Thai Jungle Curry Recipe (Gaeng Pa) แกงป่าไก่ - Hot Thai Kitchen

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This classic Thai dish is called "jungle curry" because there are so many plants in it that it's like a whole jungle in a bowl! Healthy, herbaceous, and fiercely spicy - this curry packs all the flavours that are iconic to Thailand. It's a water-based curry (no coconut milk) so it makes for a light but satisfying meal. For the curry paste, I've included both the "from-scratch" and "quick-fix" recipes, so you can make it a project or a weeknight meal!
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00:00 Intro
01:10 How to make easy jungle curry paste
03:41 How to make jungle curry
13:25 Tasting
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About Pai:
Pailin “Pai” Chongchitnant is the author of the Hot Thai Kitchen cookbook, co-host of a Canadian TV series One World Kitchen on Gusto TV, and creator and host of the KZbin channel Pailin's Kitchen.
Pai was born and raised in southern Thailand where she spent much of her "playtime" in the kitchen. She traveled to Canada to study Nutritional Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and was later trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in San Francisco.
After working in both Western and Thai professional kitchens, she decided that her passion really lies in educating and empowering others to cook at home via KZbin videos, her cookbook, and cooking classes. She currently lives in Vancouver, and goes to Thailand every year to visit her family. Visit her at hot-thai-kitchen.com

[@kickartist1]

I found jungle curry paste at the Asian market and decided to try it as a shortcut with local vegetables. When the curry paste hit the oil, I knew I was in trouble. I coughed. And coughed and cried. The finished dish was delicious. It was THE MOST flavorful broth I had ever tried. It hurt like Hell. I have never eaten, let alone made, anything so spicy. But it was so delicious I just kept eating, and crying, and coughing, and eating . . .

[@skyzvezda4958]

😂😂😂😂 poor you ❤

[@wire3989]

If you coughed, you made it right. If its too spicey just cut down on the paste next time also mix your rice with fish sauce helps balance out the heat if it was too late.

[@ihatekillerclowns]

The video just needs more sponsors …..

[@ozilan7284]

I love it how recently you share more hardcore Thai cuisine content, definitely wanna see more!

[@greyecologyst4694]

Definitely bring it on!

[@kingwenceslas4225]

Well that’s not hardcore yet. Didn’t used pla ra (fermented fish- fish itself or sauce)yet. Stinks badly but taste is great. Thou if you are pregnant don’t use it in issan som tum. Cook it

[@ozilan7284]

@@kingwenceslas4225 that's very specific haha, Issan cuisine is amazing but I would consider others regional cuisines in Thailand "hardcore" for their own right. For example cuisine of Krabi and the south, with all the Malay influence... Really fascinating

[@sfalpha]

It's named "Jungle Curry" not only because it use many jungle herbs. It also has very strong flavor and aromatic so they usually use to cook "jungle" animal's meat to hide it's smell (deer, wild boar, reptiles ... etc.).

[@PailinsKitchen]

Yes!! Thanks for adding that!

[@andybee29]

Is it a northern thai dish Phattanon?

[@rapipanmanoch6470]

@@andybee29 more like Western Thai dish, like Kanchanaburi or Utaithani. These provinces are well known for wild game like deer or boar. My hometown Kanchanaburi has this menu pretty much everywhere.

[@bend.6091]

@@andybee29 I've also seen a comment below said it's northern Thai dish since it needs no coconut milk. It's not sir/ms. it's central Thai. More specific western Thai like our friend Rapipan Manoch said . It's right that authentic northern and northeastern Thai along with some neighbor country cuisines hardly use coconut milk and/or other ingredients which we need from sea eg. shrimp paste or fish sauce, but for Gang Pa, the reason for no coconut milk is because it's hard to find coconut tree in a jungle. The name tells itself. "ป่า" Pa in Thai means jungle or forest. If you love jungle trekking or camping in Thailand, look at the ingredients and you can see that you can find them from any Thai jungle/forest,. This is the dish that hunters and those who live near/from forest cooked. They can find these ingredients from anywhere they hunted. No need to bring all of them with you. (BTW Rapipan is right. In the old days Kanchanaburi and Uthaithani were quite famous for hunting) You can also see that, like Phattanon Duangdara said, the strong aromatic herbs of the dish is for covering the smell of the game meats.

[@andybee29]

@@bend.6091 wow, very insightful thank you- great indepth reply.

