How Do Thai Curries Differ from Indian Curries
                     H O W  D O  T H A I   
C U R R I E S  D I F F E R   
F R O M  I N D I A N   
C U R R I E S ?
Curries are the ultimate love. I believe that this is for almost 
every other  person on the earth. If you are wondering about 
the reasons, then there are  plenty of them. Primarily curries 
are liked because these are easy to savor,  super delicious in 
taste, and go well with anything that you may like.
For instance, Indian curries of almost all sorts pair the best with 
rice or Indian  bread. The same goes for Thai curries too.
Curries are packed with flavors and spices, and why to forget 
the immense  dose of love from our chefs in curries of Mint 
and Basil, the Best Pan-Asian  Restaurant in Hong Kong.
Whether it is a Thai curry or Indian curry, these both are just 
another reason  to enjoy the food with extra deliciousness and 
joy.
But first let us understand the basic definition.
WHAT IS CURRY?
Today, curry is not just a curry. It is a large term now, 
quite the  opposite of the alphabets it has. Curry is 
used to describe  different dishes in many different 
cuisines.
There are many types of curries but the famous of all 
are just two  i.e., Indian and Thai curries.
Even though both curries are broth-based dishes, these 
are made  with different ingredients and have entirely 
different flavors.
In this blog, I will talk about the differences between 
the two. But  before that let us see curries in detail.
Curry, generally means any food that comes from Asia 
(especially  from India and Thailand). Curries have a 
soupy or stew-like  consistency and these are often 
eaten with rice, noodles, or  bread, depending on the 
country of origin.
You would be surprised to know that for both Indian 
and Thai, the  word curry was referred by the British. It 
is believed that the  British anglicized the word “KARI”- 
the name of a specific South  Indian gravy dish.
The word curry now is used for almost every Indian 
dish which  has gravy. The same goes for Thai cuisi
nes too.
TYPES OF CURRIES
As already said above, the word curry has a wide 
spectrum. There  are a lot of dishes that are covered 
under curries.
Indian curries include fish curry, chicken curry, lamb 
curry, veg  curry, and egg curry.
Out of all egg curry and chicken curry are probably the 
most  popular versions of the dish. However, both are 
cooked differently  depending upon the region.
For instance, in South, people add coconut milk, 
tamarind, and even  curry leaves to the curries. In Goa 
and Kerala, fish curry is relished.  Fresh ocean fish is 
added to a spicy and flavorful red gravy.
In the Northern India, chicken curry while in the rest of 
the country,  egg curry and veg curry are commonly 
served.
When it comes to Thai curry, there are green, red, 
and yellow  curries. Out of all these three curries, 
green curry is often the  spiciest.
Thai yellow curry is often the sweetest and mildest. 
Whereas,  green curry has a hot and bright flavor 
because of the ingredients  like chilies and fresh citrus 
fruit.
Red Thai curry is also spicy but at the same time, it has 
a hearty rich  flavor as well.
Needless to say, the taste of the two dishes varies only 
because of  different ingredients used in the Indian and 
Thai curries.
SIMILARITY
Both Indian and Thai curries have broth or sauce. But what differs is the base of the broth and 
sauce.
Basic Preparation Differences
Thai curries are cooked by using curry paste which includes ingredients such as ginger, fresh 
chilies, lemongrass,  shrimp paste, lime, garlic, shallots, and more.
Then the curry paste is added to a pan with some oil. Both are sautéed and then coconut milk 
with vegetables, fish  sauce, and meats are added.
In Thai curries, red chilies are used whereas in Green Thai curry, you will find green chilies. 
Chicken and fish are also  added as common meats
In Indian curries, the base is often made from tomatoes and onions which are sauteed until soft. 
The gravy is then  seasoned with dry spices such as cumin, coriander powder, turmeric, red 
chili powder, and cinnamon.
In South India, people in some areas also add coconut milk to their curries, while most other 
regions many people  don’t. Rather they add yogurt, water, cream or even butter.
Indian curries are either vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Vegetarian curries include a lot of 
veggies and non-veg  curries often include chicken, fish, or mutton.
FLAVOR PROFILES ARE DIFFERENT
Because both Thai and Indian curries use different ingredients, these will obviously 
will have different  flavors.
But let us see, how and what makes both the dishes different.
As both the dishes are called curry and are made in Asia, these have flavors that 
couldn’t be more  distinct from one another.
THAI  CURRIES
These curries often have a thinner consistency and 
a brighter  flavor.
When you eat Thai curry, you will get to taste fresh 
herbs and  bright citrusy hints from lime leaves and 
lemongrass.
When you eat Indian curries, you will get a velvety 
flavor with thick  consistency. The Indian curries are 
best known as stew.
Thai curries are light and bright. Indian curries are 
heavy and  savory.
In Indian curry, you are most likely to get the taste of 
rich Indian  spices like cloves, cinnamon, cumin, and 
turmeric.
THAI   CURRY INCLUDES  COCONUT  MILK
Many Thai curries contain coconut milk whereas very few Indian curries do so.
Coconut milk is used as a base liquid. For a good Thai curry, it is important to use the 
right and good quality  coconut milk.
Although coconut milk adds a slight thickness yet it helps in keeping the soup-like 
consistency of the dish.  In India it is not very common to add coconut milk but in North 
India, people often only add water or a small  amount of cream, ghee or butter.
To thicken the consistency of the curry, most Indians also use blended onions or 
tomatoes.  South Indians are more likely to include coconut milk in their curries 
to give a hint of sweetness.  Spices to Start Indian Curry and Paste to Start 
Thai Curry
Indian curries are made by heating oil in the pan and then adding a combination of dry 
spices. Those are  toasted until fragrant.
The spices like cumin seeds, coriander powder, cinnamon, turmeric, and red chili 
powder are used. Many  people also use widely used spice called garam masala –  it is the 
mixture of around 10 spices.
Thai curry, on the other hand, is made by using coconut milk.
For both Thai curry and Indian curry, spices and masalas are available in the grocery store 
but at the Best Pan-  Asian Restaurant i.e., Mint and Basil, chef make these spices all by 
themselves.
Thai curry paste is made by mashing ingredients like fresh lemongrass, shrimp paste, 
ginger, and garlic in a  mortar.
THAI   CURRY IS SPICIER
Indian curry is creamier than Thai Curry. This is not to say that Indian curry is not spicy. It is! 
But in comparison  to Thai curry, Indian curry is less spicy.
If you do not like hot foods, then it is suggested to go for Thai yellow curry. It is mild and 
sweet whereas both  Red Thai and Green Thai curries are hot.
DAIRY PRODUCTS USED IN INDIAN 
CURRIES
Dairy products like clarified butter, ghee is used. These are added to the spices which are 
usually dried up.  Indian curries may also use ingredients like cream and yogurt to 
thicken the consistency.
Thai curries on the other hand do not use dairy products. Thai food is usually cooked in 
coconut oil and peanut  oil.
Indian Curry is Eaten with Basmati Rice and Thai Curry with Jasmine Rice
The heading itself explains. I would like to add here. Indian curries are also eaten with cooked 
Indian breads like  roti, naan, etc.
Curry leaves are sometimes used in Indian curries.
This is the last and one of the major differences i.e., the use of 
curry leaves.  Surprisingly, curry leaves are not used in all 
Indian curries.
On the other hand, Thai curries almost never use curry leaves. Instead, these use lime 
leaves and lemongrass  for a tangy flavour.
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Content Resource:
https://mintandbasil.hk/blog/how-do-thai-curries-differ
-from-indian-  curries