# Thai curry--hard to get the flavors consistent (and good) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 18, 2012, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122 "2012-04-18T04:00:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/1 "2012-04-18T04:00:13Z")
I am a pretty decent cook and I have consistent success with Chinese and Indian. I love Thai curry. I make Thai curry. But I find that it’s hard to get the flavors right, and it seems to be all or nothing. Either the broth is bursting with coconutty, kafir-limey, galanga-y, lime grassy goodness–or it tastes like salt and water. I find this true not only of my own successes and failures but also of curry in actual Thai restaurants. I’d say it’s the most scatter-shot type of dish out there. I had a curry in a restaurant recently that was positively exploding with flavor. I was thinking, “How did they do this?” But I’ve found “professionally produced” curries to be quite poor, too. More often than not, they’re really not that great. So if it were only I that was screwing up, I’d just assume I didn’t know what I was doing (which I think is true anyway), but actual chefs flub it too. Thanks for your random thoughts on the above. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/2 "2012-04-18T04:02:13Z")
By the way, I made my own coconut milk for the first time today. I was hoping for a “bursting with extra coconut flavor” effect, but that really didn’t happen. It was a huge PITA and the result was probably worse than canned. I mean, it wasn’t horrible, and I don’t think I actually did anything wrong. But I’m thinking I might just stick with canned in the future. Dunno. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/3 "2012-04-18T07:17:05Z")
I’ve never tried making curry at home, but I can attest to that bit about restaurants messing it up on occasion. I’ve been to Thai restaurants a couple times when the curry tasted like, not just salt and water but soap and water. It was weak and not tasty at all. When I mentioned it to the owners, the cook came out to tell me that it depends on the curry that comes to them. So I guess they don’t really make it from scratch or something. I’ve been back to the same restaurant many times after that and had some very good curry and some pretty lackluster curry. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/4 "2012-04-18T13:12:28Z")
I just use the Taste of Thai curry paste foil packets and mix into the coconut milk, to taste. I really don’t even follow a recipe, and what I come up with ranges from OK to OMG! I-could-eat-this-every-day. I wish it was as good with the ‘lite’ coconut milk. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/5 "2012-04-18T13:20:50Z")
The lazy curry I make with Mae Ploy paste seems pretty consistent, but I suspect it would fall under the category of “salt and water” in your book (or at best, “salt and coconut”). ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/6 "2012-04-18T23:15:27Z")
Thanks for your thoughts, guys. My curry tasted better the day after, as is often the case… Yeah, making curry paste is not all that easy, and I bet a lot of restaurants take the easy way out and just use pre-made paste. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/7 "2012-04-18T23:25:21Z")
I’ve never had that experience. I’m not sure how you can get all those ingredients to just taste like “salt and water.” I mean, if you’re using the same recipe all the time and following the same technique, than the answer has to be the quality and flavor of the ingredients you’re using. Personally, while I do Thai curry from scratch every once in awhile, I find that using Mae Ploy or a similar paste and then adding any combination of fresh shallots, thai chilis, lemongrass, and galangal (or even ginger, in a pinch), cilantro stems, kaffir lime leaves, etc., that you’ve pounded in a mortar (or food processor) does a ton to perk up the fresh flavor. Obviously, if you use all those ingredients, you might as well make the whole thing from scratch, but just a couple of those in their fresh form (especially the lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves) can give it enough fresh flavor to make it pop. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/8 "2012-04-18T23:31:14Z")
I used to have the same problem with thai red curry-- it was overpoweringly coconut milk flavored. I wondered what the secret was… Then I found a recipe that made me realize what I was doing wrong: you need to first brown some bone-in chicken pieces in a pot, then cover with equal parts chicken stock and coconut milk and simmer for a couple hours. I used to think in terms of stir-fry when making the curry sauce- cook it quickly. But the slow simmering mellows out the coconut flavor. I simmer up a big batch and freeze it in portions. Then I add red curry paste, fish sauce and spices to the chicken-coconut base when I make the stir-fry (don’t do the long simmering part with curry paste and fish sauce added!) Tastes to me as authentic as a curry from a restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/9 "2012-04-19T01:16:36Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Then I add red curry paste, fish sauce and spices to the chicken-coconut base when I make the stir-fry (don’t do the long simmering part with curry paste and fish sauce added!) Tastes to me as authentic as a curry from a restaurant. You’re the only one who has mentioned fish sauce; it’s an integral part of Thai curry- it’s basically curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar, with some stuff like galangal, kaffir lime and onions/shallots thrown in as well. It adds a huge dose of umami to the dish that rounds out the coconut milk flavor quite nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/10 "2012-04-19T02:33:50Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ve never had that experience. I’m not sure