When it comes to most things in the kitchen, I’m all about DIY. I’ve written on this blog about making my own yogurt, bagels, sauerkraut, ice cream, tomato sauce, burgers, and canned peaches.
But there’s one thing I love to cook that I never make from scratch: Thai curry. Unlike Indian-style curries, the Thai version is based on coconut milk, making it creamy, rich, and more stew-like. Many Thai curries contain potato, which soaks up the flavor and turns completely awesome.
In theory, Thai curry is not that hard to make—grind up a paste of chiles, ginger, and spices, and cook it with meat, veggies, and coconut milk. Unfortunately, a lot of those spices are difficult or impossible to find in Birmingham.
Luckily, canned curry paste is easy to find and use. It comes in several different flavors—red, green, yellow, panang, masaman (my favorite), and a few others—all of which you can find at your local Asian market. Here in Birmingham, Super Oriental Market on West Valley and the market at the corner of 22nd St. and 7th Ave. S next to Thai House are the best places to find it.
The English translation of the instructions on most canned curry pastes, shall we say, leaves something to be desired, but luckily you can use pretty much the same method to make any flavor of curry.
Curry from a Can
Serves 4
1 (4-oz.) can Thai curry paste
1 onion, chopped
1/2 lb. meat, fish, shellfish, or tofu, cut into bite-size pieces
1 1/2 cups cubed potato, sweet potato, or winter squash like butternut
Other firm vegetables, (bell peppers, green beans, carrot, etc.,) chopped
1 (13.5-oz.) can coconut milk
Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add curry paste and cook, stirring, 30 seconds to a minute. Add remaining ingredients except coconut milk, stir well, and cook 1 to 2 minutes. (If using fish or shellfish, do not add now. Add at the end and cook just until done.) Add coconut milk. Fill empty coconut milk can halfway with water and add. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until meat is cooked through and potato is tender. If too thick, add a few tablespoons of water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over rice.