In my search for authentic, homemade Thai curries, I came across a red and a green Thai curry recipe of Nagi (recipetineats). Being unable to decide which one to make, I decided to make them both and see which one I prefer.
To keep it authentic and homemade, I decided to make the curry paste from scratch and not use a paste off the shelf. I adjusted the recipes here and there a bit.
The red Thai curry paste
You will need the following ingredients for the red curry paste. The original recipe can be found here.
Ingredies
- 16 dried chillis, 12 of them de-seeded. All of them cut into 1cm pieces.
- 2 pieces of lemongrass, outer skin removed and cut into 1cm pieces.
- 2cm piece of galangal, peeled and grated
- 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1Tbsp shrimp paste
- 1 tsp coriander seeds, roasted
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, roasted
- 1 Tbsp chopped coriander stem and roots (make sure it is properly cleaned and all the sand is removed)
- 1/2 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tsp lime zest, grated
- 60ml reserved chilli water
Method
Place the chillis in a bowl and cover with about 250ml boiling water. Let it soak for at least 30 minutes, then remove the chillis and set it aside. Keep the water.
Wrap the shrimp paste in a (single layer) foil parcel and dry fry in a pan, 2 minutes on a side.
Mix the coriander and cumin seeds and fry it in a dry pan until you can smell the spices. Be careful not to burn the spices. Place the coriander and cumin in a pestle and mortar and grind the spices to a powder.
Put all the ingredients, including about 75ml of the chilli soaked water, into a blender. Blend until you get a smooth paste.
Scrape into a bowl and set it aside.
The green Thai curry paste
You will need the following ingredients for the green curry paste. The original one can be found here.
Ingredients
- 4 green cayenne chillis, seeds shaken out and cut into 1cm pieces
- 6 Thai green chillis, cut into 1cm pieces
- 1/2 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 pieces of lemongrass, outer skin removed and cut into 1cm pieces
- 2cm piece of galangal, peeled and grated
- 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2.5 Tbsp shrimp paste
- 2 tsp lime zest
- 7.5ml coriander seeds
- 7.5ml cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1cm fresh turmeric, chopped
- 2 Tbsp chopped coriander root and stem (make sure all the sand is removed)
- 1/2 cup coriander leaves, loosely packed
- 3 Tbsp water
Method
Mix the coriander and cumin seeds and fry it in a dry pan until you can smell the spices. Be careful not to burn the spices. Place the coriander and cumin in a pestle and mortar and grind the spices to a powder.
Wrap the shrimp paste in a (single layer) foil parcel and dry fry in a pan, 2 minutes on a side.
Put all the ingredients, including about 75ml of the chilli soaked water, into a blender. Blend until you get a smooth paste.
Scrape into a bowl and set it aside.
Making the red Thai curry
For making the actual Thai red curry you will need the following ingredients. The original recipe can be found here.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 250ml quality chicken stock
- 400ml (1 tin) full cream coconut milk
- 6 kaffir lime leaves
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 350g boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2cm cubes
- 150g butternut, cut into 1.5 cm cubes
- 140g baby corn, cut into 2cm lengths
- 120g baby green beans, cut into 3cm lengths
- 12 Thai basil leaves
- Fresh red chilli slices for garnish
Method
Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat (I did this over an open fire).
Add the curry paste and cook for a couple of minutes until is starts to dry out.
Add the broth, dissolve the paste and cook until the liquid has halved.
Add the coconut milk, lime leaves, sugar and fish sauce. Stir well.
Add the chicken and stir.
Cook until the chicken is done and the sauce has reached the required thickness.
Taste. If it needs salt, add more fish sauce or shrimp paste. If it needs sweetness, add sugar.
Add the butternut, corn and beans and cook until the butternut is just cooked through.
Remove from the heat and stir in the basil leaves.
Serve over jasmine rice and garnish with the chillis.
Making the Thai green curry
You’ll need the following ingredients. The original recipe can be found here.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 250ml quality chicken stock
- 400ml (1 tin) full cream coconut milk
- 3 tsp fish sauce
- 3 tsp brown sugar
- 6 kaffir lime leaves
- 350g boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2cm cubes
- 1.5 cups snap peas
- 150g eggplant, cut into 2cm x 3cm cubes
- 200g baby butternut, sliced in half
- 16 Thai basil leaves
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- Thai basil and coriander for garnish
Method
Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet (I cooked this over an open fire).
Add the curry paste and cook until it starts to dry out.
Add the broth and coconut milk. Stir to dissolve the paste.
Add the lime leaves and bring it to a simmer.
Add the chicken, stir, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
Taste the sauce. Add more fish sauce or sugar if necessary.
Add the peas, eggplant and butternut.
Cook until the butternut is just cooked through.
Stir through the basil and lime juice.
Serve over jasmine rice and garnish with the basil and coriander.
Verdict
It was very difficult to judge between these two curries as they differ quite a bit in flavours. Normally red curry would be hotter than green curry, but don’t take that as a rule of thumb. Also red curry is normally a versatile curry where green curry comes with its distinct flavours. If I had to choose, I will go with the green curry, but that is with a very small margin. Both of these curries are welcome on my table any day.
 |  |
We enjoyed this with a bottle of 2022 Chenin Blanc of Rooiberg Winery with the following tasting notes:
A dry white wine that reveals pleasant pineapple and fruit salad flavours, with some delightful citrus notes and charms of dried apples and musk. Well balanced with a quinsy, fresh, zesty finish.