how you can get all those ingredients to just taste like “salt and water.” I mean, if you’re using the same recipe all the time and following the same technique, than the answer has to be the quality and flavor of the ingredients you’re using. I appreciate your advice on adding fresh ingredients. I do the same thing, almost to the point of making it all from scratch, as you mentioned. I think there is a genuine scientific question behind this all. I was pondering this last night as I was going to sleep. I cook a lot of Indian food too, and the only dish I’ve found all that challenging was dal makhani, which involves a lot of butter and cream. I’ve gotten it right and gotten it wrong, seemingly at random. So I think it’s a matter of getting the aromatics to “pop” as they are suspended in the fat. In the case of Thai curry, it’s the broth and coconut milk. The “salt and water” effect happens when the flavors just do not pop out of that fat. One thing I’ve found that applies not just to Thai curry but just about any cuisine, including soup, that involves a liquid consistency is that the dish tastes better when it reheated after being allowed to cool completely. Eating it piping hot or cooled down from piping hot seems to cause a relatively flavorless dish. Eating warmed up from room temperature seems to bring out the flavor. My guess is that these temperature factors greatly affect how the aromatics interact with the liquid and its fat content. So I am going to try working with this phenomenon and try to get some better results. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/11 "2012-04-19T02:50:16Z")
> [@bump](#): > > You’re the only one who has mentioned fish sauce; it’s an integral part of Thai curry- it’s basically curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar, with some stuff like galangal, kaffir lime and onions/shallots thrown in as well. > > It adds a huge dose of umami to the dish that rounds out the coconut milk flavor quite nicely. Yep, I always use a good brand of fish sauce. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/12 "2012-04-19T03:44:11Z")
I’m glad to read all this – makes me feel less guilty for just opening a bottle of Trader Joe’s Green Thai Curry Sauce. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/13 "2012-04-19T13:45:58Z")
Also, the curry paste is supposed to be fried in the coconut fat to release all the flavors properly into the oils. David Thompson details the method in his definitive _Thai Food_" > [@](#): > > For coconut-based curries, the paste is fried in coconut cream, which first needs to be simmered slowly until it separates and is quite oily. This is important as the paste must be fried, not boiled – it makes a marked difference to the final taste. The process is similar to clarifying butter, with the oil separating from the solids: the oil fries the paste, and the creamy solids give the curry substance. Coconut cream can be separated in two ways. The first is to simmer the cream over a low heat, stirring regularly, until it is thick and is beginning to separate or ‘crack’. For the second method, several cups of combined cream and milk are brought to the coil and, as the cream rises, it is skimmed off and simmered in a smaller, separate pan until it has cracked; I find this the more successful method. Either way, the paste is added to the oily, separated cream, worked in and then cooked. Sometimes, if large pieces of meat need to be poached, they are simmered in a coconut cream and milk mixture; the cream that rises is skimmed and used to cook the curry paste and the remaining liquid is used to moisten the curry, if required after seasoning. > > The problem with canned coconut cream is that it has been homogenised, and starch has been added to stabilise it, during its manufacture – making it almost impossible to separate. If using canned, add a little oil when frying the paste: this will replicate separated coconut cream. ---
**Author:** ![Parenchyma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Parenchyma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parenchyma)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/14 "2012-04-19T20:50:44Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > David Thompson details the method in his definitive _Thai Food_" Here’s an old [Chowhound thread](http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/669671) that discusses the best of Thompson’s book (over a couple of years). Also a lot about different coconut milks. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/15 "2012-04-20T04:13:46Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I’m glad to read all this – makes me feel less guilty for just opening a bottle of Trader Joe’s Green Thai Curry Sauce. My guess is that it tastes great but is a lot more expensive than opening up a can of coconut milk and using some Thai curry paste. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/16 "2012-04-21T18:19:04Z")
[Importfood.com](http://importfood.com/) bills itself as a Thai supermarket online. I haven’t bought from them, but they look reasonably well-stocked. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/17 "2012-04-22T16:18:32Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > My guess is that it tastes great but is a lot more expensive than opening up a can of coconut milk and using some Thai curry paste. I actually prefer the taste of Mae Ploy green curry paste and coconut milk to the Trader Joes simmer sauce (assuming that is the product being talked about.) From what I remember of the TJ’s product, it’s pretty subdued in comparison to the Mae Ploy and coconut milk. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-curry-hard-to-get-the-flavors-consistent-and-good/619122/18 "2012-04-22T16:24:02Z")
If you add the spices dry and overcook or burn them, they’ll lose most of their flavor. Learned this from experience.