Find the perfect pairing for your next Thai meal at home
One of our favourite travel dishes we have brought home to our own kitchen is Thai Curry; Green Curry, Red Curry, Massaman Curry, they are all winners in our household.
Thai curries have distinctive flavours; sweet, sour, hot, salty. The predominant ingredient they all have in common though is curry paste, which usually includes a combination of chillies, onions, garlic, lemongrass and shrimp paste, as well as many other fragrant elements giving each its distinct colour and flavouring.
Whilst you can control to some extent the spiciness of your dish by the extra ingredients you add, such as whole dried chilies, much of the heat is there in that curry paste already.
Certainly, not all Thai food is spicy, but our focus in this article is on perfectly pairing your drinks to those spicier Thai dishes; you do not want the drink to overpower dish but sit in harmony with those beautiful Thai flavours.
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What is traditionally drunk with Thai food?
Whilst you’ve probably knocked back a Singha or two with your curry in Thailand, most Thai natives are unlikely to drink alcohol with their food. They would prefer a traditional tea or jasmine-infused water.
But, I know, I know, I subscribe to the theory of wanting something to cut through the burning sensation that a fiery curry can leave on the pallet. No amount of water is going to shift that chemical reaction of capsaicin!
Thai meals are normally enjoyed with various courses served together, so you will find both salty and spicy as well as quite sweet dishes in one sitting – picking just one perfect accompaniment (let alone which dish to dig into first) can be tough!
Here’s our guide to perfect pairings to try next time you are putting on a Thai night, or struggling to choose from a Thai menu.