Thai Green Curry - something missing

bking

Hi folks

I made a thai curry the other night, and while it was nice, I felt there was something missing.

I used:
Blue dragon green paste (i know, i should make my own)
Coconut milk
Blue Dragon Oyster sauce

2 chicken breasts
Peppers
green beans
baby corns
Chili pepper (sliced fairly thin)

I fried the paste for a minute or two, then added the milk, and brought to the boil, reduced the heat, and then added the chicken.

I simmered this for a while, then added the veg.

I only threw a dash or two of the Oyster sauce in quite near the end.

The curry was fine, and was fairly hot, but a bit boring. I had been hoping to get something like I'd get from Toss'd in the IFSC, or Camille.

I notice that these places usually use lime leaves and basil, which i didnt. Would this make much difference?

Apologies for the long post.
Brian

Mrs Fox

Fish sauce instead of oyster sauce.
Kaffir lime leaves. Thai basil too if you can get it, if not regular basil is ok.
Bruised lemongrass.
A bit of palm/brown sugar.
Someone here once advised me to cook vegetables separately, then add in after the protein. Otherwise it'll make your curry watery and meh.
Also, I'd bash a couple of green finger chillies or bird's eye chillies in, instead of slicing regular chilli peppers. Yes, it makes a works of a difference.

shrapnel222

Lemongrass, coriander and fish sauce are the main components you missed and i'm not sure what oyster sauce is doing in there.

Aubergine works really well in green curry. Fry/cook each component separately in the paste and extra blitzed lemongrass, then once you've done that combine them all and then add the coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves. then simmer/reduce. add a bit of chili for some heat and fish sauce to taste. then some chopped coriander.

re the paste, using premade is fine, but it usually needs to be improved (especially lemongrass)

OleRodrigo

The key to a good Thai curry is balancing all of the flavours ( hot, sour, sweet and salty ).Here's how to it:

- sweat the paste ( use the proper ones from an asian food store like mae ploy if you don't make it yourself ) in some nut oil or sunflower oil at a low heat with a small bit of coconut milk/cream

- add some sugar at this point, it will caramelise with the paste and give the curry more depth.

- you will know when the paste has been sweated enough when little pools of oil start to form along the top of the mixture. This oil at the top is full of the flavours of the paste and will carry them through the curry.

- at this point you can add in protein but, as already mentioned, the best results come when you cook the meat and veg separately.

- Add in the rest of the coconut milk. If the paste was fresh and you sweated it correctly, you will see a nice separation in the ingredients, rather than a uniform green mixture.

- Add in your cooked ingredients, Thai basil leaves, season with fish sauce and
leave to settle for a while before gently reheating to serve. The curry matures better if left overnight. Don't add the cooked veg until you are going to serve, or else they will be soggy. Don't substitute Thai basil with normal basil...just leave it out if you can't get it. Coriander is used making the paste or as a garnish when its finished.

ElleEm

I always put in a bit of grated ginger and some green chillis to lift the taste if I use premade pastes.

OleRodrigo

Just to emphasize, the quality of the paste and how you cook it at the start will determine how good the curry is.

The reason it is better to make your own paste with a mortar and pestle is because the industrial process of shop bought pastes blends the ingredients together at a high speed and slightly cooks them before they are packed, which impairs the flavour. Then if you open it and let it oxidize it will impair further.

That said you can get good results with one of the imported Asian brands if its freshly opened. After that, cooking it at a low heat for a few minutes releases the flavours so they properly impart into the curry, giving it balance.

To Elland Back

Thai Gold Paste, (can't get a good result with anything else)
Coconut Milk
Kaffir Lime Leaves
Lemongrass
Palm Sugar
Fish Sauce
Baby peppers

littlemsbland

bking wrote: »

Hi folks

I made a thai curry the other night, and while it was nice, I felt there was something missing.

I used:
Blue dragon green paste (i know, i should make my own)
Coconut milk
Blue Dragon Oyster sauce

2 chicken breasts
Peppers
green beans
baby corns
Chili pepper (sliced fairly thin)

I fried the paste for a minute or two, then added the milk, and brought to the boil, reduced the heat, and then added the chicken.

I simmered this for a while, then added the veg.

I only threw a dash or two of the Oyster sauce in quite near the end.

