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Thai Red Curry (Gaeng Daeng)

January 15, 2008 |

Red curry is to the Thai what sambar is to a Tamilian.

“This dish is the most often cooked curry in the Thai household. If a home chef can’t decide which curry to prepare that would please all family members, he or she will end up making red curry. Its paste can be easily made with staple ingredients in the Thai pantry, such as dried chilies, garlic, shallots, and dried herbs and spices. The paste also pairs well with nearly all ingredients, especially any vegetables that grow near the house or those that have been left in the refrigerator.”

- Chat Mingkwan, in Buddha’s Table: Thai Feasting Vegetarian Style


This recipe is from that book, with the chili quotient reduced a bit.

The spice paste is very versatile, and can be added to soups, curries or salads.

We make a big batch of this paste and freeze it in 1/2 cup portions.

Check out our PICTORIAL GLOSSARY of common Thai ingredients.

THAI RED CURRY PASTE (Namprik Gaeng Daeng)

Namprik = Paste, Gaeng = Curry, Daeng = Red.

The recipe recommends using either New Mexico, California or Guajillo chillies of the dried variety. These have a smoky flavour. If using the Indian dried red chillies, adjust according to heat, or mix them in with the milder Kashmiri or Byadgi Chillies.

Makes 1 cup

6-8 large red dried chillies
** we used New Mexico chillies
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
2 tsps whole cumin seeds
3 tablespoons chopped shallots
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
2 tablespoons chopped lemongrass (fleshy midsection)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Thai chillies, preferably red (we used 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped galangal
1 tablespoon chopped kaffir lime leaves (or kaffir lime zest)
2 teaspoons fermented bean curds (this can be left out)
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Stem and seed the chillies. Chop them with kitchen scissors and soak them in hot water for 10-15 minutes. Discard the bitter water, and squeeze the chillies dry.

2. Roast the cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant.

3. Using a mortar and pestle, or a food processor, blend all the ingredients to a smooth paste, using a little water if necessary.

Traditionally, Thai red curry is made with root veggies like green beans, bamboo shoots, white Thai eggplant, and sliced tofu sheets. (Tofu made into thin sheets, and broken or cut into strips). This recipe calls for six cups total.

Thai eggplants

Thai Eggplants

We used Thai eggplants, firm tofu, bamboo shoots and Thai long beans (Thua Fuk Yaaw)

THAI RED CURRY (Gaeng Daeng)

1/2 cup namprik gaeng daeng (red curry paste)
**less if storebought
3 cups coconut milk (we used lowfat)
6 cups mixed veggies and tofu (see note above)
1/4 cup lite soy sauce
3 tablespoons palm sugar or jaggery
6 whole kaffir lime leaves
1 tablespoon veggie bouillon or 1 veggie bouillon cube
1/4 cup julienned red pepper or hot peppers for garnish
salt to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup Thai basil leaves (bai horapha) cut into chiffonades

1. Heat the oil and fry the curry paste for 3-5 minutes until fragrant. Add the veggies and tofu and coconut milk, and bring to a boil.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients except the basil and the red peppers. Simmer for 7-10 minutes or until the veggies are tender.

3. Adjust the seasonings. Stir in the red peppers and the Thai basil.

This curry is traditionally served with steamed white jasmine rice.

Thai red curry (Gaeng Daeng) is our entry for Think Spice: Garlic @ Sunita’s World.

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33 Comments so far

  1. Suganya on January 15, 2008 11:28 pm

    I have that book too. Recipes given for various spice pastes are tasty. The section giving info on Thai ingredients is quite helpful.

  2. Meeta on January 15, 2008 11:58 pm

    Lovely! I have never actually tried making my own. But this sounds awesome.

  3. sia on January 16, 2008 1:31 am

    red curry is something i can never get tired of…just like rasam and sambar (now i can imagine Bee rolling her eyes;)

  4. Pelicano on January 16, 2008 2:00 am

    Very nice! And tongue-wetting photos to boot…

  5. Srivalli on January 16, 2008 2:31 am

    pictures looks great!

  6. Shella on January 16, 2008 3:23 am

    Red curry - it sure must be hooooottttt :fume: - is it?? If it is, then I am in for it. I just love things that are hot, that’s coz I am hot :no:

  7. Nags on January 16, 2008 4:30 am

    I used to mostly survive on thai cuisine when i was in the US for a brief visit last year!

    btw, those buttons.. are u sure u want them up there? kinda takes away the elegant look of the blog. ok, i will shut up now!

