South East Asian Curries2023-10-26T10:00:24+01:00

South East Asian Curries

Think of South East Asia and you can’t help thinking of South East Asian Curries – imagine flavour, colour and intensity by the bucket. The unmistakable cuisine of this diverse region is amongst the finest in the food World. A cornucopia of flavours, mixing tradition with historical and colonial influences to create distinct cuisines loved the world over.

The cuisine of South East Asia is as diverse as any but it’s perhaps the curries that we all hold in the highest esteem. Complex, spice-laden sauces that have been beguiling locals and visitors alike for centuries. We explore here only a tiny selection of The Curries of South East Asia – I hope you enjoy and create some yourself.

The Curries of South East Asia

My love of spice is well documented at Cook Eat World. I use spice almost daily and think about it even more. Not an hour goes by when I don’t ponder about my next chilli or fragrant fix.

So what defines a curry? Well, anything in a ‘Kari’ or sauce. Vegetables, seafood, meat and even fruit can all be found in delicious sauces from Bangkok to Jakarta – from Bali to Malaysia with every tasty slurp in between.

If I’m craving a spice hit, I know the sauces of Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia can deliver a fiery heat I’m after – but If I’m feeling more mellow, my thoughts travel to Myannmar, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and to their milder, fragrant stews and soups.

From Thailand, the famous green curry, red curry and yellow curries offer a virtual dial of spice tolerance – one for every mood. Staying in Thailand the Panang Curry offers a spicy hit of flavour, while the milder Massaman delivers an intensity of fragrance that is almost too much to bear!

The curries of Singapore and Malaysia are amongst my favourites. Kapitan Curry offers a fragrant, lemongrass flavour while the simple Chicken Curry that pairs with the traditional flaky Roti Canai bread strays into “last-meal” request territory!

Staying in Malaysia, we move on to perhaps one of my favourite curries, period. The Curry Laksa. Originating in Malaysia or Indonesia (nobody can agree), this is the food-stuff of dreams. A thin curry soup covers rice noodles and fried tofu and typically features seafood or chicken. It’s a taste sensation!

One curry that Indonesia can lay unequivocal claim to is the Beef Rendang. Stewed for hours using a mind boggling array of spices, The thick slick of reduced sauce clings to the melt-in-the-mouth hunks of meat. Delights!

In other regions the spice leans towards the fragrant. The curries and stews of Myanmar/Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam offer dishes for a milder palette. The classic Burmese Chicken Curry utilises ginger and lemongrass to great effect in delivering a particularly fragrant sauce.

As there are a number of former colonised countries in South East Asia, there are still traces of European cuisine throughout the region – most notably the Spanish influence in the Philippines which originated the Adobo (stew) – a Filipino’s beloved national dish.

Whatever your personal taste, the curries of South East Asia offer something for everyone. If you’re feeling tempted, I urge you to investigate some of the recipes here at Cook. Eat. Blog. and get your spice on!

My love of spice is well documented at Cook Eat World. I use it on an almost daily basis and think about it even more. Not an hour goes by when I don’t ponder about my next chilli fix.

So what defines a curry? Well, anything in a ‘Kari’ or sauce. Vegetables, seafood, meat and even fruit can all be found in delicious sauces from Bangkok to Jakarta – from Bali to Singapore with every tasty slurp in between.

If I’m craving a spice hit, I know the curries of Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia can deliver a fiery heat I’m after – but If I’m feeling more mellow, my thoughts travel to Myannmar, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and to their milder, fragrant stews and soups.

From Thailand, the famous green curry, red curry and yellow curries offer a virtual dial of heat tolerance – suited for every mood. Staying in Thailand the Panang Curry and Tom Yum Soup both offer spicy hit of flavour, while the milder Massaman delivers an intensity of fragrance that is almost too much to bear!

The curries of Singapore and Malaysia are amongst my favourites. Kapitan Curry offers a fragrant, lemongrass flavour while the simple Chicken Curry that pairs with the traditional flaky Roti Canai bread strays into “last-meal” request territory!

Staying in Malaysia, we move on to perhaps one of my favourite curries, period. The Curry Laksa. Originating in Malaysia or Indonesia (nobody can agree), this is the food-stuff of dreams. A thin curry soup covers rice noodles and fried tofu and typically features seafood or chicken. It’s a taste sensation!

One curry that Indonesia can lay unequivocal claim to is the Beef Rendang. Stewed for hours using a mind boggling array of spices, The thick slick of reduced sauce clings to the melt-in-the-mouth hunks of meat. Delights!

In other regions the spice leans towards the fragrant. The curries and stews of Myanmar/Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam offer dishes for a milder palette. The classic Burmese Chicken Curry utilises ginger and lemongrass to great effect in delivering a particularly fragrant sauce.

As there are a number of former colonised countries in South East Asia, there are still traces of European cuisine throughout the region – most notably the Spanish influence in the Philippines which originated the Adobo (stew) – a Filipino’s beloved national dish.

Whatever your personal taste, the curries of South East Asia offer something for everyone. If you’re feeling tempted, I urge you to investigate some of the recipes on Cook. Eat. Blog. and get your spice on!

The harmonious balance of sweet, sour, salt and spice is essential to any great South East Asian Curry Sauce.

When beginning your South East Asisn curry odyssey at home, whichever dish you tackle most most become easier the more familiar you become with some of the most commonly used ingredients – you’ll learn what each brings to the party and how each plays a part in creating the variety of flavours.

Stocking up on some the essential store cupboard items means you’ll always have the foundation from which you can create many curries. There’s a simple list to follow.

A useful piece of equipment you should have at your disposal is a pestle & mortar. I’ll help you make the pastes and powders essential to any tasty curry. Although some die-hard purists will disagree, you can also use modern technology to help with these tasks. I understand that not everyone has the desire in life to spend an hour sweating up a storm at the pestle and mortar!

All your curries can be cooked using a wok, so get yourself a good one and you’ll be ready to wok-and-roll (sorry!).

Store cupboard essentials

Stock up on some of the most useful ingredients to have on hand and you’ll be good to go:

  • Fish Sauce
  • Shrimp Paste
  • Dried Chillies
  • White pepper
  • Turmeric (powdered)
  • Coriander seeds
  • Star Anise
  • Fresh Kaffir lime and curry Leaves (freeze them)
  • Powdered lemongrass & galangal (sub. for fresh)

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When beginning your South East Asisn curry odyssey at home, whichever dish you tackle most most become easier the more familiar you become with some of the most commonly used ingredients – you’ll learn what each brings to the party and how each plays a part in creating the variety of flavours.

Stocking up on some the essential store cupboard items means you’ll always have the foundation from which you can create many curries. There’s a simple list to follow.

A useful piece of equipment you should have at your disposal is a pestle & mortar. I’ll help you make the pastes and powders essential to any tasty curry. Although some die-hard purists will disagree, you can also use modern technology to help with these tasks. I understand that not everyone has the desire in life to spend an hour sweating up a storm at the pestle and mortar!

All your curries can be cooked using a good quality wok, so get yourself a good one and you’ll be ready to wok-and-roll (sorry!).

Store cupboard essentials

Stock up on some of the most useful ingredients to have on hand and you’ll be good to go:

  • Fish Sauce (links direct to Amazon)
  • Shrimp Paste
  • Dried Chillies
  • White pepper
  • Turmeric (powdered)
  • Coriander seeds
  • Star Anise
  • Fresh Kaffir lime and curry Leaves (freeze them)
  • Powdered lemongrass and galangal (for when you forget fresh)
The Curries of South East Asia

Get your spice on! Choose your recipe.

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