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The Nation
131
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Two Curries, one done in the traditional style and the other with
Western influence using coconut milk in the curry.
1. Gaeng Omm Gai
2. Gaeng Ped Gai |
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Same ideas one with traditional way of using traditional
ingredients while the other has a Western influence by using
coconut milk to make the curry creamier and richer.
Last time I wrote about how Western food culture have
influenced and transformed the traditional Thai curry into
something richer and perhaps tastier. This week I will
continue to give you more examples of this great change in
the way we make Thai curries. Today I am going to give you
an example of a traditional regional Thai curry from the
North East of Thailand or Isan whose curries bare great
resemblence to the traditional Gaeng Pa, or jungle style
curries. In contrast to this traditional recipe I will give
you another popular Thai curry, Gaeng Ped Gai which uses
coconut milk to make it richer and creamier. |
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Traditional Thai curries uses
many fresh herbs and spices to give the curry its aroma, flavor
and heat. Thai curries of later periods add shrimp paste to
their recipe for curry paste. Hence curry paste of later periods
in Thai culinary history will have these basic ingredients in
it. Galangal, Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime of rind or leaves,
shallots, chili peppers, garlic, and shrimp paste. Other herbs
and spices are added to it to give each curry recipe a spcific
character such as Gaeng Pad curry paste will have dry red chili
peppers soaked in water and other spices added to it to give it
that specific character. I think, as time goes by I will give
you a table of recipes to make various curry paste. I think for
now it is sufficient for you to know that you can buy these
different types of curry pastes already made for you. Here goes
the curry recipes: |
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Gaeng Omm Gai (Chicken Curry Isan Style)
Ingredients:
Whole free ranging chicken cut
up 1
each
Chicken gizzards, liver and
hearts
200 grams
Fresh shallots, peeled and
sliced
3 each
Garlic, peeled and
chopped 1
head
Large fresh chili
peppers
4-5 each
Bai Maeng Luck (Thai mint basil) picked
1 cup
Green onions, cut into one inch
length
1 cup
Pak Chee Lao (fresh dill)
chopped 1
cup
Bai Ma Krude (kaffir lime
leaves)
5 each
Large Thai Chili peppers, cut on a
bias 5
each
Green papaya, peeled and
shredded
1 cup
Fish sauce (Nam Pla) 2
Tbsp
Golden
Mountain seasoning
sauce
2 Tbsp
Pla Rah juice (fremented fish
juice)
1 Tbsp
Water or
stock
2-3 cups |
Directions:
1. In a pestle and mortar, pound together the sliced
shallots, garlic and chili peppers to a rough paste.
2. Heat a pot on the stove and add the chili, garlic and
shallot paste. Add a little water to the pot so that the
paste does not burn or stick to the bottom of the pot and
fry the paste until cooked and fragrant.
3. Add the chicken pieces which has some fat on the skin and
cook in the pot over medium heat until chicken is almost
done.
4. Add the shredded papaya and water or stock and bring the
soup to boil. Once boiling, season the soup with fish sauce,
golden mountain seasoning sauce and Pla Rah.
5. Taste the soup to see if it is salty enough. Then add the
rest of the vegetables including the sliced chili peppers,
stir and take off heat. This curry is traditionally eaten
with sticy rice and other dishes such as fried salted fish
or Thai omelette.
Tips:
a. Remember that Thai shallots are much smaller that
Western shallots. Three Thai shallots equal one Western
shallot, but Western shallots are not as fragrant.
b. You do not have to use raw papaya in this recipe but any
type of vegetables such as gourd or other types of greens
are good substitute.
c. I think I have given you all the facts about Pla Rah but
to re-cap; Pla Rah is made from taking fresh fish, add salt
and ground unmilled rice to it and allow it to frement over
a long period of time and the resultant product is a very
fragrant fermented fish which if done right is very
delicious. Pla Rah has to be cooked or its juice has to be
cooked before using in Thai dishes. It is very much like
anchovies but has no oil. It is an acquired taste so you can
omit it if you do not like it and use fish sauce as
substitute.
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Gaeng Ped Gai (Spicy Hot Thai Chicken Curry)
Ingredients:
Chicken meat
sliced
300 grams
Red Curry
Paste
2 Tbsp.
Coconut
Cream
1.5 cups
Coconut
milk
4 cups
Fish
Sauce 2
Tbsp.
Coconut or Palm
sugar
1-2 Tsp.
Ma Kua Proh, (Thai Eggplant), quartered
1 cup
Bai Ma Krude, (kaffir lime leaves)
torn
2-3 each
Prik Chee Fah, Large chili peppers red & green,Sliced on a
bias 2 each
Bai
Horapa, (Thai Basil)
picked
1 cup |
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Directions:
1. Heat one cup of coconut cream in a pot over medium heat
until a sheet of coconut fat starts to appear on the surface
of the coconut cream. Add the curry paste and spread it out.
Do not allow it to lump up. If this does occur add more
coconut cream and cook over medium heat until the paste is
cooked and actually change color.
2. Add the chicken slices and stir to cook it and allow the
curry paste to penetrate the flesh of the chicken.
3. Add the coconut milk to the pot and bring to a boil.
4. Once boiling correct the seasoning with fish sauce and
palm sugar. The curry should not taste sweet but should have
a hint of sweetness. It should be fragrant, creamy, salty
with a hint of sweetness which should come from the natual
sweetness of the coconut milk.
5. Add the eggplant, torn kaffir lime leaves, Chili peppers
and basil. Stir to mix well and take the curry off heat.
Serve with steamed rice, crispy fried salty fish or boiled
salted eggs.
Tips:
a. When adding the coconut milk to the curry. You do not
have too add all 4 cups. It depends on how rich you would
like your curry to be and how salty you curry paste is. Good
quality curry paste should not be too salty and a brand of
very good quality curry pastes comes to mind. Nitaya Curry
Paste. All Thai cooks know it.
b. I guess I need to explain to you again about the sheen on
the coconut cream. We want to see this sheen because we want
to raise the temperature of the liquid in the pot. Once this
sheen or beads of fat appears on the surface of the coconut
cream, it means that the fat in the coconut like is
beginning to separate from the milk thus raising the
temperature of the liquid in the pot. This will help the
curry paste gets cooked faster. You also need to watch the
heat when cooking the paste in the coconut cream. It should
not be too hot or else the paste will burn and you will have
a bitter curry on your hand. |
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