Thai curry base with variations
This is the stock standard thai curry base that we use for our thai curries, with a few variations.
The soy lecithin is a wonderful ingredient to play with in the kitchen, its an emulsifier, which means it helps fats and water to stay blended in a sauce without splitting out. You can get it in health food sections of most big supermarkets, or with the baking goodies at your local health shop.
Making your own coconut milk is so easy and so delicious, we never buy canned coconut milk anymore.
Thai curry base recipe
Quick enough for a weeknight dinner, and delicious enough for entertaining even very snobby guests, this recipe has what it takes to be a regular in your kitchen.
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp curry paste (any colour. If using massamum, add a tablespoon of peanut butter as well)
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed or sliced
- 1 onion, sliced thickly
- 1-2 tsp sugar
- small handful kaffir lime leaves
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- chopped coriander
coconut milk
- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
- 1 1/2 cups hot water
- 1 cup cold milk
- 1-2 tsp soy lecithin
Protein (pick one, or add your own)
- Cooked chicken
- Can of chick-peas (for a vegetarian curry)
- fried prawns
- Soft boiled eggs
- Rare beef strips
Instructions
- Start by frying the curry paste, garlic, onions, lime leaves and sugar in oil in a wok or large frying pan/pot, until fragrant, but before the onions go too soft - you want a slight bite.If you are making a massamum curry, add a tablespoon or 2 of peanut butter.
- Blend the coconut, hot water and the lecithin in a food processor until totally smooth. Throw through a cheesecloth, pour the cold milk through the cheesecloth as well and wring it out with your hands. Add this to the wok along with the fish sauce, lemon juice and your protein choice.Taste and season with more sugar or fish sauce if needed. Bring up to a simmer and remove from heat immediately, top with chopped coriander and serve with sticky jasmine rice or rice noodles.
