Red, Green & Yellow Curry: The Difference Explained | Yak Thai
Thai curries are an integral part of Thai cuisine and enjoy great popularity worldwide. They are characterized by their intense aromas and the use of fresh ingredients. In this post, we at Yak Thai take a closer look at the three best-known varieties: red, green, and yellow Thai curry.
We highlight the differences and similarities in terms of ingredients, regional origin, and preparation. This overview helps you better understand the diversity and uniqueness of each curry and find the right curry for your taste.
Red Thai Curry
Regions:
- Red curry is popular throughout Thailand, especially in Central and Southern Thailand.
Preparation:
- The red curry paste is cooked with coconut milk, meat (often chicken or beef), vegetables, and sometimes seafood. It is known for its intense spiciness and deep red color.
Special feature:
- Red curry paste is made with roasted red chilies, which make the paste appear somewhat "firmer".
Green Thai Curry
Regions:
- Green curry is particularly widespread in Central and Southern Thailand.
Preparation:
- The green curry paste is also prepared with coconut milk, meat (often chicken or fish), vegetables, and fresh herbs. It is the spiciest of the three curries and has a bright green color. Green curry has the highest liquid content of all curries; it tends to be more like a soup.
Special feature:
- The green curry paste is made with fresh green chilies, which make the finished paste appear somewhat more liquid, similar to pesto.
Yellow Thai Curry
Regions:
- Yellow curry is particularly popular in Southern Thailand and among Muslim communities.
Preparation:
- The yellow curry paste is cooked with coconut milk, meat (often chicken), potatoes, and sometimes vegetables. It is the mildest of the three curries and has a yellow color that is mainly created by turmeric.
Special feature:
- Opinions are divided when it comes to yellow curry. What is yellow curry? There are various versions of yellow curry paste, which makes it difficult to define the yellow curry. Panaeng, Khao Soi, Jungle Curry, Gaeng Liang, or Khua Kling. All these pastes are yellow or lean slightly towards yellow-orange.
Similarities of the Curry Pastes:
Aside from their differences, the red, yellow, and green curry pastes also have similarities, which we will now show you.
- Base ingredients: All three curries contain similar base ingredients such as garlic, shallots (or red onions), lemongrass, galangal, and shrimp paste.
- Coconut milk: They are generally prepared with coconut milk, which gives the curries their creamy consistency. The only exception here is Khua Kling Curry, which is prepared without coconut milk.
- Versatility: They can be prepared with various types of meat, seafood, fish, or tofu.
- Aromas: All three curries offer a complex blend of spicy, sweet, and savory aromas that are typical of Thai cuisine