[@Rosesraspberries72]

I ordered a jungle curry the other night from a Thai restaurant in Western Australia. When I got home I put a selection of different dishes over my rice. But in the morning all that was left over was the jungle curry, and a bit of rice. I filled my bowl and heated it up and my first mouthful was like magic in my mouth. All those flavours made the sun shine brighter and the birds sang louder, lol it was like I stepped into a dimension of Divine taste and smell 🌟❤️🌟

[@ems7623]

I've been watching and learning from your work here for a couple years now and just wanted to thank you for everything you do. (Not to mention your charming screen personality.) It's relatively hard to find cooking channels (in English) that teach how to make foods from non-Western cultures with such clear explanations of ingredients, cooking techniques, a bit of food culture from a position of deep familiarity and knowledge. Have you seen Chinese Cooking Demystified? They're a bit different from your approach (more technical, more regional but in an enjoyable way at least for people like me). Highly recommend if you haven't. i think you'd enjoy them.

[@morningstar8187]

My Asian supermarket sells those rhizomes fresh. They aren’t always available, but they restock them once in a while. I bought it once out of curiosity and loved the aroma. I used it instead of ginger.

[@aerialmistress3623]

is this like turmeric or galangly?

[@johnbackus8516]

Love this...Can't wait to make that. Wife won't go for the pain. More for me! BTW - Holy basil is very easy to grow, even in the mid-atlantic, it overseeds itself, comes back each summer and spreads like crazy. Worth a shot if you're a gardener - Hell, even if you're not. Grows well in a pot.

[@PailinsKitchen]

I kill all plants I've ever owned, but may give this one a try this summer!

[@szabieger]

Thanks for this recipe. I prepared this yesterday for my boyfriend and he loved it. Trust me it´s not easy to please him. This dish is more on the savoury side, so whoever has problem with the sweetness of the pineapple shrimp curry should try this. Also it´s a little bit lighter than the coconut milk based curry dishes, we loved it!

[@Billma48]

I live in Cambodia with my Cambodian wife and adult daughter. I cook a couple of dinners a week. My family loves everything that I cook that is inspired by your channel. Thanks from the bottom of my stomach.

[@mkdmm_dmm3542]

Krachai(Thai finger roots) is a medicinal plant that can be used in a variety of foods, such as Kanom Jeen Nam ya(Thai rice noodles with fish curry sauce) , Red Curry, Spicy Thai jungle Curry.Taste hot & spicy has medicinal properties that help in reducing indigestion as well.

[@TheSamuiman]

I LOVE Kanom Jeen Nam ya with bbq pla tu! It is one of the simplest but very delicious thai dishes!!!!

[@IslandGal96816]

Thank you. Now I know how to use it. Bought a frozen bag of Krachai by mistake, thinking of something else type of root to make Indonesian clear spinach soup so it's been sitting in my freezer for a while 😁

[@emilykoo4491]

@@IslandGal96816 I thought krachai is kunci in Indonesia?

[@IslandGal96816]

@@emilykoo4491 I thought so, too. Bought it thinking it's kunci to make Indonesian clear spinach and corn on a cob soup, don't remember how I found out it's not kunci and did not bother to try cooking it to see if it is or it's not 🤔😁

[@emilykoo4491]

@@IslandGal96816 you can try to use lemongrass for the spinach soup. I found it quite OK (got the recipe from my friend who knew it from tukang sayur 😆)

[@robertshaver6410]

I think these curry soups are a lot like Asian gumbo you can use almost anything you want once you have your base soup started yummy 😋 😋

[@PailinsKitchen]

Asian gumbo! Love it!

[@robertshaver6410]

@@PailinsKitchen well im from Louisiana and thats one thing i know that i can comper with curry soup maybe thats why ive done well making them ive been making gumbos for years theres a lot of the same ingredients it's just different spices that go in it im having fun learning to cook with them

[@DrakeLovett]

I made this for dinner tonight and it looked exactly like how yours does in the video. My my it's very tasty, and I was really surprised how much the toasted rice powder actually swells up and makes it sort of a little bit thick. The only thing was I couldn't find holy basil, but I could find fresh grachai, which was surprising.

[@lindamoulton1560]

I used to always see Grachai at the roadside markets in Phitsanulok and was dumbfounded on how to use it! Hopefully I can find it at my Asian Grocery Store here!!!

[@ShiRyuukiAddict]

"Jungle curry should hurt." Noted. 🤣😭

[@sewaldodiy]

I chuckled when she said that!

[@paullynlu6683]

@Originals MLM archive all thai curry should hurt your backend. If it doesn't, add more chillies.

[@myominoo904]

I enjoy watching her cook. It's fun. My favorite food program.

[@sumoclift]

Omg I was looking for this specific recipe since last week ! Finally you uploaded it. Thank you !!

[@usjet333]

Thank you Pai! I've been looking forward to you making a video about how to use the Maesri Kaeng Par curry paste (Jungle Curry). This is awesome. Great work!

[@snakesnaplane]

I'm so happy you've made this! It's my absolute favourite Thai dish. Thank you! 🤩

[@DrBrunoRecipes]

Lovely recipe 👌🏻 Greetings from Scotland 😊 Have a wonderful day everyone 🌻 Stay safe, stay blessed ❤️

[@alexcarroll9774]

Yay! Thank you for this! :) I remember requesting it a few years ago, and here it is!

