Among the staples of Thai cuisine is the creamy and spicy red curry sauce. Most people think this curry is blended in with tofu, vegetables, or fish and served on a steaming bed of rice.
And yes, the red curry sauce is healthy when used in moderation. Too much of it is not good for your body because it’s high in calories and fat on account of it’s coconut milk content.
Generally, a large numbers of the the ingredients used in Thai food, as well as in Thai curry paste, have therapeutic properties that have long time ago been used in conventional Thai natural remedies.
When it is unopened and kept in a cool and dim place, the curry paste can last for a long time(a couple of years). When opened, then you can preserve it keeping it in your fridge – this can make it last for two weeks to two months.
Does curry paste need to be cooked?
Have you ever wondered why it’s not suitable to devour curry pastes uncooked? Yes, do make a dish with uncooked curry paste whenever you use it on regardless of whether you store it in a refrigerator.
For maximum enjoyment, you can cook your curry paste with veggies or meat, and thereafter mix it with different ingredients.
Soups with the Thai curry paste in them, are for the most part, don’t require longer simmering since the paste is well sufficient. You can also add the Thai curry with coconut milk to your soup, since this flavor is rich and tasty.
How then can I cook my curry paste?
Follow the simple steps below:
- Fry some onions in hot oil until they are soften.
- Poir the curry paste and cool careful for a couple of minutes.
- Now add your veggies and meat then cook until fixed.
- At the end, add some water then leave for 15 minutes to simmer.
That’s it!
Does Thai curry paste need to be fried?
Apart from the fact that the Thai curry paste can’t be consumed uncooked, you can do other things with it. This means you can also fry the paste, if that’s what you desire.
As a wet spicy blended with different herbs and aromatic ingredients, the curry curry paste tastes nice when fried. Since the flavors come raw, it should be fried in hot oil when used.
The oil in the curry paste also comes with most package which can make frying faster. Cooking different pastes in heated oils give aromatics outcome without getting burnt.
The important stage here is to fry the curry paste, regardless of whether it’s acquired from the store or it’s homemade.
Can you eat red curry paste raw?
It’s mostly unappealing to eat the red curry paste raw. The best way to enjoy this curry paste is to cook it, regardless of the flavour.
Note that most flavors of curry should be warmed for their aroma to be properly activated. So, going raw on the paste skips this experience.
Who wants to taste a raw ginger or garlic in their curry? Only few, maybe. It’s simply boring. Give your curry paste a decent simmer after adding your curry powder or paste and you would fully awaken the spicy aroma.
The spicy red curry is rich in ingredients like vegetables, tofu, and fish, flows good with rice. It’s perfectly nice for cooking meats.
However, the only appropriate way to use the red curry raw is when it’s being used to dress salad. For a plate spicy salad, you may slightly mix the red curry paste with a vinaigrette.
You can also whisk it into yogurt or mayonnaise for a creamier salad. The raw red curry paste can also be useful on cold noodle salads and a plunge for raw vegetables.
Add to your dressing some acid – think like lime juice or vinegar. Sweeteners can be added if necessary.
Can you add curry paste after cooking?
You can may attempt to add more flavors to your food while cooking. However, the full effect of your curry will be reduced if you add it after cooking.
A portion of the aubergine in your curry won’t be activated should you add it when you are done with cooking. Therefore, the best time to add you flavored curry is when your are cooking or heating it with oil before cooking.
Many curry flavors from India often have the following ingredients in them – turmeric, ginger, chili, and cumin. They also have a liberal measure of garlic, garam masala, and coriander powder.
You may often come across the term ‘curry powder’ as an ingredient used instead of garam masala – yes they look similar but not often the same.
You may still need to extra chill powder to your curry, according to your level of spice tolerance.
Note that most flavors of curry should be warmed before they can truly deliver their spice and aroma. Adding them cold limit their full potentials. It’s also important to simmer your content after adding your curry powder or garlic. This fully activates the spicy and tasty effects.
Does thai kitchen red curry paste need to be refrigerated after opening?
The Thai Kitchen red curry paste should be refrigerated after opening it. The same goes for the green curry paste. Shrimp is one of the ingredients of the two pastes.
You will always find two dates on the cover of the paste – the date it was manufactured and when it would expire. The expiry date is usually up to two years after its manufacturing date.
For proper preservation, it is advisable to keep both the green and red curry paste in the refrigerator whenever it’s opened. When little quantity is used, you can store the remaining content in a container to make it last for weeks or months. You may also freeze the Thai Kitchen red curry laste.
Some people reported that once the paste is opened, it can keep you going for six months or a year if stored in the fridge. The paste will stay malleable even while it’s been frozen.
When you purchase the curry paste, you can straighten it out as uniformly as it can be. Then cut it with a blade for use. You can use some of the content for dinner and put the rest in a container.
You can also store the paste in the vegetable cabinet at the lower part of your refrigerator. It will be store for quite a long time without having any bad odor.
What is the shelf life of red curry paste?
The expiry dates for most curry pastes can be tricky, the same is true of the red curry paste. Some people don’t care about the expiring date of a spicy curry while others may be concerned about its health implication after it’s expired.
Well, most curry pastes are still very active after their expiry dates, particularly when they are unopened. Indeed, curry pastes that were opened and refrigerated will endure past its expiring dates – but their active ingredients won’t be as solid as a the new ones.
Your main concern should be if a curry paste is safe for consumption or not, which can be slightly tricky too. The imprinted expiring dates may not be very accurate. Other conditions are needed, although what the FDA recommends is safer.
An unopened red curry paste that is carefully kept in a cool space is often safer and better for consumption (even after its expiry date) than the one that has been opened and refrigerated.
How about really consuming an expired red curry paste? How safe is it? Well, there is no single answer to this question. The storage method matters in this case as well as the state of the paste before it expires. To be on a safer side, only use red curry pastes within the allocated period of expiry.
How do you store open Thai curry paste?
It’s important to properly store your Thai curry after it has been opened. This will preserve it’s active contents.
In order to preserve an opened curry paste, transfer it to a clean screw-top jar. Next, cover it with a layer of oil and keep in the fridge.
To freeze curry paste, spoon it into ice-cube trays and freeze. You can transfer it to a sealable plastic bag and freeze for up to three months.
To tell whether a paste has gone bad, there are different methods you can use. One is excessive moisture, this is an indicator that your curry may be going bad. Also a bad flavor shows it’s going bad. Finally, a flat taste is a key indicator, when the curry paste lost its good taste.
It’s not hard to understand how to use varieties of curry, especially the pastes. They come in different flavors with amazing spicy effects.
With good storage in place, an opened curry can last for weeks and even months. For best results, always cook or fry your curry pastes before use. You can also enjoy different flavored spices cooked in meats or veggies.