Cheap way to make thai curry spicy

Lockstep

Friend of mine gave me a recipe for Thai curry which suits me well as it's extremely cheap. Here's how I made it;

Fry onion in oil for 5 minutes
Add green curry paste to oil, stir in and simmer for 3 minutes
add coconut milk, stir in for 3 minutes
cook chicken (with thyme) seperately in oil, add to curry mix
add spices (usually dried pili-pili (which is a bit bland for my taste) and thyme) and simmer for 10 minutes.


It tastes nice but it's way too bland for me, is there any easy way to make it spicy (the more mouth searing the better), as I love spicy food.

boodlesdoodles

Add a chopped green chilli to it or dried chilli flakes perhaps.

PFJSplitter

Try adding minced/crushed or finely diced 'Scotch Bonnet' or 'Habanero' peppers.

Check the 'heat' of the peppers and add cautiously - you can always add more, but you can't take it away.

lemeister

More curry paste should also make it spicier. What brand are you using? I use Mae Ploy and it's my favourite by a long way.

Lockstep

No idea what brand it is; think it's Delhaize (Belgian supermarket) own brand.

Are chillis any good? How would I go about adding them to the curry mix?

I'm looking for mouth burning if possible.

mr biazzi

Red hot chilli peppers!

The Sweeper

Use hot green chilis and finely chop them, leaving the seeds and the pith in. Alternatively, use a different, spicier brand of green curry paste.

Lockstep

Awesome; at what stage of the recipe should I add them?

Also; how much do chilis cost?

PFJSplitter

A few facts about Hot Peppers.

The Sweeper

Chilis cost just a few cents. The ones most regularly available in the fruit and veg section are jalapenos - different batches have different heats. They're about as long as your finger. The little, red, wicked looking ones are called birdseye chilis, and they're extremely hot. You can add them at any stage of cooking - put them in at the same time as the paste, or just use them as a garnish on your own plate if you're cooking for less spice-obsessed people than you.

The Hill Billy

Adding chillis will do the trick, but could overpower the curry so that it is all heat & little flavour. Try adding extra grated ginger which can add both heat & flavour (believe it or not).

Also, for a thai curry you are missing out on soy sauce, fish sauce & a bit of sugar.

The Hill Billy

Oh, & lemongrass or the juice of a lime.

Ishindar

the reason why its bland OP is because u need to use fish sauce to bring out the flavours. fish sauce = thai salt.

the authentic way to make green curry is as follows for one person...

fry a finely chopped clove of garlic in oil
add 1 tbs green curry paste & 1 chicken fillet and fry until the chicken is cooked.
add 200ml coconut milk and 200ml chicken stock.
add a red chili sliced, some auberggine and peas
add 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
add 1tsp palm sugar and taste then add sugar to your taste or not.
add 15 basil leaves.

NoSummer

Hi,
A word of warning to curry fans. I was making my standard (and usually very good) thai green curry last night but when I went to the supermarket I could only find "Reduced Fat Coconut Milk" (Amoy), I assume the normal stuff was sold out. Since I was a bit rushed for time I didn't have time to go to another shop so I had to hope for the best (I had serious bad feeling at the time).
Let me tell you, it was the blandest most watery flavourless curry I have ever cooked. I was cooking for a few friends (who were too polite to say anything) but I could tell it was not the best. The mixture would not thicken so I added a little roux but it had very little effect, I tried to simmer it a little more to reduce it down, but that ended up over cooking the vegetables which are best served slightly crunchy.
Never again...... why is low fat low taste warning to all.

Ishindar

NoSummer wrote: »

Hi,
A word of warning to curry fans. I was making my standard (and usually very good) thai green curry last night but when I went to the supermarket I could only find "Reduced Fat Coconut Milk" (Amoy), I assume the normal stuff was sold out. Since I was a bit rushed for time I didn't have time to go to another shop so I had to hope for the best (I had serious bad feeling at the time).
Let me tell you, it was the blandest most watery flavourless curry I have ever cooked. I was cooking for a few friends (who were too polite to say anything) but I could tell it was not the best. The mixture would not thicken so I added a little roux but it had very little effect, I tried to simmer it a little more to reduce it down, but that ended up over cooking the vegetables which are best served slightly crunchy.
Never again...... why is low fat low taste warning to all.

reduced fat coconut milk is simply the 3rd or 4th pass of water through the muslin cloth of coconut. so it is way more watery as you found out

Honey-ec

The Sweeper wrote: »

You can add them at any stage of cooking - put them in at the same time as the paste, or just use them as a garnish on your own plate if you're cooking for less spice-obsessed people than you.

Just bear in mind that the longer you cook them, the milder they'll get.