Hi everyone,
I’m trying to understand something I’ve noticed quite clearly after traveling in Thailand.
On vacation in Thailand, I ate a lot of red curries in restaurants. They were flavorful, aromatic, and clearly authentic, but noticeably less spicy than what I’ve been able to recreate at home.
At home I use Mae Ploy red curry paste and follow the Hot Thai Kitchen recipe. I only use about 1 tablespoon of paste for 2 people, and I also add more coconut milk than the recipe suggests to try to soften the heat. Even with that adjustment, and even when I reduce the paste further, the result still comes out significantly spicier than what I experienced in Thai restaurants.
So I have two related questions:
- Between Mae Ploy, Nittaya, and Aroy-D, which red curry paste is generally considered the mildest in terms of heat?
- More importantly: how do Thai restaurants actually make their curries milder without losing authenticity?
I’m specifically curious about the techniques used in restaurants, for example:
- Do they use a different ratio of curry paste to coconut milk than home recipes (beyond just “more coconut milk”)?
- Do they dilute or cook down the paste in a specific way before adding liquid?
- Are there restaurant-specific versions of curry paste that are less chili-heavy?
- Do they remove or reduce certain chili components from the paste, or modify it during frying in oil?
- Or do they adjust heat per dish in a more systematic way while keeping the same base flavor profile?
Right now it feels like there’s a gap between home cooking and restaurant results, even when I already reduce paste and increase coconut milk.
Any insight from people who’ve worked in Thai kitchens or really understand restaurant prep would be appreciated.