OFF THE SHELF
The Age
Tuesday March 15, 2011
MAKING curry paste from scratch is the ideal but for many it's not a realistic option. We tried three pastes and one simmer sauce off the shelf. The pastes were heated and coconut milk added according to instructions, and the sauces were heated before being tasted.Thai Gourmet Green Curry$4.27 for 240gThe savoury chilli punch carries through when cooked and also brings out its other spices to give the paste more balance. When coconut milk is added the flavours are still evident ‚€¯ lemongrass is prominent , despite being fifth on the ingredients list after green chilli, garlic, galangal and onion‚€¯ but for this taster's palate more spark is needed to carry off a good, spicy green curry. 6/10Valcom Green Curry Paste$3.92 for 210gThis paste has a heady scent of shallot and lemongrass and a chilli hit that almost overpowers its other elements. When coconut milk is added this savoury power carries well into the other ingredients. It has length on the palate but contains shrimp so is no good for vegetarians. Otherwise, it's a reasonable paste that works well in a seafood curry. 7/10Ayam Thai Green Curry Paste$3.43 for 195gSugar in the ingredients list leads to a sweetness at the top of the palate, and when this is cooked out it becomes a weightiness in the mouth hinting at underdeveloped flavours that are a little bland. The chilli is certainly present but for all the other ingredients it's quite one-dimensional, and once the coconut milk is added the flavour is very mild. 5/10Passage Foods Green Thai Curry Simmer Sauce$4.50 for 375gCoconut milk is such an important part of a green curry we thought it might be interesting to see if a sauce to which it had already been added was any good. This one is not. With maltodextrin and sugar dominating, there isn't much for the palate to do except be weighed down by sweetness. Hints of green chilli and lemongrass are mild suggestions of flavour rather than pivotal support players. 3/10
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