Quick Guide on How to Make the Greatest Thai curries

Ever tried to recreate a curry dish you had at a restaurant but no matter what you do, it just never tastes quite the same? Here at Thai Square Restaurant, we’re here to help you per-fect your favourite Thai curry with this quick guide.

• Make Your Own Curry Paste

Not only will you see what is going into your curry but creating your own paste, especially with fresh and organic ingredients will make your curry taste incredible. Add your paste in slowly as you’re cooking so it doesn’t become too spicy and over powering. It is always easier to add more than to remove, keep tasting and you will find the perfect flavour com-bination.

• Find a Balance

Make sure that your curry is well balanced and the flavours of sweetness, spice and salt all blend well together. A few tips from our chefs to accomplish this are: tone down spice with coconut or yogurt. Tone down salt with lime juice or tamarind water, if it isn’t salty enough then add a little bit of fish sauce and that should do the trick. To add sweetness, add a pinch of white or brown sugar. A healthier alternative would be xylitol sweet as it does not raise your levels of glucose, therefore perfect for those who suffer from diabetes. Lastly, if you’re finding that your curry is not sour enough then you can again, add a tea spoon of lime juice or tamarind water to pack a punch.

• Perfect Your Rice

If you’re serving your curry with rice then you must perfect it. The way we like to cook it at Thai Square Restaurant is two parts water and one part rice. You must always rinse your rice and for the best results we would suggest using a rice cooker. Once your rice is cooked, remove it from the heat and allow it to stand for five minutes. This will allow the moisture to evaporate and each rice grain will become separated, soft and tender.

• Lemongrass

Lemongrass adds amazing flavour, especially to Thai curries so it is a great ingredient to add and have at home. Cut off the bottom moist portion of each stalk. Throw away trunks and leaves, you will not be needing those. The bottom should be bruised with the back of the knife and then sliced into smaller pieces as it’ll make it easier for its citrus flavour to disperse throughout your curry. Our chefs recommend you adding lemongrass to your curry paste for a boost of flavour.

• Use Coconut Milk

Using coconut milk in your curry adds great texture and taste. It makes your dish feel heartier and creamier. It’s vegan and has a long shelf life as well as many benefits for the body. If you feel like you have overdone it with the spice, add some coconut milk to tone it down and it’ll be much tastier to eat.

• Use Fish Sauce

Fish sauce is often made from anchovies and sardines, which are great sources of omega 3. It contains, salt, sugar and acid which makes for a perfect marinade. Add a little at a time as too much can make it too salty, keep on tasting whilst you add the fish sauce to find the perfect balance.

• Galangal

This ingredient is very similar to ginger, even in the way it looks however it has less spice and has a more woody and citrus taste. You peel this ingredient with a knife as it may be too thick for a vegetable peeler and add to your curries to give it a warm taste. A tip would be to add it in your curry paste at the beginning.

• Lime Juice

To finish off, use lime juice to tone any heat and cut through any fat lingering in your curry. However, you must only add lime juice after you take something off the heat as cooking the lime juice can ruin the flavour of your curry.

These tips are brought you to by our great chefs and we can assure you that in no time you will be cooking a delicious curry in the style of Thai Square Restaurant. If you want to come in and try one of our dishes, please book a table by going to www.thaisq.com