Continuing with the Thai theme, today we’re cooking up a Spicy Vegetable Coconut Curry. Yesterday we posted about aromatics and their health benefits, and today we’ll focus on Thai curry pastes: history, colors, textures, main ingredients and brands.

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Emeril’s favorite brand, as per his recommendation in the book, is Mae Ploy (click here for a review done by the kitchn). I’ve never used Mae Ploy and have always been very happy with the Thai Kitchen brand. Their Red Curry Paste is vegan and gluten free! And the ingredients? Red Chili Pepper, Garlic, Lemongrass, Galangal, Salt, Shallot, Spices, and Kaffir Lime. Nothing artificial, so how great is that?

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What is curry paste? It’s a ground blend of spies and/or herbs, normally found in Thailand and India.
What are the types of Thai curries? Curries vary depending on the type of spices, herbs and aromatics in it and below are the main Thai curries:

Yellow Curry: its main spice, and what gives it its yellow tint is Turmeric.
Green Curry: green chilies, as well as Kaffir lime leaves are two of the ingredients that give this curry its color.
Red Curry: known for it’s heat, it’s made with red chilies pounded in a mortar and pestle with other spices
Massaman Curry: traditionally a Muslim dish, this curry has a base of roasted peanuts, cinnamon, cardamom and other spices. Can be made with duck, fish, beef or chicken. Since pork is forbidden in the Muslin culture, you will rarely see it in this dish.
Khing Curry: drier than other curries, Khing curry is made without coconut milk.
Panang Curry: much milder than other curries, it starts normally with dried chilies.

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What did I change about the recipe? Well, the lack of broccoli or cauliflower in our fridge resulted in my using mainly sweet potatoes and herbs! I’m not a huge tofu consumer, so I added the next best thing: eggs! Float a hard boiled egg in this and you’ve got a full meal. Emeril recommends serving this over jasmine rice, but with the Sweet Potatoes I had enough carbs, so I just had it as a chunky and spicy soup. Quite delicious and that’s one of the things I love about this book; it’s very adaptable to what you have on hand!

Purchase your own copy of Sizzling Skillets and One-Pot Wonders from Amazon here or come back tomorrow to win your own copy!

Full disclosure: For my commitment to this blogger cooking party, I received a copy of this cookbook, as well as a set of Emeril – by Zak! Table Art 7-piece Flame-Shaped Serving Bowls, and Emeril Seasoning; a $50 grocery reimbursement and Emeril cookbooks upon completion of the party. The top performing blogger, as selected by T-Fal, will be awarded an Emeril by T-Fal Slow Cooker. YOU will be eligible to win a copy of the cookbook, as well as the 7-piece zak! set.  

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13 Comments

  1. I’m not only a huge tofu consumer either. Wait…I indicate I in no way use it; just so unappealing to me I’ll reside with out it
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  2. Love the breakdown of different curries – thank you! So informative! Cook with curries often, but wasn’t sure on some of these differences…