  8. Carol Rodé on January 16, 2008 7:55 am

    Hey there Bee, Thanks for coming by my blog, I tried leaving you a comment at ‘Dining Hall’ but it looks like I had to be a member to comment. Anyway, I love the Chimp that represents you - it put a smile on my face ;o)

  9. Carol Rodé on January 16, 2008 8:01 am

    Oh.. I Love the look of that Red Curry too, I normally make it with seafood :)

  10. deeba on January 16, 2008 8:26 am

    I love thai curry, & this does sound so good. Mouths watering…

  11. rina on January 16, 2008 8:53 am

    Always loved Thai red or green curry. Seldom I make it at home.. Mostly tasted in fast foods or thai restraurants. I was always looking for this thai curry paste receipe. So thanx for sharing.

  12. Happy Cook on January 16, 2008 9:15 am

    I Love the red thai curry.I have never made the paste at home just buy it frm the shops a box.
    But i bet your home made paste is much much much more delicious.
    On a rainy day ‘( we do have a lot of them) when i have all the ingridients, I am going to make this paste and freeze it.
    I am so glad thay you are not using that fish sauce. One thing which put me off making thai dishes is the fish sauce.

  13. shilpa on January 16, 2008 9:19 am

    Thats such a nice recipe. I have to look for few ingredients first :).

  14. Anonymous on January 16, 2008 10:21 am

    the color is so good. i used ready to use paste and that gives a lighter color to the curry. love the curry.

  15. Kaykat on January 16, 2008 10:48 am

    Delicious!

    I usually end up adding a few black peppercorns to the red curry paste - gives it a pleasant extra zing :)

  16. TBC on January 16, 2008 11:05 am

    Did you not have a three-minute version of this one? I remember trying that one out.

  17. Pooja on January 16, 2008 11:06 am

    I love Thai food, specially rice and curry , as hubby didn’t like a bit of it, I rarely make it. you make me craving for it now :huh:, let me rush to kitchen and make some for myself only :tongue: ,as I have your recipe with me now :).thansk for sharing Bee. Right entry for Garlic !

  18. sagari on January 16, 2008 11:13 am

    thai food is my favvv thanks for sharing the recipe pic looks very tempting

  19. remya on January 16, 2008 11:56 am

    love thai foods……i havent tried them at home yet….ur tempting me to do it :D stunning pic

  20. Mansi on January 16, 2008 1:48 pm

    YOu won’t believe this Bee…my husband asked me to try a hand at red Curry yesterday, and here’s the perfect recipe! I’m definitely trying this in the near future…thanks!:)

  21. Minti on January 16, 2008 2:41 pm

    Looks delicious. My Thai curries have had mixed results so far - they still need perfecting. Would certainly like to try your recipe the next time around.

  22. Anonymous on January 16, 2008 3:42 pm

    I love thai food so much but still inhibited to try in my kitchen - mainly because I dont want to use store bought pastes..

    I hope I try this out soon. Most of the ingredients can be found in my pantry except kalangal and kaffir lime - Guess i can cheat with ginger and lemon zesttt…
    Thanks for the great recipe..

  23. Revathi on January 16, 2008 6:42 pm

    http://kqedbayareabites.blogspot.com/2008/01/cooking-for-people-undergoing-chemo.html

    Have you see read the post ? Thought you guys might be interested -

    Thanks Revathi. - j

  24. bhavani on January 16, 2008 8:32 pm

    the thai curry looks yummy. and i love th4 picture of the beautiful green eggplants. and i love those buttons up there. just noticed them, did you add them recently?

  25. Anjali on January 16, 2008 8:39 pm

    Looks Yummy :)

  26. Anonymous on January 17, 2008 4:39 am

    hate using the store bought paste since they seem to have loads of salt….usually make green curry paste at home with a lot of substituting - the recipe and dish look interesting, will be a challenge finding those ingredients here though….

  27. sunita on January 17, 2008 9:06 am

    Thanks for sending over that lovely curry.

  28. Deepa on January 17, 2008 9:10 am

    Awesome color and excellent recipe too !!

  29. Archana on January 17, 2008 10:21 am

    I love thai food and o drenched myself on them while i was in US. Recently moved back to India, and have been dying to make some here. Just thinking, how easy is it for me to find galangal and kaffir lime leaves (or kaffir lime zest) and a few other things. I am sure i can, as there are thai restaurants which serve this food. Have to go on a hunt now.

    Thanks for sharing, bookmarked it so i can refer back easily.
    Archana
    http://www.archanaskitchen.com

  30. Linda on January 18, 2008 12:46 am

    Thai red curry is one of my most flavorites (no, that’s not a typo). :)

    Now I have a real mixie, maybe I’ll make it more often. Aren’t thai red peppers just gorgeous.

  31. Cynthia on January 18, 2008 10:22 am

    Heat in de place! :love:

  32. musy on January 18, 2008 11:01 am

    Good one! Thanks for posting the vegetarian version of the paste.

  33. The Spice Cafe » Jowar no rotlo and Potato thai style on February 4, 2008 5:20 pm

    […] had couple of batches of frozen thai red paste after seeing this. The recipe is mostly from there, with some changes like omiting the beancurd and using an […]

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