Preparing a crab curry is an exercise in culinary diplomacy, wherein the challenge lies in negotiating the distinct flavors of land and sea into a cohesive understanding and capturing the perfect balance. This golden gastronomic horizon is where the delicate whispers of the ocean meet earth’s bold declarations – and at its core is a straightforward question: How do we craft a curry that testifies, via crab, to the ocean’s bounty, yet remains grounded in the earth’s aromatic flora, with roots like galangal and turmeric?
In addition, it is challenging to create a curry that is luxuriously creamy, yet light and not too greasy; where the crab’s delicate natural sweetness surfaces as a pleasant sea breeze, levitating above the pitfalls of being too fishy or overly sweetened. Another hurdle is achieving the precise color – produced by red chilies, golden turmeric and peppercorns – that reflects the culinary traditions of southern seashore fishing communities. I like mine set to about a 70:30 ratio of yellow to red and, if using black peppercorns, with a deep brown undertone.
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In coastal communities and in Siamese cuisine, smoke-dried fish (ปลาย่างรมควัน) is a staple that preserves well and is easy to prepare. Freshwater fish such as snakehead fish (ปลาช่อน), iridescent shark catfish (ปลาสวาย), and various species of gourami (ปลาฉลาด), as well as sheatfishes (ปลาเนื้ออ่อน) or pla soi – a small freshwater fish in the Cyprinidae family (ปลาสร้อย) – are cleaned and marinated in a mixture of salt and sugar, and then smoked over a fire fueled by charcoal and rice straw. The hot-smoke process continues until the fish are thoroughly dried, a process that infuses the fish with phenolic compounds, which are natural preservatives and potent antioxidants that prevent the rancidity of fish lipids. The fish’s savoriness, coupled with the smoky flavor, acts as a culinary mediator between the oceanic flavors of the seafood and the earthy and spicy elements of the curry paste. It must be noted that the taste of the smoked fish should never overpower the palate and should remain in the distant layers of the dish.
Spring onions, added for their distinct herbal qualities, complete the dish. The mild, sweet and slightly pungent aroma of the spring onion complements the heat from the peppercorns and the spiciness of the chilies, adding a final layer of complexity to the dish and gracefully rounding out the interplay between heat and sweetness.
[Add] | [Omit] |
---|---|
Fresh turmeric (ขมิ้นชัน) | |
smoke-dried fish (all varieties) (ปลาย่างรมควัน) | |
black peppercorns (พริกไทยดำ) |
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Ingredients
- 400 gr steamed crab meat (เนื้อปูนึ่ง)
- 1 cup spring onion (ต้นหอม) sliced into segments
- 1/2 cup coconut cream (หัวกะทิ)
- coconut milk (หางกะทิ) as needed
- chicken stock (น้ำสต๊อกไก่) as needed
For the curry paste:
- 1 tablespoon dried Thai bird’s eye chili (phrik kee noo) (พริกขี้หนูแห้ง) used dry
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (เกลือทะเล)
- 2 tablespoons lemongrass (ตะไคร้)
- 1 tablespoon galangal (ข่า) thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon kaffir lime zest (ผิวมะกรูด)
- 1 teaspoon coriander roots (รากผักชี) scraped, washed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon Thai garlic (กระเทียมไทย)
- 1 1/2 tablespoon shallots (หอมแดง)
- 1/3 tablespoon fresh turmeric (ขมิ้นชัน) about 10 thin slices
- 1 teaspoon fermented shrimp paste (kapi)(กะปิย่างไฟ) grilled
- 1 1/2 tablespoons smoke-dried fish (all varieties) (ปลาย่างรมควัน)
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns (พริกไทยดำ) roasted and ground
Seasoning:
- 1 1/2 parts fish sauce (น้ำปลา)
- 1/2 part palm sugar (น้ำตาลมะพร้าว) optional
Instructions
Prepare the crab:
- Clean and steam the crab.
- Extract only the meat.
Prepare the curry paste:
- Start by pounding the dried chilies.
- Gradually add the other ingredients, moving from the driest to the wettest.
- Pound the paste until it is smooth with a rounded aroma.
Cooking the curry:
- In a brass wok, heat coconut cream until it thickens.
- Add the prepared curry paste.
- Fry the paste until it loses its rawness.
- Add plain water to stop the frying before too much oil separates; in contrast to spicy curry, it is important to minimize oil separation at this stage.
- Add chicken stock to achieve your desired consistency.
Seasoning:
- Start by adding fish sauce for saltiness.
