Authentic Ingredients for Creating Amazing Thai Curries

Many Asian cuisines are known for their curries, but no one makes them quite like the Thais. Although influenced by Indian-style curries ages ago, Thai chefs have long since developed and evolved their own curries, with uniquely Thai ingredients that deliver their tantalising and complex flavours. And with Aussies’ love for Thai cuisine, you too, can find these goodies at your local supermarket or Asian grocer to make your own authentic Thai curries at home.

What makes Thai curries unique?

Thai cooking is all about blending the savoury, tangy, sweet, spicy and creamy, with every dish featuring one or two prominent flavours, while the others enrich and balance the dish’s overall tastes.

For Thai curries, zesty, piquant and savoury flavours are tempered with creamy texture and subtle sweet, citrusy, and herbaceous aromas. Depending on the curry, flavours may unfold from mild and aromatic to spicy and bold, offering a rich balance that lingers and delights the senses.

Common Thai Curry Ingredients

While other cuisine’s curries get their flavour from a mix of spices, Thai curries rely on essential local ingredients and mashes herbs, spices, and rhizomes with shrimp paste to create each Thai curry paste.

The layers of spiciness come from galangal, ginger, white peppercorn and chilli.

Garlic and shallot with shrimp paste give the bold savoury taste and aroma.

Coriander roots and seeds, cumin seeds, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves deliver a blend of sweet, nutty, earthy and citrusy aromas.

The ingredients above make the basic Thai curry paste, traditionally mashed and blended with mortar and pestle.

During the cooking, fish sauce is added for extra savouriness, with a pinch of palm sugar or brown sugar for a touch of smoky sweetness to balance the spicy. Lastly, coconut milk smoothens the Thai curry and gives it a creamy taste.

Thai Curries from Mild to Spicy

Although they often share similar ingredients, each Thai curry has its own unique addition that sets it apart. Adjusting the portions of ingredients for your Thai curry can also alter its overall flavours to your preferred taste. Not all Thai curries are fiery, they range from piquant, mild and umami to zesty, bold and savoury.

Thai Massaman Curry

Thai curries are inspired by Indian-style curry, and the Thai Massaman Curry retains this legacy, blending a combo of rich spices with essential Thai ingredients. Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, dried chilli and nutmeg give the dish a complex piquant aroma and flavour, with the zesty, fragrant tang of galangal and lemongrass. The rich blend of ingredients is best to enrich the flavour of meats, resulting in a mild, creamy and savoury curry with alluring spicy notes. Try the Thai Massaman Curry with Lamb in this delicious recipe.

Thai Yellow Curry

Thai Yellow Curry gets its colour and name from the turmeric added to the paste, giving it a mildly spicy, earthy and bittersweet undertone. Thai Yellow Curry is great to elevate meats, seafood and vegetables. Have it two ways with prawns and veggies in our authentic double recipe!

Thai Red Curry

Dried red chilli gives the rosy hue of Thai Red Curry, a fiery dish that excites your senses at first sip and tapers to a creamy, savoury taste with a tangy note. Best with bold flavour meats like beef and duck. Come savour the spicy richness of Thai Red Curry Duck in this recipe!

Thai Green Curry

While Thai Red Curry delivers a spicy punch, Thai Green Curry gets spicier with every sip and is often considered the hottest of Thai curries. The light yellow-green colour comes from the green bird’s eye chillies blended in the curry’s paste, and gives the dish its zesty flavour that lingers and grows in your mouth. Coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar tempers much of its spiciness and smoothens to a savoury taste, with lemony fragrance from kaffir lime leaves and the minty aroma of Thai basil leaves. Thai Green Curry is awesome to accentuate meats, seafood and veggies. The most beloved is the Thai Green Curry chicken, which you can savour with our recipe.

Cook Thai Curries the Easy Way with Valcom Curry Pastes

Short on time to make your own Thai curry paste? No worries! Valcom is our trusted brand that provides authentic Thai curry pastes. Every jar is made from fresh, premium Thai ingredients, mashed and blended in perfect balance to give you authentic Thai curry flavours. Available at your local supermarket and Asian grocer. Go grab a jar of Valcom curry paste from their range of products and enjoy truly Thai curries at home! Also discover even more Thai curry variants in this special feature!