How do you make red curry paste red?

[RogerS]

All the recipes that I have for red curry paste (Thai - for example - to make red duck curry) have only one ingredient that is red and that's the red chillies.

But unless I want to eat the surface of the sun, the amount of chillies used results in a very wishy washy anaemic looking sauce. So is there a magic ingredient to add or a way to extract more red colouring from the chillies?

 

[Jake]

Authenticity is the surface of the sun, but why not try more of something further down the heat scale in the red capsicum line.

 

[bluezephyr]

My mates wife is working today, She'd know! but i cant contact her.
http://www.thai4uk.com/acatalog/shop.html
Im sure she wouldnt make her own and go for an easier way, Thai people not the most patient people!

As for eating the surface of the sun, If ever over there, Try a Papaya salad locally named as Somtam, Find the dodgiest looking street stall(sometimes the tastiest food though) and tuck in, Mouth on fire one day, in the morning a Jonny Cash song!

 

[wizer]

Proper red curry is not red in colour. If you have commercial red curry then it has had red colouring added. Other types of red curry normally contain a tomato base which gives it the colour or, indeed, colouring.

 

[Slim]

Paprika.

 

[bluezephyr]

Are we talking curry paste or curry alone? Agree with WiZer its more an orangey colour, The red part is from the chillies in it.

How about appetisers Roger? Chicken Satay has got to be my favourite

 

[Jake]

Som tam is great - my local thai delivery place does a splendid version - the heat just builds and builds and builds until you feel almost high on it.

I think Roger's point was that you do need quite a lot of red chillies to get something that doesn't just look like coconut milk - to get the orangeness takes a lot of bird-eyes, and it sounds like Roger is a bit of wuss.

 

[bluezephyr]

Will you be going to the Thai festival in London next Sunday Jake? Battersea park.

I cant do 'Pet maak Maa' I had a dodgy experience with eating too many spices

 

[RogerS]

Some good tips, thanks chaps.

Question - Where did chillies originally come from? No cheating and use the web!

Cheers

Roger - the wuss

 

[Jake]

South america isn't it? They were brought back by the Spanish, and then traded eastwards.

 

[Jake]

I didn't know about it BZeph, interesting. Not this year, but I assume it's annual?

 

[bluezephyr]

I am told its been going for a few years Jake, And theres a temple not far away in Wimbledon.

Am i going for a Q.I klaxon moment re: chillies ........ Chile

 

[Jake]

I think they are in same genus as potatoes, which seems bizarre.

 

[Jake]

Thai actually has has held on the pre-chillies seasoning more than, say, India - there are quite a few recipies which use pepper as the 'hot' spice - I've got a great recipe somewhere for spare ribs with garlic, fish sauce, white pepper and coriander root. Must dig it out and make it it again!

 

[RogerS]

South america isn't it? They were brought back by the Spanish, and then traded eastwards.

Correct although I thought it was the Portuguese.

The Scoville Heat Scale has some interesting entries. Look at the figure for police pepper spray.

http://www.chilliworld.com/FactFile/Scoville_Scale.asp