Making your own Krueang Gaeng

[PeteC]

Many photos at link: https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social ... -for-pound

A great many Thai dishes feature curry paste (krueang gaeng). This indicates how significant krueang gaeng is in Thai cuisine. And each variety of curry paste reflects the area it originates from. How curry paste is made also indicates how meticulous the cook is.

About a century ago, young Thai women were judged on how well groomed they were based on the sound of their curry paste pounding. The mother had a responsibility to bring up and train her daughter to be a good housekeeper and cook. Loud, strong, continuous pounding with an even rhythm meant she was hard-working, patient and disciplined. In many communities, the custom continues to this day.

Not all girls take it seriously, however. A girl whose pounding does not meet the standards expected will be scolded by her mother. The girl may then deliberately pound the curry paste badly as a form of sarcasm. But whether the practice is taken seriously or not, its persistence highlights the importance of curry paste in Thai cuisine.

Preparing your own curry paste is beneficial in many ways. You can select fresh chilli, galangal, lemongrass, Kaffir lime and other ingredients. The proportions of herbs and spices can be adjusted according to the recipe in order to attain the best flavour.

But cooking on a commercial scale requires large amounts of curry paste. This is impossible to prepare manually so the ready-made variety is a sensible option. In the past, curry paste vendors were highly professional and would ask you the type and quantity of food you were making in order to supply you with the best paste and the right portions.

For example, a vendor would know how much curry paste was needed for making green curry with 2kg of beef. You would also be advised to add some coriander seeds and cumin. For pad ped pla (stir fried fish), the vendor would add minced galangal to the paste to reduce fish odour. Useful cooking tips and advice like this were much appreciated by buyers.

Curry paste from each region is distinctive due to the availability of raw ingredients. The paste for making the northern style curry gaeng gae has similar ingredients to that of the Central Region, which includes dry chilli, galangal, lemongrass, shallots, garlic and ma kwaen (an aromatic spice). The only difference is gaeng gae uses chopped fermented fish instead of shrimp paste.

Curry paste for the southern dishes like gaeng lueang or gaeng som features dry chilli, fresh bird's eye chilli, galangal, shallots, garlic and turmeric to reduce the smell of the fish commonly used in southern dishes.

Curry paste made in the eastern region, especially Chanthaburi and Trat, uses a lot of locally grown, farm-fresh ingredients and spices as they are abundant in these provinces. Gaeng pa curry paste is made from dry chilli, rew (Amomum villosum) root, cardamom, cassumunar ginger, mature ginger, cumin flower, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, coriander flower, parsley, pepper, Kaffir rind, lemongrass and shrimp paste.

The combination of such a wide range of herbs and spices render a distinctive aroma and flavour.

Each region has preserved the traditional format of curry paste made for home use as well as for sale. Thus, the curry paste of each region represents the area in which it originated.

Younger people, especially those growing up in urban centres, may feel that making curry paste is too troublesome and time consuming. What's more, there can often be a great deal of waste from unused herbs and spices. So buying ready-made paste is more convenient, as well as being cheaper. There are also a lot of products to choose from.

But no matter how handy the ready-made products are, being able to make your own curry paste is a valuable skill. You can develop paste with its own distinctive quality while learning new techniques through hands-on experience. Most importantly, preparing your own paste helps create homely atmosphere within the family.