- Once satisfied with the saltiness, add palm sugar as indicated.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Final steps:
- Add coconut cream and the prepared crab meat.
- Warm the meat through.
- Add spring onions, sliced into 1.5-inch (4 cm) lengths.
c1933 Water-based spicy curry of fatty chicken and seven spices (แกงเผ็ดไก่น้ำมัน พ.ศ. 2476; gaaeng phet gai naam man)
This water-based, spicy chicken curry is made with corn-yellow rendered chicken fat instead of coconut cream. Dark reddish-brown in color, this full-bodied and fatty beak-to-tail curry presents the chicken identity and personality in both a corporeal and tasty manner. Spices such as cardamom, nutmeg, mace and clove are added into the curry paste to temper the gamey-irony flavor of the offal and deodorize the meat, resulting in a luscious dish that is beautifully layered with textures and flavors.
c1908 Fermented rice noodles and golden coconut chicken sauce with an Indian flair (ขนมจีนแขก หรือ ไก่ต้มขนมจีน ; khanohm jeen khaaek)
A gold-tinted coconut-based broth featuring chicken simmered with a generous amount of galangal and turmeric. Warm, silky and soothing, the broth is served over fermented […]
The Contrasting Histories of Gaaeng Rawaaeng (แกงระแวง) – Turmeric-Infused Coconut-Based Thick Curry of Braised Duck and Lemongrass
Gaeng rawang (แกงระแวง) is a curry bearing an unusual name and contradictory accounts regarding its appearance, lineage and origins. When I cook this dish, it is a rich and thick coconut-based curry made with a paste of fresh chilies, aromatics, spices and generous amounts of fresh turmeric, which adds warmth and gives the green chili color a slightly earthier, muted tone that resonates beautifully with the duck meat.
The duck meat is prepared separately and slow-braised in coconut cream before being cooked in the curry. This slow-braising process allows the coconut cream and duck’s fattiness to melt together, resulting in moist and flavorful meat with a hint of sweetness. The curry itself is seasoned to a salty and slightly sweet flavor profile.
Khanohm Jeen Naam Ngiaao – Shan-Style Tomato Broth over Fermented Rice Noodles with Pork, Chicken Feet and Chicken Blood Cakes (ขนมจีนน้ำเงี้ยว)
A popular noodle dish originating from the Northern region of the Kingdom, khanohm jeen naam ngiaao (ขนมจีนน้ำเงี้ยว) is characterized by its light – yet profound – multi-layered broth. This hearty broth includes an assortment of proteins braised with the dried pollens of cotton tree flowers, and Northern Thai sour cherry tomatoes (มะเขือส้ม); the tomatoes infuse the broth with a subtle tartness that refreshes a full-bodied profile comprising a multitude of fermented ingredients.
The naam ngiaao broth is served over fermented rice noodles and features minced pork, and braised baby back pork ribs with their tender meat clinging to the bone. As well, there are succulent, slow-cooked whole chicken feet, and cubes of slightly bouncy, mauve-hued chicken blood cakes. Served alongside the soup are various toppings, which can include shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, chopped coriander leaves, and spring onions, while dark red chili oil and glossy, charred-fried dried bird’s eye chilies offer a fiery intensity dialed up to your preferred spiciness. In addition, I like to add wok-smoked sour cherry tomatoes and broom-like, crispy-fried dried cotton tree pollen for a surprising textural contrast.
Though the dish is often described as “Shan style”, the word ‘ngiao’ was a derogatory expression for the Shan people. As the disparaging – and outdated – label suggests, the recipe might reflect societal biases and prejudices; thus, at least from the culinary perspective, the ‘ngiao’ in the name of the dish may simply be a nod to the flavors or ingredients favored by The Shan, rather than a claim of authenticity – which could also explain why the dish is based on a Siamese curry paste.
c1908 Haaw Mohk steamed savory curried cakes featuring crab meat, chicken, and pork (ห่อหมกทรงเครื่อง อย่างท่านผู้หญิงเปลี่ยน ภาสกรวงศ์ แม่ครัวหัวป่าก์ พ.ศ. 2451 ; haaw mohk sohng khreuuang)
This festive and rich recipe is for a coconut-based haaw mohk featuring chicken, crab and pork meats. This recipe was chosen from the various versions available at the time by Lady Plean Passakornrawong, for inclusion in her epic cookbook Maae Khruaa Huaa Bpaa (MKHP) (ท่านผู้หญิงเปลี่ยน ภาสกรวงศ์ตำราแม่ครัวหัวป่าก์).
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