Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site gargoyle.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!gargoyle!keith From: keith@gargoyle.UUCP (Keith Waclena) Newsgroups: net.cooks Subject: Re: Thai canned curry paste Message-ID: <519@gargoyle.UUCP> Date: Tue, 16-Jul-85 13:27:47 EDT Article-I.D.: gargoyle.519 Posted: Tue Jul 16 13:27:47 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 18-Jul-85 04:30:11 EDT References: <> Reply-To: keith@gargoyle.UUCP (Keith Waclena) Distribution: net Organization: U. Chicago, Astronomy & Astrophysics Lines: 51 Summary: <> I use canned Thai curry paste frequently; in my local Thai grocery there are several colors/flavors, but I generally use green or red. My basic recipe comes from _The Original Thai Cookbook_ by Jennifer Brennan (title approximate). It goes roughly like this: Bring 2 cups of thick coconut milk to a simmer in a saucepan or wok. Add 3 tablespoons of curry paste (about 1/2 of a cat food-sized can) and simmer until the oil separates out of the coconut milk. At this point toss in 1/2 lb cubed meat and simmer til no longer pink. Then add 2 cups of thin coconut milk and simmer until the flavors meld. At the time you add the thin milk you can add various veggies. I like peas in a green chicken curry, and Chinese long beans (green beans that are about a foot and a half long, cut into manageable lengths) in red beef curry. Bamboo shoots are nice in the latter too. Basically, though, any veg you want goes in at this point, timed to allow them to cook proportionately. At the end toss in 2 or 3 shredded green or red fresh chillies (to match the color of the paste), and some chopped fresh coriander leaves. Serves 2 hungry people if accompanied by rice alone. Note that this recipe is from memory; I highly reccomend Brennan's book. Some minor points follow. The heat depends very much on how fast you simmer the dish; I tend to cook the above quantity down almost 50%. It tastes fine to me, but it *is* too hot for some. I tend to keep this style of curry fairly simple, modelled on the ones I have in the local Thai restaurants. Many of the more complex curries in Brennan's book are not based on pastes. The local restaurants make a yellow chicken curry from the yellow paste that is very Indian; it contains sweet spices and potatoes. I make coconut milk from dried (if I'm feeling cheap) or frozen grated coconut (unsweetened) using water instead of milk (to cut calories; you could use skim milk, I suppose). This is less rich but healthier than canned coconut milk (coconut milk is very high in saturated fats). Brennan gives directions for making the milk. -- Keith -- Keith Waclena Graduate Library School University of Chicago uucp: ..!ihnp4!gargoyle!keith CSNet: keith@UChicago.CSNet ARPA: keith@UChicago.ARPA Bitnet: kdw1%sphinx@uchicago.bitnet