Gaeng is a Thai word for the world-famous Thai curry paste, either yellow, red, or green in color, sorted by the order of spiciness where yellow curry is slightly spicy and green curry is the spiciest. Yellow curry consists of coconut milk as its base and toasted and powdered variety of spices such as turmeric, anise, cinnamon, dried chilis, bay leaves, ginger, coriander, cumin, and fermented shrimp paste.
Yellow curries are often prepared with bits of beef, lamb or chicken, onions, potatoes, and pineapple. Red curries consist of coconut milk, red chili powder, white pepper, cumin, nutmeg, coriander, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, and grated kaffir limes.
VARIATIONS OF Curry Paste
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Nam phrik phao is a versatile Thai concoction and a secret ingredient in numerous Thai dishes. It is made with a combination of roasted chili peppers, dried shrimp, garlic, shallots, ginger, fish sauce, tamarind paste, fermented shrimp paste, and palm sugar.
It can be used as a sauce, condiment, a dip, or a spread, along with being used in a number of different dishes as a cooking ingredient.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
The term nam phrik refers to a vast range of chili-based sauces that are found throughout Thailand. Although the sauces may vary in consistency, they are traditionally prepared in a mortar, and apart from fresh or dry chili peppers, they usually consist of lime juice, garlic, seasonings, as well as fish sauces or shrimp paste.
Different regional varieties include ingredients such as galangal, sugar, tamarind, and even dry or fermented fish and fruits. Most nam phrik are served as dipping sauces with vegetables and meat or fish.
Serve with
VARIATIONS OF Nam phrik
Panang curry paste is a type of Thai curry paste that is used as the base for Panang curry, a dish named after the island of Penang in Malaysia but widely popular in Thailand. This curry paste is known for its rich, savory, and slightly sweet flavor profile, distinguishing it from other Thai curries.
The key ingredients in Panang curry paste include dried red chili peppers, which contribute to its mild to medium spiciness, along with lemongrass, galangal, garlic, shallots, coriander roots, makrut lime zest, cumin seeds, peanuts, and shrimp paste.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Gaeng kiew wan is the name for green Thai curry paste. Although there are variations, it's usually made with a combination of green chili peppers, lemongrass, coconut milk, coriander, ginger, cumin, onions, white pepper, palm sugar, garlic, holy basil, and grated kaffir lime peel.
The ingredients are mashed into a paste with a mortar and pestle, and the paste is then used to make spicy green curries that often contain fish, beef, or chicken, eggplants, basil, and even fruit.
Nam prik gaeng karee is the name for yellow Thai curry paste. Although there are variations, it's usually made with a combination of yellow chili peppers, shallots, galangal, garlic, lemongrass, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, shrimp paste, fish sauce, turmeric, white pepper, brown sugar, coconut milk, tomatoes, and lime juice.
The ingredients are blended into a smooth paste, and the paste is then used to make yellow curry, which often contains beef, lamb, or chicken, potatoes, onions, and pineapple.
Panang curry paste is a Thai curry paste characterized by a vibrant red color, nutty flavor, and rich texture. It is prepared with lots of herbs, spices, and aromatics, namely Thai spur chillis, cumin, coriander, white peppercorns, lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves, cilantro roots, garlic, shallots, shrimp paste, roasted peanuts, and salt.
The preparation starts with deseeding and soaking the chilies and roasting the cumin and coriander. The cumin, coriander, and peppercorns are finely ground in a mortar and pestle, and then the other so-called "wet" ingredients are added to the dry ones and mortar and pestled until a paste is formed.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Phrik kaeng phet is the name for red Thai curry paste. Although there are variations, it's usually made with a combination of garlic, shallots, red chili peppers, shrimp paste, coriander, cumin, peppercorns, salt, coconut milk, nutmeg, lemongrass, and grated kaffir lime peel.
The ingredients are mashed into a paste with a mortar and pestle, and the paste is then used to make red curries that often contain pork, beef, shrimp, duck, or eel, bamboo shoots, pumpkin, and Thai basil.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
This variety of nam chim sauce consists of dried chili peppers, lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, and toasted sticky rice. The sauce is characterized by its complex combination of spicy, sour, and sweet flavors, as well as its liquid and slightly sticky texture.
It is usually served as a dipping sauce with grilled pork or chicken and often comes topped with sliced scallions.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Prik gaeng massaman is a traditional curry paste originating from Thailand. Unlike most other curry pastes, the ingredients for this one are almost all roasted or fried before they're pounded or ground. The ingredients for the paste are usually cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, dried hot peppers, galangal, garlic, lemongrass, peppercorns, shallots, kaffir lime zest, salt, shrimp paste, nutmeg, and mace.
Once roasted, the ingredients are usually ground with a mortar and pestle, and if properly prepared, the paste should be dark red, smoky, and very fragrant. It's then usually mixed with coconut milk and added to chicken curries, most notably the eponymous massaman curry.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.