Curries are an important part of Thai cuisine and refer to both the dish as well as the curry paste used to make the dish. There are three main types of Thai curries—red, yellow, and green—which are categorized by the color of the curry paste. The color of the chilies and other ingredients gives each curry its distinct hue. Show
Traditionally, all Thai curries were made with the same ingredients except for one thing: the chilies. Red curry was made with several red chilies for a fiery hot dish, while green curry was made with green chilies and yellow curry was made with yellow chilies. In Thailand, these chilies have slightly different taste characteristics in addition to their color. Over time, however, other ingredients have been added to the curry pastes to enhance each recipe, making them more distinct from one another. Although all three colors may be spicy-hot depending on the chef, normally green is the mildest and red the hottest with yellow falling somewhere in between. Green CurryThe Spruce / Diana Chistruga Green curry is considered the most popular curry in Thai cuisine. The green color of Thai green curry sauce has become more vibrant over the years with the addition of fresh coriander (cilantro), makrut lime leaf and peel, and basil. These herbs are combined with fresh green chilies and several other ingredients such as lemongrass, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, and shallots. Two common recipes featuring green curry paste (kreung gaeng keo wahn) are Thai green curry with chicken or beef and fish dumplings. Green curry may be the most distinct Thai curry as it is the most different from other countries' curries. Watch Now: Healthy Thai Green Curry Paste RecipeRed CurryThe Spruce / Cara Cormack Red Thai curry paste has more or less remained the same over time, with traditional Thai chefs adding up to 20 red chilies to give it that red color and make it spicy. However, some modern chefs prefer to reduce the number of chilies in exchange for chili powder and sometimes tomato sauce, which have the added benefit of enhancing the red color as well as imparting a deeper flavor. The Spruce / Cara Cormack The most versatile of the curry pastes, red curry paste (kreung gaeng phet daeng) is found in a wide range of dishes, from Thai red curry with chicken to baked salmon in Thai red curry sauce. Both of these recipes incorporate coconut milk in the sauce along with the curry paste, which includes garlic, spices, galangal, and shrimp paste along with the red chilies. Watch Now: The Best Homemade Red Curry PasteYellow CurryThe Spruce / Nyssa Tanner Yellow curry paste (nam prik gaeng karee) has a mild, somewhat sweet taste with a little bit of spice. In addition to the turmeric, curry powder is pounded combined with coriander seeds, cumin, lemongrass, galangal or ginger, garlic, and yellow or red chili. The paste is often combined with coconut milk and used in fish stews. The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner As in traditional Indian curry, Thai yellow curry includes turmeric as one of the vital ingredients, giving the curry its typical golden-yellow hue. In fact, some Thai yellow curries resemble Indian curry in appearance while remaining distinctly Thai in taste. Other Types of Thai CurryThere are numerous other types of Thai curry in addition to red, yellow, and green. These include Massaman curry, Penang curry, and sour curry. The Spruce / Diana Chistruga
The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
Thai food is popular all over the world, and the myriad types of Thai curries are some of the most beloved. Usually served with hot, steamed rice, yellow, green and red Thai curries can be cooked with all kinds of
vegetables, meat or seafood. They’re so versatile that these pastes, made from fresh herbs and spices, can also be used to marinate or add a quick flavour bomb to any dish. The difference between each of these colourful curries may be confusing to some, but we’ll be running through their different core ingredients and flavour profiles to help you find your go-to Thai curry.  Yellow CurryThe ingredient that gives this Thai curry variety its characteristic yellow hue is of course turmeric. While Thai yellow curry combines a whole range of fragrant, fresh herbs and dried spices, it's much milder than its green and red cousins, because there's usually not as much chilli. Word of caution: Turmeric will stain everything, so you'll want to wear gloves if you're making your own yellow curry paste. Check out our Prawn Yellow Curry recipe for a quick and easy midweek dinner. Green CurryIf you can handle the heat, then go for a Thai green curry. With incredibly aromatic ingredients like fresh green chillies, coriander, kaffir lime and Thai basil, you know you're going to get a delicious Thai dish no matter what. Although the coconut milk tones down the spice, you've been warned that green curries are usually the spiciest of the three curries we've listed here. Take a look at our from-scratch Thai Chicken Green Curry recipe! Red CurryThai red curries are usually spicier than yellow curries but less spicy than green ones. It’s the red chillies in the paste that lend their colour to this curry. The fiery heat from the chillies are toned down by the coconut milk, but you could even scrape out the seeds and inner white flesh from your chillies to create a milder paste. Feel free to swap out the bird's eye chillies for long chillies if they're too hot for you. If you're a red curry fan, we reckon you'll love our Thai Red Curry Fish Cakes recipe! Which is hotter red or yellow curry?Although all three colors may be spicy-hot depending on the chef, normally green is the mildest and red the hottest with yellow falling somewhere in between.
Is yellow or red curry sweeter?Yellow curries have a sweet yet mildly spicy taste. Red Curry is spicy, with peanut undertones and a garlic taste. Green curry tastes sweet, spicy yet creamy, and fresh.
Which Thai curry is the hottest?Named after it's vivid colour, Thai green curry contains an array of vegetables and coconut milk to cut through the spice. Made from young chillies, basil and coriander to give it its vibrant colour, the Thai Green Curry is considered the hottest, and is a fond favourite for those who adore Thai food.
Which color curry is the mildest?Yellow curry is the mildest and often made with coriander, cumin, lemongrass ginger, garlic, and yellow or red chili.
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What is the difference between red curry and yellow curry?
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