The curry was fine, and was fairly hot, but a bit boring. I had been hoping to get something like I'd get from Toss'd in the IFSC, or Camille.

I notice that these places usually use lime leaves and basil, which i didnt. Would this make much difference?

Apologies for the long post.
Brian

Like others said, fish sauce, not oyster sauce. Also palm sugar, to balance the fish sauce. And put them in fairly near the start, once you've fried up the chicken in the paste, and added the coconut milke

I used the Blue Dragon paste once and found it underwhelming. I use Mae Ploy paste, which I get in my local Asian shop. It's really good. I add some fresh chilli - not too much as my husband's tolerance of chilli is lower than mine.

You could make your own paste, but to be honest, it's a lot of trouble and if you can source the right paste it's easier; the Thai know how to make a good paste.

Marcusm

The paste is critical, I make my own. I would use thigh meat rather than breast and I would finish with the juice of half a lime.

RJohnG

bking wrote: »

Hi folks

I made a thai curry the other night, and while it was nice, I felt there was something missing.

I used:
Blue dragon green paste (i know, i should make my own)
Coconut milk
Blue Dragon Oyster sauce

2 chicken breasts
Peppers
green beans
baby corns
Chili pepper (sliced fairly thin)

I fried the paste for a minute or two, then added the milk, and brought to the boil, reduced the heat, and then added the chicken.

I simmered this for a while, then added the veg.

I only threw a dash or two of the Oyster sauce in quite near the end.

The curry was fine, and was fairly hot, but a bit boring. I had been hoping to get something like I'd get from Toss'd in the IFSC, or Camille.

I notice that these places usually use lime leaves and basil, which i didnt. Would this make much difference?

Apologies for the long post.
Brian

Hi Brian, if it's any help we own a Chinese/Thai restaurant and cook authentic Thai meals (Thai cook). here's the ingredients for an authentic Thai green curry as they serve it in Thailand. There are of course different versions but this is a simple and great tasting one to cook at Home.

4 green Brinjal (quartered) (Google this vegetable)
Red chilies (Non spicy, angular chopped)
Basil
Mae Ploy curry paste. We don't use any other than this brand. What Thais use in Thailand in restaurants and street, market food.
Coconut milk
Oil
Sugar
Salt
Potato starch/water 1/2 ratio.
Chicken or prawns. Chicken marinated in sugar, sesame oil, potato starch. This is how Chinese prepare chicken for stir fries and it makes it's a nice preparation for any stir fry as the potato starch acts as a barrier to the hot wok and your cooked chicken is very soft. They sometimes use egg whites in the marinade but it isn't necessary.

Cheers.

Marcusm

RJohnG wrote: »

Hi Brian, if it's any help we own a Chinese/Thai restaurant and cook authentic Thai meals (Thai cook). here's the ingredients for an authentic Thai green curry as they serve it in Thailand. There are of course different versions but this is a simple and great tasting one to cook at Home.

4 green Brinjal (quartered) (Google this vegetable)
Red chilies (Non spicy, angular chopped)
Basil
Mae Ploy curry paste. We don't use any other than this brand. What Thais use in Thailand in restaurants and street, market food.
Coconut milk
Oil
Sugar
Salt
Potato starch/water 1/2 ratio.
Chicken or prawns. Chicken marinated in sugar, sesame oil, potato starch. This is how Chinese prepare chicken for stir fries and it makes it's a nice preparation for any stir fry as the potato starch acts as a barrier to the hot wok and your cooked chicken is very soft. They sometimes use egg whites in the marinade but it isn't necessary.

Cheers.

You hire a Thai chef for authenticity but use a commercial paste rather than fresh ingredients?

RJohnG

Marcusm wrote: »

You hire a Thai chef for authenticity but use a commercial paste rather than fresh ingredients?

We make our own paste. But use Mae Ploy on occasion. It's a popular brand that many of the takeaways use.

I've advised the poster to use this paste. It's nice.

No different from some Chinese buying in pre-made sauces, gravy, curry pastes etc. It's all down to the time and prep factor. It happens:)

When I was younger I lived in Thailand for nearly 17 years and I can assure you there's not many places make their own paste. A great deal of Thai meals involve vegetables and plants that cannot be eaten. But they keep them in to flavour them. But these meals need to be adapted for the Western pallet. I have also lived in China for quite a while and you can't buy a curry as we know it there! A Chinglish invention:)