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From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.cooks
Subject: Thai canned curry paste
Message-ID: <11453@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 10-Jul-85 16:05:25 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.11453
Posted: Wed Jul 10 16:05:25 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 15-Jul-85 06:40:06 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: USAMC ALMSA
Lines: 54

I love curries. A friend told me how to use the little packets of Thai
curry paste you find in oriental markets, at least in general terms, so
I can now use one variety to make a rather tasty and blazing hot
beef-and-green-bean curry. (Unfortunately, I only recognize this type by
sight, so I can't describe it for the net. These packets I refer to are
the little cellophane ones, usually found tied together with red plastic
string, and which contain a teaspoon or so of curry paste folded in
another piece of cellophane inside the packet. Two make a nice hot
curry. Anybody have any advice as to the names and uses of the other
versions of the curry pastes, packaged the same way but slightly
different in color [I use the dark red variety]?)

Anyway, to get around to the point of this posting, there are also
canned Thai curry pastes, put up in tiny little cans (the size of small
devilled-ham cans). I bought one of these and tried making a
leftover-pork curry with it -- it tasted OK, but was *hot* (whew!); what
I think was the problem was that these cans are meant to make some
larger amount of curry, and I made only an ordinary pot-full. Does
anyone out there use these canned curry pastes, and, if so, how much
meat and veggies do you use to a can of paste? (I think it could flavor
a garbage-can full, actually, but maybe they're meant for a
stockpot-full or so.) (Do you ever use less than a can-full, and
refrigerate or othrwise save the rest?)

Also, these curries come in multitudinous varieties. The labels are all
in Thai, except for an english ingredients-list sticker, and the people
at the local oriental markets don't seem terribly knowledgeable or
interested in explaining the differences between them to a bumbling
Westerner (me), or maybe there is just a language problem. Anyway, any
advice as to which should be used with what would be appreciated. The
nearest I've found to a distinction between them is that some have
shrimp as an ingredient, and I am guessing that those are best used for
seafood curries, so I get the others (I primarily want to use beef or
pork). Is that a correct assumption, or am I off-base here?

And, finally, here is my generic curry recipe:

Brown a bunch of cut-up beef, or warm up some cut-up leftover roast
pork. Add *lots* of chopped onions, garlic, and ginger root. Cook until
the onions are soft. Put in curry paste (see above) and a can of
coconut milk. Add a drained can of bamboo shoots. Cook for a while,
if you used fresh beef, or just a bit, if you used already-cooked pork.
Then add some frozen chopped green beans, and cook until they are how
you want them. Serve with rice, various soy sauces to confuse the
guests, and Thai chili sauce to make it even hotter. I haven't tried it,
but I would think you could easily use cubed tofu instead of the meat to
be vegetarian, or just add some for extra goodies if you're an omnivore.

Suggestions for modifications and additions welcomed!

Regards,
Will Martin

USENET: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin     or   ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA