A Coconut Milk Curry Base

The numbered procedure used across tropical cuisines: thick milk first, aromatics in the oil, thin milk to simmer.

The base is the same across Southeast Asia, South Asia and the East African coast; only the aromatics change. The technique is thick-to-thin, and the order is what makes it work.

Start with 200 ml of thick coconut milk in a wide pan over medium heat. Let it bubble for four to six minutes until oil beads at the edge of the liquid. This is the signal that the base is ready — before it, the pan is still mostly water.

Add the aromatics to that oil: garlic, ginger, chilli, curry leaves, lemongrass, mustard seed, depending on the cuisine. Fry two to three minutes until they smell cooked. If they brown, the heat is too high and the base will taste bitter.

Pour in 300 ml of thin coconut milk and bring it to a bare simmer, 60–80 °C. Small bubbles at the edge, no rolling boil across the surface. Boiling at this stage is what splits the sauce.

Add the main ingredient and simmer 10–20 minutes — less for fish and leafy greens, more for root vegetables and pulses. Salt at the end, then rest the pan off the heat for five minutes before serving; the sauce thickens as it stands.

• 0–6 min — thick milk reduces, oil beads at the edge.
• 6–9 min — aromatics fry in the separated oil.
• 9–12 min — thin milk in, brought to a bare simmer.
• 12–30 min — main ingredient simmers through.
• 30–35 min — salt, rest off heat, serve.

Further reading

• Coconut Milk, Cream and Grated Pulp
• Baking with Grated Coconut