Anyone cook Thai?

[shadowclaw]

I was wondering if anyone here has experience cooking Thai food. I really enjoy Thai and Japanese food, so I got a few cookbooks and have been trying some recipes. Specifically, I have been trying to make a good curry. I'm not up to making my own curry paste yet, so I bought the only brand available at my local grocery stores (Wegmans, Weis, Giant), which is Thai Kitchen. I've tried red and green, but the pastes themselves are not spicy at all. My final curries haven't been spicy, either. I'm trying to decide if it's the paste or if the hot peppers I added aren't spicy enough. Anyone have any thoughts? Should I just order some better paste online?

[Sarochan]

My mom usually gets curry pastes in a variety of colors from Uwajimaya's, a large Asian market chain with several stores on the west coast. They're usually pretty good, and can be very spicy, so maybe the internet would be your best bet if there isn't a specialty store in your area. Good luck with your quest for curry!

[rising_star]

You need to find an Asian market and try out the different brands of curry paste they sell there. For generic mild curry sauce, I tend to just buy the bottled stuff at Trader Joe's but that definitely has no kick to it at all. 

[TakeruK]

The Thai Kitchen prepared sauces are super convenient but as you said, not very spicy!! 

 

What kind of hot peppers are you adding? If you want to emulate Thai restaurants, go for these peppers (called "Thai peppers" in my grocery stores, conveniently enough): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird%27s_eye_chili(probably easiest to match up the picture). If you are already experienced cooking with these types of peppers, I apologize for any over-explanation: I would use probably 3-4 peppers per serving in the sauce, if you want to really spicy. But if you haven't tried these before, maybe start with one and ramp it up. For full effect, chop up the peppers and include the seeds/membrane (more seeds/membranes = more heat!). 

 

Edited to add: And if you really really want to add more heat, do what my family does and just have a couple of them on the side of your plate and take bites from the raw peppers as you eat your meal. I can't handle this much heat though, but I'm the spice wimp of my family, so maybe you'll fare better

[1Q84]

One thing I'll add to the good advice above: cook for recommended amount of time in recipe, then simmer for an hour or so. This has the effect of both reducing the curry liquidity (concentrating flavors) and also giving extra time for the bird's eye chilies that TakeruK mentioned to do their thing. Should really give your curry the extra punch you're looking for.

[shadowclaw]

Thanks for all of the advice! I know there are some small Asian grocery stores around here, so I suppose I'll have to find them and check them out!

 

I think I used jalapenos. They look like jalapenos, but I think the sign at the grocery store just said "chili pepper" or perhaps even "hot pepper." I cut them with my bare hands and several hours and many hand washings later, it still burns if I touch my fingers to my lips. However, my green curry had only a hint of heat to it, and that's probably because I am very sensitive to spicy flavors (mild wings generally have a good kick for me). I'll have to hunt down that bird's eye chili... it looks like it will definitely turn up the heat! I will stay away from the suggestion of eating them on the side, though After trying it with different peppers, if I'm still not satisfied, I'll try simmering it longer. However, I'm surprised the jalapenos didn't make my crock pot curry very spicy. It simmered for about 3 hours and I think it was less spicy than when I made it on the stove!

 

Don't ask me why I am seeking spicy curry when I can feel the heat from mild wings. I first tried Thai food back in September at an excellent Thai and sushi place that a professor took us to after a day of field work. I got a spicy mango and shrimp dish that was absolutely divine, and after that, I haven't been able to eat Chinese food... I want it to be more spicy and flavorful! Unfortunately, while there is a glut of Chinese places and several sushi and hibachi joints, Thai is in short supply. The closest Thai restaurant is really just a hibachi and sushi place that offers a couple Thai dishes. So I tried the red curry, and while my mouth was on fire, it was just so delicious! Since the restaurant is overpriced and really not close enough to really do takeout, that's why I've embarked on a quest for curry and other homemade Thai delights.

[fiveby5]

Making your own Thai curry paste actually isn't that difficult, and tastes so good. It's more fragrant and you can control the spice yourself! I second the bird's eye chile suggestion and definitely don't forget to leave the seeds in. If you have a blender and 15 minutes to cut stuff up, it's well worth it.

PM me for some paste recipes if you want I've been making both red and green Thai curry from scratch lately, and have been really enjoying it!

Edited March 4, 2015 by fiveby5

[angel_kaye13]

Definitely find that Asian market! Most big cities have them. Your namecard lists you as local to PA; I have a Japanese friend from there, I could ask him, if you need any recommendations! Otherwise, it sounds like you're on the right track. #missesasianfoodmostaboutbeinghome

[rising_star]

Jalapenos aren't that spicy, at least not in my opinion. You should definitely experiment with different peppers to see what works for you. I vary the pepper depending on the recipe. You can also look for peppers in any Mexican/Latin American grocery store, though you may find different ones there than you find in an Asian grocery store. You could also ask the salespeople or other customers what they recommend.

[victorydance]

Make your own chili paste. It's so easy. 

 

First heat up some water, put in some dried chiles (I recommend ancho and arbol chiles) into it, let them soak for 15-20 minutes, then strain them. Grab a blender or processor, put in the chiles, a bunch of garlic, and a little water and grind it up. Then saute the paste for about an hour in oil in a frying pan. Put it in the fridge and it will last about a month or so.  

