it's coconut milk
it's delicious

Don't. You are just going to waste money. That's me and red curry. They add some shit in the restaurant you don't know about. I bought the curry paste, coconut milk, lime, all the seasonings and it just tasted like shit

The right balance of sweet, salty and sour.

>>21904993
>balance of sweet, salty and sour.
Absolutely this.
You can replicate it at home, but only with more than the pairing up of "thai curry paste" + canned coconut milk. Thai is all about the freshness. There will be fresh herbs, freshly grated ginger, galangal, smashed lemongrass, curry leaves, fresh chilies, and so forth.

You can still approximate it and cook at home. My local asian grocery carries half of the ingredients in the freezer. I usually sub coconut cream for the milk. I always add fresh chilies, basil and cilantro. I am not adverse to simmer sauces, but they are always low on the coconut.

>>21904963
Oh is it like Chinese resturaunts and their Magical Seasoning Games?
>>21904999
I'm going to put it in the slow cooker anon. First I'll simmer the the base and dump everything into a crockpot

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>>21904947you need this exact brand and product. follow instructions on the back but add a little extra curry paste, usually about 15-20% more. you'll need to salt it and it's very good with some extra msg and sugar. the type of sugar matters, the more complex it is, the better the taste, e.g. dark brown > light brown > turbanado > white sugar

>>21905005
>slow cooker
Zero purpose unless you are going to simmer bone-in chicken parts? Nothing else in a thai needs needs hours.

The few times I have gone it has never been spicy enough. Very disappointing.

>>21904999
ive subbed coconut milk with heavy cream and it worked fantastically....idk about milk though, I think you really need the fat in the milk to really tie it together.

>>21905149
I am sure it was great. When I buy a Sharwoods thai red curry simmer sauce, I splash in some of my Half n Half, which I have on hand for my coffee. I don't want a whole can of coconut wasted for just a small amount. It'll reduce a bit too.

>>21904947
Is it a Thai restaurant that has mainly non-Thai customers? Then
> you need this exact brand and product. follow instructions on the back but add a little extra curry paste
It will be OK. But if you want authentic tasting Thai curry, you need to make the paste yourself from scratch. Not hard if you can get a mortar and pestle and the correct ingredients. Makes a huge difference. Good luck!

Use mae ploy or maesri curry paste if not making your own. Buy coconut milk in a carton, not canned..Cook the coconut milk until the fat separates and fry your curry paste in this coconut fat.
To boost flavor, add things such as bruised lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal or other fresh or even frozen herbs depending on the curry. I always add some extra shrimp paste as well since I like the funkyness and umami it brings.
And like others said, right balance of sweet, salty and sour. Use palm sugar to sweeten, fish sauce for salt and tamarind and lime juice for acidity. Add the lime juice at the end though, the lime juice loses its brightness when simmered.
Lastly, Thai curries are generally not long stews and are a bit more soupy than a Western stew.

>>21905011
Palm sugar is the type you want.

>>21904947
So you're saying that you ordered something that you thought would be barely edible? What a silly little cunt

>>21904947
>go to a thai restuarant for the first time
how did you get to at least 18 years of age without trying thai food?

>>21905175
>I don't want a whole can of coconut wasted for just a small amount
what the fuck? you're suppose to use the whole can

>>21905366
>coconut milk in a carton, not canned
nah canned coconut milk is the superior option. you just need to buy a thai one and not a shitty imitation with gums

>>21904947
Op if you actually want to enjoy thai food at home listen to these people at least:
>>21905181
>>21905366

>>21904963
Are you using a recipe?
I know that’s frowned upon for some reason but, with cuisines that aren’t from America or Europe it’s definitely best to:
> find a chef obviously from the region you’re cooking from
> read their recipes
> get FRESH spices

It’s doable at home, i make a great panang curry. You don’t have to adhere to a recipe, but you should be referencing.
I’ve only made this one thai dish, and used the recipe below with the semi-homemade curry paste. Also subbed white fish because i don’t like pork
https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/panang-curry/

>>21905011
Good tip, i do usually use more curry paste than the recipes

>>21904947
fresh lemongrass is a must. should be available in almost any asian grocer. if they have it they should also most certainly have that maesri paste stuff

>>21905366
all good advice. Is boxed coconut milk really that much better though? Any particular brand? I don't think I've ever seen it not in a can

>>21905493
I don't like spicy food and it's not hard to avoid places known primarily for spicy food
>>21905439
However this time I was invited out and because I'm not a complete asshole I did what my friend wanted to do.

>>21905838
I would take what that anon says with a pinch of salt. ie. they are bulshitting and just picked items they read about on wikipedia.

It happens on /ck/ all the time.

Unless you live in SE Asia, you will NEVER find these items fresh, they just tell lies but do the best you can with what you can find.

To answer your question, the coconut blocks are Ok, just shave off pieces and mix them with hot water to form a thick milk.

>>21905510
>>21905838
Yes, carton coconut milk is better than canned, all else equal. It's been heated less agressively and as a result contains more of the coconut flavor. Obviously, a shitty carton of coconut milk filled with additives such as guar gum will still be worse than a good quality can of coconut milk with few additives. Aroy-d is my brand of choice for coconut milk. I'm in Western Europe and can easily find both cartons and cans of Aroy-d.

>>21906940
Not bullshitting, there is a reason canned coconut milk lasts way longer than that from cartons and that's because the milk has been heated more. And like I said, I'm not in SEA at all and can easily find cartons of coconut milk. No need to be such a salty chap.

>>21907050
I don't think you understand at all.
I was talking to the anon about a creamed coconut block. it's nothing to do with cartons or UHT.
I suggest you understand the convo a little more before you spout off!

>>21906940
You can’t be lied to about vegetable/herb freshness if you have working eyes and nose.

>>21905018
>The few times I have gone it has never been spicy enough. Very disappointing.

Were the customers mostly white or mostly asian? Asian resturants know their customer base and season accordingy.

>>21907154
If you are American - you have no idea about fresh anything.

>>21905181
>if you want authentic tasting [xyz], then you need to make everything from scratch
If you wanna go the extra mile and do everything from scratch you can go right ahead, but getting nice ingredients and having a good recipe will already put you ahead of 90% of people making the dish in its home country every single day. Just follow Hot Thai Kitchen’s recipe to the letter—at least when you first make it—and get brands of staple ingredients that she (and the broader internet) recommends.

>>21907231
What is the best chicken broth for someone who intends to go to Heaven?

>>21907212
That's a real stupid opinion

>>21907212
You know some of us grow our own produce over here.

If anyone is having a hard time sourcing ingredients, here are two online Asian grocery stores. Wife is Chinese, used to like FreshGoGo, now prefers Weee.

https://www.freshgogo.com/?language=en

https://www.sayweee.com/en

Bump

>>21904947
Fuck yea. Coconut milk, Thai chillies, soy sauce, fish sauce, lemon grass and lemon tree leaves off the top of my head.