Thai curries use coconut milk as a base, and while some southern Indian curries also use coconut milk, Thai curries have unique curry paste blends. Thai curries come in different colors and each are unique as to their make up and as to which meats work well with each.
Normally the standard curries are red (chicken,beef or seafood), green (chicken with Thai eggplant), yellow,(chicken, beef or seafood) Penang (beef, chicken or seafood) and Masaman(beef or chicken). I have arranged them in order of spiciness from hottest to mildest.
However, they can be deceiving as all can still be quite spicy, but you can control the heat by cutting down the amount of curry paste or using a milder version.
Ingredients
1 lb of Beef or Chicken, cubed in 2 -3 inch pieces. Boneless short ribs or chicken thighs
2- 3 Tbsp Masaman Curry Paste. Maesri, in the can is a good quility brand.
2 14 oz cans of coconut milk
1 large potato peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces
1 large onion, cubed into 1 inch pieces
1 medium red pepper, cubed into 1 inch pieces
5 Green Cardamom pods, or ½ tsp ground cardamom
1 Cinnamon stick, or ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp Sugar
Juice of one Lime
Bring 1 ½ cans of coconut milk and curry paste to a simmer and then add beef or chicken and cook until tender. Beef will take a bit longer and should be cooked for at least 30 minutes prior to adding the other ingredients.
Once meat has cooked add the onions, red pepper and all other spices. Allow to cook for an additional 15 minutes and then taste for sweetness and sourness and add sugar and lime juice as needed. If the mixture becomes too thick, you can add your reserved coconut milk.
After mixture is cooked through, approx 30 minutes, then serve over jasmine rice.
The Louisville Chef 