 

Chili paste is the base of countless Asian recipes. 

Edited March 4, 2015 by victorydance

[shadowclaw]

If the Asian grocery store turns out to be good, I can probably start making my own curry paste. My paste recipes call for Kaffir limes (and some other recipes call for the leaves), which I definitely can't find at the regular grocery store. I'm sure homemade paste will end up being quite spicy... the recipe I have for red curry paste calls for 12 bird's eye chilies and 7 of another chili.  

[TakeruK]

Oh another thing--I've found that heating the peppers directly first helps increase the spice (especially if you keep the seeds/membranes in). So, I try to start my spicy dishes with a little oil and peppers first before adding the sauce part. I notice you said you were using a slow cooker -- are you heating up your paste / peppers directly first before adding it to your slow cooker stock etc.? If not, it's a little more work but it might be worth trying!

[shadowclaw]

TakeruK, when I tried using the crock pot I didn't heat the peppers first, but I did fry the paste and coconut cream on the stove first. I do the same when cooking everything on the stove top. I'll try frying some peppers with it next time!

[jujubea]

Couple tips:

• Lime juice and lemon juice can really help bolster the type of kick you may be looking for in Thai-style curries. I go through TONS of lime juice when I cook Thai.
• Like Takeru and others have said, heating up the peppers first can help release some of their spicy goodness.
• Include the pepper seeds in whatever you're cooking - sometimes that's where all the spicy lives.

You didn't ask, but here are some tips for dealing with/handling spicy peppers:

• Gotta use gloves when you chop those peppers! Even if the pepper itself doesn't seem "hot," the oils can literally burn your skin (chemical burns! OUCH!). 
• Milk somehow neutralizes capsaicin burns. If it's on your hands, soak your hands in a bowl of milk. If you stupidly rub your eye like I did once, pour milk in your eye... so crazy, but it's true. Something about the fats I think.
• For in your mouth, milk again, but this time add a little honey or sugar. One time at a restaurant I mistook a Bird Pepper for a piece of okra and crunched it up whole in my mouth. Waterfalls of snot and tears literally just gushed out of me involuntarily (thank heaven I wasn't on a date or fancy dinner or something). The server apparently had seen this before: he ran over with a bowl to catch my, ahem, "delivery" out of my face, and opened a sugar packet and told me to pour it in my mouth across my tongue and close it. With much reservation, I did, and voila! The pain almost immediately began subsiding.

[shadowclaw]

Thank you for the info on peppers! I had heard that milk neutralizes hot peppers before, but I didn't know about the sugar. That would have been nice to know about 11 years ago. I went to my first non-buffet Chinese restaurant and ordered General Tso's. Buffets never leave peppers in it when they serve it (or perhaps they don't even use them). So when I encountered a mysterious shriveled dark vegetable in my chicken, I had no clue what it was. I also ate the whole thing (by itself), and for about 2 seconds, it just tasted bitter. Then my lips, mouth, and throat caught on fire and I basically experienced what you did, jujubea. The only drinks at the restaurant were soda and water, so I drank about 4 cans of coke in an attempt to cool myself. It didn't work and the restaurant staff just laughed at me. I never ate General Tso's again.

[Chiqui74]

I was wondering if anyone here has experience cooking Thai food. I really enjoy Thai and Japanese food, so I got a few cookbooks and have been trying some recipes. Specifically, I have been trying to make a good curry. I'm not up to making my own curry paste yet, so I bought the only brand available at my local grocery stores (Wegmans, Weis, Giant), which is Thai Kitchen. I've tried red and green, but the pastes themselves are not spicy at all. My final curries haven't been spicy, either. I'm trying to decide if it's the paste or if the hot peppers I added aren't spicy enough. Anyone have any thoughts? Should I just order some better paste online?

It is not necessarily the curry paste that makes for a spicy curry, you also need to add other things to it. 

 

The best curry specific cookbook, imo, is Ultimate Curry Bible by Madhur Jaffrey.  It has curry recipes from all over the world, including Thai. It also has a lot of historical information. You can also find curry paste recipes here. I LOVE it.  http://www.amazon.com/Madhur-Jaffreys-Ultimate-Curry-Bible/dp/0091874157/ref=sr_1_1

Edited March 6, 2015 by Chiqui74

[pohks]

I just made green curry with chicken yesterday; tried for the first time to make my own curry paste, and it was not difficult at all! It was so much better than the ready-made green curry paste. Here's the recipe: http://thaifood.about.com/od/thairecipes/r/greencurrychick.htm

 

The trick - as the author of the recipe says - is the following:  "Do a taste-test, adding 1-2 Tbsp. fish sauce if not salty or flavorful enough. If you'd prefer a sweeter curry, add a little more sugar. If too salty, add a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. If too spicy, add more coconut milk. Note that this curry should be a balance of salty, spicy, sweet and sour."

 

(I didn't have any chili, and I substituted it with red pepper - worked well!)

 

Edit: the paste was _super_ spicy when I tried it, but as soon as I mixed it with other ingredients, it was just fine. I mixed everything in a blender. Bought lemongrass at a local Chinese grocery store for $0.09. All in all, those stores have everything you need for a great price.

Edited March 7, 2015 by pohks