Gang Gai (แกงไก่)/Red Curry with Chicken and Bamboo Shoot

Although every supermarket is littered with cans of Thai curry pastes promising authenticity and deliciousness, there are only two brands available in the US you can trust, Mae Ploy and Mae Sri.  I prefer Mae Sri because they make curry pastes that come in a small can that is perfect for a curry that serves 4.  It is better to use the paste up than keeping the leftovers in the fridge.  Also, I find Mae Ploy is a bit too salty and I like to have some room in my cooking to season for myself.

Just as the same as curry paste, coconut milk, for me, needs to be from Thailand if you want your curry to be authentic. There are a lot of brands out there from a lot of different countries and some are low fat or fat free or were from powdered coconut milk so I would say try not try to use anything else, especially if first time cooking Thai curry.  Too fuzzy.  My uncle recommended trying sugar-free soy milk for health reasons but soy milk lacks the body and creaminess of coconut milk, not to mention the smell would be off and wouldn't really be Thai curry.  I say just use real coconut milk and enjoy life.

Now I need to talk about rice.  Thai people most commonly, if not always, eat jasmine rice.  You can tell when you are cooking real jasmine rich when the smell of the cooked rice permeates your entire house and makes it smell of jasmines. Jasmine rice is suitable for anything from Thai curries to even very simple fried rice, but for curries, there is really no substitute for good Thai jasmine rice with this beautiful chicken curry.  The slight flowery scent of the rice perfectly compliments the creaminess and spiciness of the curry, so don't you dare use any other types of rice.

Lastly, a lot of times my friends would ask me if they could substitute from bamboo shoots with something else.  Of course!  Some common vegetables that can be used are: Japanese Pumpkin or Kombucha (with skin on), Zucchini, Squash, Wintermelon (find it in Asian supermarkets), Japanese Eggplant, Okra, Bell pepper, or any type of vegetable that can hold up to being stewed for a bit and isn't too pungent itself.

- Daisy

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This is THE curry in our house.  It is my siblings' favorite (although I actually prefer green curry myself) and I swear when Darian walks into the house after school and smells this cooking on the stove, that little girl goes nuts.  It will be the only night when she will set the table without me having to scream up to her room multiple times, begging her to take some part in preparing dinner.  

This curry is also the one I would recommend curry novices start with.  Red curry is probably the most common and most palatable for people who didn't grow up eating curry and it is not terribly hard to master.  Most of the ingredients are common enough to find in your average supermarket so it is usually what I whip up for my friends when they ask for me to make them Thai curry.

So please, go for it!  Just avoid making the mistake of making it too sweet like many of the "Thai" restaurants in the US tend to do.  Thai cooking is an agressive balance of sweet, salty, sour and spicy, no just one of these.  And take my mom's advice and go get a small bag of jasmine rice.  If I find anyone eating this curry with basmati or sushi rice, heads will roll.  I mean it.

- Darin

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Gang Gai

แกงไก่

Red Curry with Chicken and Bamboo Shoot

Serves 4

1 Half Chicken Breast, chopped into big chunks
2 Chicken Legs with wings, separated
300g Bamboo Shoot (bag or canned), rinsed under hot tap water and dried
1/2 cup Thai basil (50-70g)
1-3 Red Finger Chili, cut 1" diagonally
7-8 leaves of Kaffir Lime leaves, chiffonade
1/2 tsp. Fish Sauce, preferably Thai
2 [8.5 fl oz] box Aroy-D Coconut Milk or 1 [19 fl oz] can Mae Ploy Coconut Milk
1/4 cup Veg. Oil
1 [4.5 oz] can Maesri Red Curry Paste
1 - 1 1/2 tsp Palm Sugar
Jasmine rice for serving

1) Heat up the oil in a pot and fry the red curry paste on low heat until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

2) Stir in chicken and fry to combine.

3) Pour in coconut milk and stir well. Turn the heat up to medium and bring to boil.  It might need a little time to fully thicken but try to hang loose close to your pot and keep stirring every so often to prevent burning.

4) As soon as it boils, throw in the red finger chili, kaffir lime leaves, palm sugar, fish sauce and bamboo shoot.  Stir and bring to boil again.

5) Stir in basil and then turn off the heat immediately.  Adjust to taste.

5) Garnish with some more red chili and Thai basil.  Serve with jasmine rice.