Red Curry: My favorite mistake

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I have never EVER been able to make a Thai red curry that works. It's either too sweet and flavorless (second try), too hot and painful (first try) or just plain flavorless (third try.) I'm interested in what other people have tried and whether or not it has worked.

For the record, I used the following ingredients in varying quantities:
red curry powder
red curry paste
coconut milk (not lite)
garlic
onions
sugar (and no sugar)
lemongrass
tofu
chicken
(and various vegetables.)

If you have had success with a red curry, I would love to hear how you did it. My recipes and instincts have all failed me and I refuse to give up now.

― The Landlord's Daughter (The Landlord's Daughter), Thursday, 7 July 2005 23:25 (eighteen years ago) link

Aren't curry powders and pastes different from one another? Is there a particular curry powder that has worked well for you?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 8 July 2005 01:05 (eighteen years ago) link

i'm in chicago, so i get most of my spices at the spice house
( http://www.thespicehouse.com/info/home.php )but i've had more luck with the sweet and hot curries they have there as opposed to the red curry. for the record, i had more success with the paste i bought at the grocery as opposed to the powder i bought at the fancy spice store. (in the case of the red curry, at least) do you have any ideas for how i can make it taste better?

― The Landlord's Daughter (The Landlord's Daughter), Friday, 8 July 2005 02:26 (eighteen years ago) link

I don't know good from bad in curry preparations. I buy those little cans of Maesri curry paste -- is that okay or could I do better?

Also, anybody have a recipe for bindi bhaji (dry okra curry)? I had this in Montreal recently and it was teh awesome. And I am in the middle of okraville right now.

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Saturday, 9 July 2005 02:09 (eighteen years ago) link

The recipe I use for panang curry has keffir lime leaves and Thai basil (holy basil) in it. I'm growing Thai basil this year, and it really does punch it up.

― Jaq (Jaq), Sunday, 10 July 2005 15:46 (eighteen years ago) link

Also, fish sauce. It adds layers to the flavor.

― Jaq (Jaq), Sunday, 10 July 2005 15:52 (eighteen years ago) link

Ah! Thai basil. I tried to find some at the farmer's market and they were all out. I'll try again on Tuesday.

To recap: Add keffir lime leaves, Thai basil and fish sauce.

I'll try it next time -- thank you all for your help!

― The Milkmaid (of Human Kindness) (The Milkmaid), Sunday, 10 July 2005 17:45 (eighteen years ago) link

one month passes...

I have a good Bindi Bhaji recipe which I will give you. It works best with FRESH okra,tomatoes, garlic, and onions.

― Tom Arnold, Sunday, 14 August 2005 20:26 (eighteen years ago) link

I can definitely get fresh ingredients, especially the okra. My father has planted two 50' rows of okra in a late garden, which will be coming in soon. Thanks in advance for the recipe!

― Truckdrivin' Buddha (Rock Hardy), Sunday, 14 August 2005 20:51 (eighteen years ago) link

I am jealous of your handy okra.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Sunday, 14 August 2005 21:49 (eighteen years ago) link

Or, perhaps, I am jealous of you for your handy okra.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Sunday, 14 August 2005 21:49 (eighteen years ago) link

Or, perhaps, I an envious. Either way I'm sure it's better than the frozen okra I had the other night (not that that was awful).

― Casuistry (Chris P), Sunday, 14 August 2005 21:50 (eighteen years ago) link

Umm, so, Tom... anytime you're ready with that recipe, dude. Thanks.

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Saturday, 20 August 2005 19:59 (eighteen years ago) link

Tom why you break heart all time?

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 13:47 (eighteen years ago) link

one month passes...

recommend me a good indian food cookbook! Or a good site. Or really just tell me how to make a good sag.

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 10 October 2005 21:14 (eighteen years ago) link

I'm about to order Madhur Jaffrey's book because "Tom Arnold" upthread was a complete waste of internets. Also, because Amazon's listing let me look at the index and it looks like what I'm looking for.

― William Paper Scissors (Rock Hardy), Monday, 10 October 2005 21:36 (eighteen years ago) link

I found Food-India.com this morning, looking up a recipe for kima mutter (ground lamb with peas).

― Jaq (Jaq), Monday, 10 October 2005 21:45 (eighteen years ago) link

Thanks, Jaq, I just found several must-try recipes there.

― William Paper Scissors (Rock Hardy), Monday, 10 October 2005 22:31 (eighteen years ago) link

hm, their palak paneer recipe says cottage cheese is an equivalent for paneer, which seems quite wrong.

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 10 October 2005 23:44 (eighteen years ago) link

Dry large curd cottage cheese would be close if you wrap it in cheesecloth and press it for a few hours, but not the creamed. I made paneer once this summer and it came out not quite right. The temperature of the milk has to be very exact when you add the lemon juice, and I was just boiling it up. It tasted fine, but the texture was too crumbly - very cottage cheese like. A coworker of mine keeps volunteering his wife to teach me to make it, but she keeps demurring :).

A vegan coworker (he's a Jain) recommended using firm tofu instead of paneer, which sounds like a good substitute. I haven't tried it yet.

― Jaq (Jaq), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 00:15 (eighteen years ago) link

hah, a coworker of mine keeps offering his wife up too.

― AaronK (AaronK), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 01:49 (eighteen years ago) link

six years pass...

has anyone ever successfully made vietnamese-style curry & have a link to a good recipe? i have tons of madras curry powder, which seems to be what all the recipes call for, and i have tofu and coconut milk and fish sauce. i think i'm just going to combine all the "easy" recipes on the internet and guess what to do. i don't have any lemongrass though, or basil.

― tunnel joe (harbl), Monday, 16 January 2012 21:17 (twelve years ago) link

oh, i thought i was posting on a general curry thread. i'm sorry to mislead anyone. i am not interested in red curry.

― tunnel joe (harbl), Monday, 16 January 2012 21:18 (twelve years ago) link

one year passes...

For the record, I have totally given up on caring about making red Thai curries.

― and that sounds like a gong-concert (La Lechera), Thursday, 7 March 2013 22:33 (eleven years ago) link

― queeple qua queeple (Jordan), Thursday, 7 March 2013 22:56 (eleven years ago) link

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