[@PailinsKitchen]

Sorry it took a while, lol!

[@libbyrei-uzuri5196]

Hello! The new set in action looks amazing! Thank you for yet another delicious recipe that will be made tomorrow! Alas as you mentioned, we can get everything but the Holy Basil here. Maybe I can grow the plant here, fresh is best! Thank you again.

[@rainyseason4581]

Thank you for sharing this. Jungle curry recipe can be different depending on preference. Usually, Jungle curry is a simple curry like cooking in the jungle. Complicated procedure and some ingredients that are difficult to find will be cut off. So generally jungle curry doesn't use cooking oil or coconut milk including roasted rice too. Our family use Kaeng Khua curry paste (น้ำพริกแกงคั่ว) and like chewing Krachai cut into long pieces as you show before pounding with the curry paste.

[@aacr2011]

Hi Pailin! I just want to let you know that your book has arrived at home in Bariloche, Patagonia, Argentina and I Love It! 🤩

[@adamthehtkminion6750]

Awesome!! :)

[@gialuanthang7716]

Love love love the new studio. I wonder if you will ever put out a Gaeng phed ped yang :(

[@ThydaCookingTV]

Yeah great indeed

[@PailinsKitchen]

Maybe! It's in my book though :)

[@thevincechong]

Pai, so adorable as always. Interesting, well prepared, very informative 👍🏻 Loving the new setup. Congratulations Hot Thai Kitchen team. Keep up the great work! Much love from the Philippines! Mabuhay! 🙏🏻💚

[@joyhuynh2394]

I had jungle curry in Thailand for the first time a month ago and totally totally fell in LOVE with it. It's soooo yummy. Now that I'm back in Canada, I will definitely try your recipe soon! Can't wait! Thanks for the recipe :)

[@02085445130]

I personally love 💕 the idea of the toasted rice powder... reminds me of “gaeng aum “😋😋😋 Thank you soo much Pai, 🙏🙏

[@mewsao]

I love how you show more ofour authentic/secret recipes😭😭 way to go ka khun pailin!❤️👏

[@michelleneal6860]

Gaeng Pa is my all time favorite Thai dish! So glad to have found this recipe and your channel! Subscribed!

[@jeepluver3195]

Looks fantastic. I either order Thai hot green or ginger curry at my local restaurant. The ginger curry has no coconut milk like this recipe and is pretty similar in appearance. I may have to inquire as to whether they can make jungle curry. They are pretty flexible with their recipes. I have a difficult time making Thai at home because of finding the ingredients. I’ve made beef with Thai basil a couple of times though.

[@jayejaye1543]

Thank you for making this! It is my favorite dish! I’ve been requesting this recipe since you started making videos, lol! Thank you!

[@msvicious515]

Love the new kitchen! It's beautiful! Thanks for this recipe!

[@ChowWithLau]

I’ve never tried making a Thai curry before, but I’m sure going to do it now! Thanks for another fantastic video 😊🙏🙏🙏

[@yangshen5540]

You are a fantastic instructor - great pacing, enthusiasm, and delivery!

[@praveenaasokan6480]

New kitchen looks beautiful! Amazing recipe as always xx

[@shinjuya]

I told myself​ before I click, she would forget​ something​ again for sure. I was right. Hahaha

[@PailinsKitchen]

I think your chances of being right are pretty high lol

[@alfasagala2029]

You've been here for so long.. what a dedicated subscriber 😁

[@Apocalypz]

Good gravy, this was sooooo much fun! Love the initial response from @Adam! Can/Have *never* found Thai 'eggplant' so looking for your advice on substitutions, please.

[@adamthehtkminion6750]

Hi Apocalyps! :)

[@Delta1Duck]

Made this Thai curry yesterday, it is oh so good...could not find the rhizomes, green peppercorns at either of the two international markets I went to...but it was still yummy...will definitely prepare this again!

[@kevinwilford1971]

new kitchen, same charm, love it!

[@FlorianRasche]

The written commentary is on point.

[@avr198]

New kitchen looks really good!! Congrats ka.

[@Peter-cm8vi]

Yay. I can make this and my partner will be happy cos she doesn't like coconut based Thai curries. That red curry paste that I made a few months back (sitting in tablespoon sized portions in the freezer) will not go to waste. Many thanks Pailin from way down here in Australia.

[@krisbellekens4977]

Made it yesterday, became my all time favourite instantly !

[@hardworkingdiva]

Jungle curry has gotten me through many colds very quickly. It hurts and works! Just bundle up after you finish eating and sweat it out. 😁

[@ThydaCookingTV]

Hello sawadee Pai! Thank you for sharing again

[@Skashoon]

Hi Thyda! I really enjoy my three favorite Asian cooking channels, this one, yours and ChhaiLin. Though ChhaiLin hasn’t posted for awhile. I do hope she is well. Cheers my friends!

