Breaking into a sweat is, for many is highly desirable. It is a type of addiction, once you have eaten curries on a daily basis for about a month, your tolerance for spicy curry increases to an incredible level. Apparently there are many health benefits gained from eating chili peppers, including high Vitamin C content and increased metabolism rate.

If you like milder curry, simply omit the fresh whole chilies and/or add less curry paste.

Types of Thai curry

In Thailand there are basically two types: coconut milk-based and water -based. The most typical water-based is sour curry (Gaeng Som)often prepared with fish. The sourness comes from tamarind but a little lime juice also works. Jungle curry (Gaeng Pa) is another delicious water- based vegetable curry with or without meat, which is usually very spicy.

Thai coconut-based curries are numerous! red, yellow, green, panang and Massaman are the most well known. The key ingredients are mostly wet and fragrant: fresh chilies, lemon grass, galangal, garlic, shallot, kaffir lime, kaffir lime Leaves, coriander roots, and shrimp paste. Aroy-dee (delicious!).

Thai curry "Gaeng" basics

Variations of curry pastes are surprisingly numerous. Gaeng Massaman (Muslim), Gaeng Panaeng (Panang) , Gaeng Phet (Red), and Gaeng Luang (yellow), are just a few of the many types. The most popular are Gaeng Phet and Gaeng Keaw Wan (green curry) depending on what region you are in.

Traditional Thai curry paste takes a lot of patience and time to create, so if possible, prepare with a friend. A very small electric blender or electric coffee grinder makes this a quick job. If available, a very heavy stone mortar and pestle with at least a 2 cup bowl is traditional and makes a better textured paste.

Thai curries, almost without exception, are based on "wet" spice mixtures, pastes that are produced by grinding spices and aromatics in a heavy mortar with a rough surface. Only curries of Indian or Burmese origin are made using curry powder. In Thailand, it is possible to buy freshly made pastes from the market, but outside the country they are only available in jars.

The basic ingredients (khreuang gaeng) are chili peppers, whole cloves of garlic, sea salt, fresh lemon grass, fresh tumeric for colour, and shrimp paste (gupi - kapi). You will find many curry paste recipes with many more ingredients added to this basic recipe . But you can make a delicious simple curry with just these few ingredients.

Ingredients Quantity
15 Green hot chillies Prik Ki-Nu
3 tablespoons Chopped shallots
1 tablespoon Chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Chopped galangal
1 tablespoon Chopped lemon grass
1/2 teaspoon Chopped kaffir lime rind
1 teaspoon Chopped coriander root
1 tablespoon Coriander seeds
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Shrimp paste - Gupi

Traditional Thai curry pastes take a lot of patience and time to create, so if possible, prepare with a friend. A very small electric blender or electric coffee grinder makes this a quick job. If available, a very heavy stone mortar and pestle with at least a 2 cup bowl is traditional and makes a better textured paste.

Preparation
1. In a wok over low heat, put the coriander seeds, and cumin seeds and dry fry for about 5 minutes, then grind into a powder.
2. Into a blender, put the rest of the ingredients except the shrimp paste and blend to mix well.
3. Add the coriander-cumin seed mixture and the shrimp paste, blend to obtain 1/2 cup of a fine-textured paste.

This can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator for about 3-4 months.

Ingredients Quantity
15 Dried chillies Prik haeng, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and de-seeded
3 tablespoons Chopped shallots
1 tablespoon Chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Chopped ginger
1 tablespoon Coriander seeds
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 tablespoon Chopped lemon grass
1 teaspoon Shrimp paste - Gupi
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
2 teaspoons Pong Garee Curry powder

Traditional Thai curry pastes take a lot of patience and time to create, so if possible, prepare with a friend. A very small electric blender or electric coffee grinder makes this a quick job. If available, a very heavy stone mortar and pestle with at least a 2 cup bowl is traditional and makes a better textured paste.

Preparation
1. In a wok over low heat, put the shallots, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds and cumin seeds and dry fry for about 5 minutes, then grind into a powder.
2. Into a blender, put the rest of the ingredients and blend to mix well.
3. Add the shallot, garlic, ginger, coriander, seed-cumin, seed mixture and blend again to obtain about 1/2 cup of a fine-textured paste.

This can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator for about 3-4 months.

Ingredients Quantity
15 Dried chillies Prik haeng, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and de-seeded
3 tablespoons Chopped shallots
2 tablespoons Chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Chopped galangal
1 tablespoon Chopped lemon grass
1 teaspoon Chopped kariff lime rind
2 teaspoons Chopped coriander root
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Shrimp paste - Gupi

Traditional Thai curry pastes take a lot of patience and time to create, so if possible, prepare with a friend. A very small electric blender or electric coffee grinder makes this a quick job. If available, a very heavy stone mortar and pestle with at least a 2 cup bowl is traditional and makes a better textured paste.

Preparation
1. Into a blender, put all ingredients except the shrimp paste and blend until well mixed.
2. Add the shrimp paste and blend once more to obtain about 3/4 cup of a fine-textured paste.

This can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator for about 3-4 months.

Traditional Thai curry pastes take a lot of patience and time to create, so if possible, prepare with a friend. A very small electric blender or electric coffee grinder makes this a quick job. If available, a very heavy stone mortar and pestle with at least a 2 cup bowl is traditional and makes a better textured paste.

