Maesri Yellow Curry Paste Review
Recently, I posted a review of the Maesri Brand Panang Curry Paste, which I found to be an excellent product. I actually bought three different Maesri Curry Pastes with the intention of testing them separately, and, in this post, I have tried out the Maesri Yellow Curry Paste. In short, this proved to be every bit as good quality as the Panange version and, personally, I actually liked it a little better.
I was a bit surprised when I opened this can as the paste looked very much like the Panang paste and was much more red than yellow. The ingredient list is also considerably more complex than for the Panang variety and includes:
Dried red chilies, shallot, garlic, soybean oil, sugar, salt, fresh turmeric, lemongrass, spices (coriander seed, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, galangal, cloves), galangal, curry powder (whole mustard, fenugreek, wheat flour, chili powder, fennel, black pepper), kaffir lime.
The major difference between this and the Panang Paste, beyond the inclusion of curry powder, of course, is the addition of turmeric, which is not immediately apparent in the color, although it does come through later. The taste here is quite a bit tangier than the Panang variety (more lemongrass, possibly) and I also found the heat quotient to be a bit less.
Using Maesri Yellow Curry Paste in a Recipe
To test the Yellow paste, I did a coconut milk curry again as per the recipe on the label but, this time, I did a ‘Rendang’ style curry in which the dish is slow cooked for a long time, reducing the sauce to almost nothing. I used about a cup and a half of coconut milk and a little stock, and used it as the base for a curry of beef and minced onion (along with the paste, of course). It took about three hours over low heat to cook down and the result was excellent. I liked this much better than the first curry with the Panang paste and the effect was really sweet and nicely balanced..
Overall
The Maesri Yellow Curry Paste is as easy to use as the Maesri Panang Curry Paste, or any equivalent products, and it is extremely well balanced in flavor. It is mild enough in terms of spicy heat that it won’t offend even the most delicate of palates.
Maesri Yellow Curry Paste
These two curries look good; I will try each of them, or at least try to find them, online or at a local grocer. I do, personally, prefer to buy my curries in a jar, however. Do others have this preference?
I didn’t find any metallic taste in these, and the size is just right.