannot find all ingredients to make the paste. The problem is each brand tasted different and you might have to try several until you find the right one for you. Some brand is too salty such as Mae Ploy and some is too bland such as Lobo. The other way is you have to season them to match your taste. Some brand are adapted for westerners with less hot and spicy.
Ingredients:
You can buy all the ingredients from Chinese or Thai supermarket in your town.
Thai green curry paste.
Coconut milk (canned, boxed, or power for water dissolved)
Lime leaves
Sweet basil
Fish sauce
Sugar
White eggplants (crisp eggplants) and pea eggplants (These two eggplants are difficult to find in my city so sometimes I use large purple aubergine instead)
Bamboo shoots (optional)
Winter Melon (optional)
Chicken, beef, pork or any meat that you like (normally we use chicken and call it Gaeng Kiaw Waarn Kai) or mushroom for vegetarians
Vegetable oil
Recipes
Stirred fry curry paste with little vegetable oil until you can smell it strong. (need good ventilation as you will be suffocated by the hot smell!)
Add half of coconut milk to make it creamy.
Add melon (if you like and I like it very much), boil about 10 minutes.
Add chicken or meat or mushroom. Cook until done.
Add same amount of water and coconut milk.
Add eggplants or augergine. Leave until boiled again.
Switch off.
Season with sugar and/or fishsauce as you light.
Add kafir lime leaves and basils.
Slice red pepper to decorate.
Served with boiled rice. OH! Go to heaven!!!!!
Tom Ka Gai is one of well-known Thai soups served in best Thai authentic restaurant around the world. It has spicy taste of chillis and herbs and sour flavour from lime juice. Its also delicate and aromatic due to coconut milk added. It is very easy to make it at home if you can find the Chinese or Thai supermarket that almost always have Tom Ka Gai ready paste. What you will need more is only coconut milk, mushroom, chicken (or you can use king prawns, beef or leave them for vegatarian) and coriander leave for decoration. Lime juice and fish sauce are use for improve taste for your preference. It is normally served with rice, but Westerners tend to order it as a la carte soup for the appetizer or someone have it as a main course.
