Red curry facts for kids
Red curry with pork
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| Alternative names | Kaeng Phet |
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| Type | Curry |
| Place of origin | Thailand |
| Main ingredients |
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Red curry is a super popular and tasty dish from Thailand. It's known for its bright red color and spicy flavor. This yummy meal is made by cooking a special red curry paste in creamy coconut milk.
You can find it with different kinds of meat like chicken, beef, pork, or even shrimp. Sometimes, people use tofu or vegetables to make it. In Thai, it's called kaeng phet, which means 'spicy curry'.
What is Red Curry Paste?
The main flavor of red curry comes from its special paste. This paste is usually made the old-fashioned way, by hand, using a mortar and pestle. It stays a bit wet during the whole process.
The paste gets its red color from dried red chili peppers. These are a type of chili called phrik chi fa.
Some of the main things that go into red curry paste are:
- Dried red chili peppers
- Garlic
- Shallots (like small onions)
- Galangal (a root similar to ginger)
- Shrimp paste (a salty, savory paste made from shrimp)
- Salt
- Kaffir lime leaves (from a special lime tree)
- Coriander root and seeds
- Cumin seeds
- Peppercorns
- Lemongrass (a plant with a lemony smell)
Today, you can often buy red curry paste already made in jars or packages at stores. This makes it easier to cook red curry at home!
How Red Curry is Made
Making red curry starts with cooking the red curry paste in a pan with a little bit of cooking oil. This helps to bring out all the amazing flavors.
Next, creamy coconut milk is added to the pan. This creates the base of the curry soup. After that, the main protein is added. This could be chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp. Sometimes, people even use duck. The meat is cut into small, bite-sized pieces.
Other things often added to red curry include:
- Fish sauce (for a salty, savory taste)
- Sugar (to balance the flavors)
- Chopped Kaffir lime leaves (for a fresh, citrusy smell)
- Thai eggplant (small, round eggplants)
- Bamboo shoots (from the bamboo plant)
- Thai basil (a type of basil called bai horapha)
If someone wants a vegetarian option, they can use tofu or vegetables like pumpkin instead of meat. However, traditional red curry paste often has shrimp paste in it. So, if you want a truly vegetarian dish, you need to find a special red curry paste made without shrimp.
Red curry usually has a soup-like texture. It's served in a bowl and eaten with steamed rice. It's a delicious and warming meal!
See also
In Spanish: Curry rojo para niños
