Thai curries without coconut milk?

[MeGoDanceNow 4,281]

Hi gents,

 

Heading back to the real world (Pattaya, where the women can see how hansum I am) next week. I'll be joined by a few friends later on who've been to Thailand many times.

 

I've been asked to find a restaurant that serves Thai curries made without coconut milk. I read somewhere that Thai curries used to have no coconut milk, they were thickened with the spices themselves. But coconut milk is a cheap filler so it is used widely even though it is not "the real deal."

 

 

So two questions:

 

Do you know of any restaurants that serve a good Thai curry without coconut milk? Could be anything from a food stall to a three-star restaurant, in Pattaya or in Bangkok.

 

Where should I go online to get this kind of info? Is TripAdvisor the best source?

 

Thanks!

[tallguy 1,479]

Gaeng bpaa, (jungle curry), is originally from the North of Thailand and does not contain coconut milk. They sell it at the hole in the wall on Soi Buakhau and I expect it is widely available elsewhere, There are also versions of Tom Yum which do not have coconut milk, (check out Wikipedia).

[Kev 178]

Yep my wife is from Chaiyaphum - Northeast Thailand - and all her food doesn't contain coconut milk (even though I like it myself) so I would suggest to ask for Issan curries perhaps in different places.

 

BTW that jungle curry is very nice and spicy and tastes delicious, not a fan of Tom Yum without coconut milk though.

[atlas2 4,329]

Pad pric gang gai ...... I think!

I eat it often ..... could be some coconut in there.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

As others have said, jungle curry (kaeng or gaeng pa) is your best bet, at least in terms of availability in Pattaya. I've seen it on the menus of several farang restaurants. The Beefeater has both jungle curry and kaeng som ("sour curry") on its menu and the Robin's Nest has jungle curry. Kaeng som is a Northern Thai dish that is traditionally made with fish but often includes seafood these days. All the kaeng variations- and there are more than two- lack coconut and are watery, sour, salty and very spicy, way too spicy for me. I don't know how good the kaeng dishes are in Pattaya as I've never ordered them due to the extreme heat.

 

However, the lack of coconut doesn't have so much to do with authenticity as with regional variations. The coconut palm didn't grow in the highlands of northern Thailand, so prior to the 20th century, it wasn't available in that area. Jungle curry was based on ingredients that were hunted or grew wild. The traditional meat was wild boar, but now domestic pork, chicken or beef is much more likely.

 

In Chiang Mai, I tried a dish called "Burmese curry" which didn't have coconut and wasn't too spicy. It was made from a base of tomatoes, onions, garlic and ginger, with turmeric and chili the only spices. Very good, but I haven't seen it on a menu in Pattaya.

 

Keep in mind that Thai curries without coconut have a much different taste than Indian curries. If they weren't called curries on the menu, most of us would think of them as hot and sour soups.

 

Evil

Edited April 20, 2017 by Evil Penevil

[tallguy 1,479]

Some well known geang dishes include cocunut milk including; the ubiquitous Thai green curry, gaeng kiew wan; my favourite spicy red curry, gaeng pet, and; the yellow curry with potatoe, gaeng garai.

Edited April 20, 2017 by tallguy

[MeGoDanceNow 4,281]

hi guys,

 

any restaurants that serve curry without coconut milk that you know of?

[tallguy 1,479]

As I mentioned earlier the Hole in the Wall on Soi Buakhau sells gaeng bpaa it also does gaeng som.

 

The Beer Garden has a large selection of Thai dishes including a section of Isaan meals which do not contain coconut milk and are likely to be spicy.

 

EP has mentioned a couple of western focused eateries that serve gaeng bpaa. Unfortunately I cannot give more specific help but as there are a wide range of dishes from Northern and North East Thailand which do not contain coconut milk I don't think your friend will have much trouble finding something to suit his requirements in either western or Thai owned places.

 

A lot of the western places now post menu information online which can be accessed via Facebook pages or websites, so you could identify whether these are suitable or not before you arrive in town.

 

Bon appetit.

TG

Edited April 21, 2017 by tallguy

[cbrib 354]

On 3rd rd going south from Pattaya Tai on the left just before soi regional land is a southern Thai place. They do really good curries, the missus likes the gaeng phet from there. Just on the corner is a decent size food plaza, could be worth a look there as well

[MeGoDanceNow 4,281]

Thanks guys! Lots of good tips, some of which I missed the first time (attention span of a goldfish).

 

I'll check out a bunch of those when I roll into town.

[python 27]

I've had Crab stir-fried with curry powder in many places in Pattaya, Thats usually what it is called on the menu. bpuu pat pong garee my book tells me.

 

Though also called "dry curry" or "indian style" due to the different flavour and smell of the curry powder and the much thicker paste like sauce as there is no coconut milk.

[jacko 8,822]

I was under the impression the famous Tom Yum khung did not contain coconut milk......

Tom yum goong nam sai is non creamy.

Tom yum goong nam khon is creamy, but that is done adding evaporated milk, not coconut milk.

 

Here is a recipe.

 

Coconut milk is used a lot in Southern curries, Penang Curry and Masuman (which I always call mama-san to annoy the Mrs) for example.

Edited April 23, 2017 by jacko

[Neil_Hines 0]

As I mentioned earlier the Hole in the Wall on Soi Buakhau sells gaeng bpaa it also does gaeng som.

 

The Beer Garden has a large selection of Thai dishes including a section of Isaan meals which do not contain coconut milk and are likely to be spicy.

 

EP has mentioned a couple of western focused eateries that serve gaeng bpaa. Unfortunately I cannot give more specific help but as there are a wide range of dishes from Northern and North East Thailand which do not contain coconut milk I don't think your friend will have much trouble finding something to suit his requirements in either western or Thai owned places.

 

A lot of the western places now post menu information online which can be accessed via Facebook pages or websites, so you could identify whether these are suitable or not before you arrive in town.

 

Bon appetit.

TG

Nice friend, you can mention everything nicely friend.