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When it comes to Thai cuisines, red curry and green curry are popular favorites regardless of their differences. But which is hotter red or green curry?
While the dish’s spiciness varies based on the chef, red curry is generally hotter than green curry. Red curry is also more versatile, while green has more unique flavors.
The major difference between red curry vs green curry is the color, which is due to the different ingredients used in the curries!
The red curry uses a base paste made from dry red chilies, while the green paste uses coriander roots and green chilies, which gives it a sweeter and less spicy taste.
Red Curry
Red curry is a spicy curry made from red curry paste and coconut milk. This curry sometimes includes chicken, pork, duck, shrimp, beef, or tofu. Sometimes, they are even made with fish pieces.
The red curry paste usually consists of dry red spur chilies, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, galangal or ginger, shallots, coriander root and seeds, cumin seeds, lemongrass, and shrimp paste. The shrimp paste, however, is quite strong, so it should be used carefully.
When making homemade red curry paste, you can add a few drops of fish sauce to achieve that salty umami flavor.
If you do not want your red curry to pack too much heat or if you can’t find dried red Thai chilies in your location, there’s no need to fret. Simply add a spoonful or two of tomato paste to the curry to give it the red color and make it subtly sweet.
You can make red curry paste from scratch, but the process is quite lengthy, and it requires lots of preparation; sourcing the ingredients may also pose a challenge.
So to keep things budget-friendly and less time-consuming, it is best to purchase ready-made red curry paste in a jar but keep in mind that you abound to achieve a better tasting curry when you use homemade paste.
Thai red curry is usually paired with rice, but it can also be paired with other popular dishes like Thai turkey meatballs or some delicious white fish. You can also add some peanut butter to the red curry for that delightful nutty flavor.
Green Curry
Green curry is Thai sweet curry that is made from green chilies, coriander roots, and coconut milk. Green curry is usually a lot much milder than red curry, but it does have a strong flavor.
Green curry can be paired with white fish, chicken, prawns, turkey, or tofu. Green curry is usually paired with other green vegetables like broccoli, green peppers, sugar peas, or white vegetables like baby corn or cauliflower.
Green curry can be made with fish or chicken; however, it should definitely not be paired with beef.
Which Is Hotter Red Or Green Curry?
Generally, red curry is a lot spicier and hot compared to green curry. So, if you can’t handle too much spiciness, you may want to keep away from red curry.
Green curry has a more subtle and gentle taste, but this, however, is dependent on the cook; every curry is different, and the cook might decide to make the green curry with a generous amount of green chilies.
So it’s always a good idea to ask just how spicy the curry is beforehand. Red curry has various spice levels, but it is generally considered a spicy curry. It may be prepared to have subtle heat elements or a head-blowing heat.
But generally, the red curry is always hotter than the green curry. To better understand these two popular and delicious curries, let’s break them down even further.
