Split the coconut cream
Fry curry paste in the thick cream until oil separates. Then add thinner coconut milk or stock.
🇹🇭 Thai cooking from my kitchen
Thai recipes built on balance
Thai food clicked for me when I stopped treating chilli as the whole story. Som tum only works when fish sauce, lime, and palm sugar argue politely in the mortar. Green curry only tasted right after I fried the paste in coconut cream until it split — a step many jars skip on the label.
How I cook this
Notes from the stove, not a brochure
I taste as I pound. Too salty? More lime. Too sharp? A pinch more sugar. Heat is adjustable; balance is the dish.
Tom yum taught me not to boil herbs to death. Lemongrass, galangal, and lime leaves want a gentle simmer so the stock stays clear and bright. Prawns go in last.
Pad kra pao is my “rice cooker is already on” dinner: screaming-hot pan, holy basil at the end, fried egg if I have one. Fish sauce until it smells right, not until a measuring spoon is happy.
Pound, then taste
Som tum dressing is live. Adjust in the mortar before the papaya goes in.
Basil last
Holy basil wilts in seconds. Off heat or final toss only.
Sweet-salty-sour-spicy balancing and curry-paste frying are core Thai home-cooking practices; notes are from dishes I cook and retaste.
4 tested dishes
Thai recipes on CookMe
Same card layout as the homepage — open a recipe for the full method, tips, and estimated nutrition.
CurryCreamy Thai Green Curry with Chicken
Fry the paste in coconut cream until it splits, then build the curry — that step changes everything.
SaladStreet-Style Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum)
Pound garlic and chilli first, balance fish sauce-lime-sugar, then bruise the papaya lightly.
SoupHot and Sour Tom Yum Goong
Lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves — simmer gently so the stock stays clear and sharp.
Stir-fryHoly Basil Chicken Stir-Fry (Pad Kra Pao)
Very hot wok, holy basil at the end, serve over rice with a fried egg if you have one.