As Asian food has become ubiquitous across U.S. menus, traditional curry dishes have taken center stage as a popular, delicious Thai entrée.
Traditional curry dishes use specific spices, can range from mildly sweet to spicy and bold, and rely on time-honored recipes to deliver flavor. The diversity of flavors and textures and how beautifully they pair with a variety of ingredients make curries a no-brainer for amping up menus.
Here are five ways to incorporate Thai curry into your next meal:
1. Save time with an authentic curry paste.
Traditional curries start with slowly pounding aromatics, herbs, and spices in a granite mortar and pestle. For most kitchens, using a clean, high-quality curry paste is a great way to cut out hours in the kitchen and still achieve authentic flavor. But don’t compromise on quality! It’s important to pick a paste with high-quality, clean ingredients.
Using Curry Powder vs Paste
You may be tempted to add a curry powder to your meal. You certainly can use powder as a substitution, but curry pastes generally add a richer and smoother flavor profile than a curry powder.
Home cooks can find several options in most major grocery stores, and Savor Imports offers labor-saving curry pastes imported from Thailand to incorporate fantastic flavor without the arduous process. Savor’s curry pastes are easily reconstituted, save hours in the kitchen, and provide a consistent flavor profile and high-quality experience.
2. Start with a milder curry like yellow or panang curry.
Need a good “intro” curry dish? Made with cumin, coriander, lemongrass, ginger and yellow chili, yellow curry tends to have a milder, more balanced flavor profile. Yellow curry is often a good starter curry for people who are averse to spicy foods. Mild, aromatic Panang is another curry that appeals to most palates.
3. Add an interesting grain for added texture and color.
Thai curries are typically served over rice noodles or jasmine rice. For a twist, try a new grain like a sweet potato noodle (also called Dangmyeon) or black rice.
4. Go bold.
Try a rich, flavorful curry, like the Massaman, a fusion of Thai red curry and Indian spices. Similar to red curry, Massaman offers a fragrant, spiced burst of flavor.
5. Make it your own!
You can create an authentic Thai flavor and still put your own unique spin on your curry dish. Don’t feel tied to a recipe – incorporate flavorful proteins or crunchy, bright veggies. Some of our favorite additions? Fresh grilled shrimp, bright red bell peppers, green edamame and chunks of tender, flavorful butternut squash.
Try Savor’s *NEW* Thai curry pastes!
Savor’s Thai curry pastes are made from high-quality, clean ingredients. Crafted in Thailand from a traditional family recipe, these labor-saving curry pastes provide authentic Thai flavors and save hours of kitchen prep and cooking. Try one in as little as one case in as little as two to four days!
Savor expanded our Asian offering a lot over the last year, including adding seaweed salad that’s ready to be used as a side, new sauces like sriracha and sambal, and cleaner, easier to use options for bamboo. We have ready-to-eat rices and Asian veggies that are hard to source. Savor’s full line of Asian ingredients are delicious, many are ready to use, and in stock at Dot Foods. Sounds like a win-win-win situation to us.