Ingredients Quantity
15 Dried chillies Prik haeng, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and de-seeded
3 teaspoons Chopped shallots
2 teaspoons Chopped garlic
1 tablespoon Chopped galangal
1 tablespoon Chopped lemon grass
2 teaspoon Chopped kariff lime rind
2 teaspoons Chopped coriander root
1 tablespoon Coriander seeds
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
2 teaspoons Pounded cinnamon
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Shrimp paste - Gupi

Traditional Thai curry pastes take a lot of patience and time to create, so if possible, prepare with a friend. A very small electric blender or electric coffee grinder makes this a quick job. If available, a very heavy stone mortar and pestle with at least a 2 cup bowl is traditional and makes a better textured paste.

Preparation
1. In a wok over low heat, put the coriander seeds and cumin seeds and dry fry for about 5 minutes, then grind into a powder.
2. Into a blender, put the rest of the ingredients except the shrimp paste and blend to mix well.
3. Add the coriander seed-cumin seed mixture and the shrimp paste and blend again to obtain about 3/4 cup of a fine-textured paste.

This can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator for about 3-4 months.

Ingredients Quantity
15 Dried chillies Prik haeng, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and de-seeded
5 tablespoons Chopped shallots
2 tablespoons Chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Chopped galangal
1 tablespoon Chopped lemon grass
1/2 tablespoon Chopped kariff lime rind 
1 teaspoon Chopped coriander root
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Shrimp paste - Gupi
 

Traditional Thai curry pastes take a lot of patience and time to create, so if possible, prepare with a friend. A very small electric blender or electric coffee grinder makes this a quick job. If available, a very heavy stone mortar and pestle with at least a 2 cup bowl is traditional and makes a better textured paste.
 

Preparation
1. Into a blender, put all ingredients except the shrimp paste and blend until well mixed.
2. Add the shrimp paste and blend once more to obtain about 3/4 cup of a fine-textured paste.

This can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator for about 3-4 months.

Ingredients Quantity
15 Dried chillies Prik haeng, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and de-seeded
3 tablespoons Chopped shallots
2 tablespoons Chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Chopped galangal
1 1/4 tablespoons Chopped lemon grass
2 Cloves
1 tablespoon Coriander seeds
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
5 White Pepper corns
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Shrimp paste - Gupi

Traditional Thai curry pastes take a lot of patience and time to create, so if possible, prepare with a friend. A very small electric blender or electric coffee grinder makes this a quick job. If available, a very heavy stone mortar and pestle with at least a 2 cup bowl is traditional and makes a better textured paste.

Preparation
1. In a wok over low heat put the shallots, garlic, galangal, lemon grass, cloves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and dry fry for about 5 minutes, then grind into a powder.

2. Into a blender, put the rest of the ingredients except the shrimp paste and blend to mix well.
3. Add the shallot, garlic, galangal, lemon grass, clove, coriander seed, cumin seed mixture and the shrimp paste and blend again to obtain 1/2 cup of a fine-textured paste.

This can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator for about 3-4 months.

Ingredients Quantity
1/2 cup Dried chillies Prik haeng
8 Shallots (sliced)
3 tablespoons fish sauce - nam pla
2 cups Vegetable oil 
1/3 teaspoon Sea Salt
6 Garlic cloves (sliced)
1 cup dried shrimp
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons tamarind juice

Preparation
1. Heat the oil in a wok and fry the shallots and garlic until golden brown; remove from oil and drain. Add the dried shrimp and dried chillies; fry until golden brown; remove from oil and drain.
2. In a heavy stone mortar and pestleor blender, grind the shrimp, garlic, chillies, shallots and sugar until the mixture is blended well. Add the fish sauce, tamarind juice, salt and cooled oil from the wok into the blender; blend until you have a finely textured sauce.

This can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator for about 3-4 months.

Ingredients Quantity
15 dried chillies prik haeng, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and de-seeded
7 Chopped shallots
2 cloves Chopped garlic
1 tablespoon Chopped ginger root
2 teaspoons Chopped galangal
1 tablespoon Chopped lemon grass
1 teaspoon Chopped kariff lime rind
1 teaspoon Chopped coriander root
5 white pepper corns
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons dried shrimps (grind into powder)
1 teaspoon shrimp paste - gupi

Traditional Thai curry pastes take a lot of patience and time to create, so if possible, prepare with a friend. A very small electric blender or electric coffee grinder makes this a quick job. If available, a very heavy stone mortar and pestle with at least a 2 cup bowl is traditional and makes a better textured paste.

Preparation
1. Into a blender, put all ingredients except the shrimp paste and dried shrimp. Blend until well mixed.
2. Then, add the shrimp paste and dried shrimp and blend once more to obtain a fine-textured paste.

Ingredients Quantity
15 dried chillies prik haeng, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and de-seeded
1 tb Chopped garlic
1 tb Sour Shrimp Paste - Gupi
1tb Chopped shallots
3 Pieces Kra- chai

Traditional Thai curry pastes take a lot of patience and time to create, so if possible, prepare with a friend. A very small electric blender or electric coffee grinder makes this a quick job. If available, a very heavy stone mortar and pestle with at least a 2 cup bowl is traditional and makes a better textured paste.

Preparation
1. Soak dried chilies in hot water for 15 minutes and deseed.
2.Into a blender, put all ingredients except the shrimp paste and blend until mixed well.
3. Add the shrimp paste and blend once more to obtain about 1/2 cup of a fine-textured paste.

This can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator for 3 -4 months. (Note: Krachai is related to ginger and galangal, and usually used in fish dishes.)