[@PockASqueeno]

This looks awesome! I love anything extra spicy. Where can I find holy basil and green peppercorns? I love the new kitchen…and the new format (with all the silly notes that pop up)!

[@nicolero8130]

grow the holy basil by yourself :) it is believed to bring good vibes to house

[@PockASqueeno]

@@nicolero8130 So…where would I get live holy basil?

[@florianniemeyer4840]

Hey, new set in action , super cool 🎥!!! The recipe looks so colourful , healthy , feel good 🌈😋😋😋🌈 especially I'm looking forward to taste the combination of spices and herbs, green peppercorns are one of my favs !

[@satryosahara1343]

The new kitchen looks amazing we love it!

[@florianadolf2256]

Thai eggplants and Thai asparagus are incredibly delicious🤤 - thanks 4 sharing🙏

[@noncon4mistsnkrhead]

One of the reasons I hope this Pandemic ends soon so I can travel to Thailand and eat a lot of food! thanks Pailin😍

[@microknigh7]

Did your recipe tonight. Used the modified paste (Mae Ploy of course) method and halved the ingredients (just me and the missus) and some substitution, veg wise. But I have to say it was excellent. So glad your channel came up. Having said that, with nearly 2M subs I guess you have an advantage 😉. Thanks again

[@trickeyskitchen2848]

Nice to learn this recipe in the new kitchen. Wow! Jungle curry sounds so nice. So yummy!

[@sevenandthelittlestmew]

Just got two holy basil plants for our back yard. How serendipitous! Thanks for the recipe and love the new space!

[@heysdadbutler2098]

Made it yesterday…Absolutely amazing. I even have Holy Basil growing wild here in Texas…

[@kathrinphan]

Dear Pailin, This looks so, so delicious 🥲🤤🥲! I guess I enjoyed this dish a couple of years ago, with catfish. I'll give it a try - it is a must for me! Lots of love from Switzerland 🤗🇨🇭

[@Nikomaru14]

Your new kitchen is beautiful! Good luck to you in all you do, I love your recipes.

[@malangpou]

I really love gaeng pa as well as your very nice new place!

[@xnonsuchx]

I'm not big on veggies (I usually do red curry w/ just bamboo shoots and yellow curry with potato...and maybe Thai basil, if I have), but this makes me want to try it as-is.

[@klutzmtg2310]

I make my own version of this without the more difficult to find ingredients. Not quite the ideal Gaeng Pa lke this but still so delicious. Gaeng Pa is my absolute favorite dish and this recipe looks incredible. I'll have to try at some point in the future to make this recipe :).

[@chibi1237]

Just kidding! Adam is still here!... "Hi!" Made me laugh so hard 😂😂

[@adamthehtkminion6750]

lol :)

[@biyenzema]

I had this in a random restaurant in Kanchanaburi back in 2017. This dish is so wild. I miss Thailand so much.

[@PailinsKitchen]

I miss it too 😭

[@user-gi8dj4dr3n]

I bought a jar of shrimp paste (Chinese version - not that funky but really salty) to make Thai chili jam, which turns out great! I’ll appreciate if you can share more recipes using shrimp paste!

[@azerial]

My favorite curry. So delicious!

[@KetoAsianFlavours]

If anyone has the book, it’s on page 109. Thanks for the making a video for this curry. Will make this for my husband as he loves curries. Omitting the toasted rice powder, replacing palm sugar with a natural sweetener, and will use red boat fish sauce so I can have it too with cauliflower rice. Baby corn is low carb.

[@PailinsKitchen]

Thanks for sharing!

[@MLLL1234]

Beautiful new kitchen and love the recipe!!!!

[@Pixlanta]

Looks healthy and delicious..good job Pai

[@homi4348]

I've been to Thailand before. Thai food is really tasty. So I am very interested in your cooking. 😊💞

[@robertshaver6410]

I made a thai chicken curry soup a while back it was very good i was surprised how easy it was to make but then im used to cooking Cajun food that takes several hours to make so anything i cook that i make in under two hours is easy to me

[@blueelephantthailandtours8860]

Wow !! our favorite menu. Thank you so much for your nice sharing.

[@aayushs.taehyung4631]

When you use dark meat in curry, you win my heart. I just don't understand the usage of white breast meat in the curry.😂😂

[@MinhNguyen-mo5fp]

Congratulation for you with the new space , I love ❤️ it it looks very bright and beautiful.

[@lokuihuay7650]

Hi..Pailing make some Thai Tom yam recipe.Thank you. Curry looks so good and delicious.👍

[@Skashoon]

I must try it. Some ultra spicy dishes I had in Bangkok were unbelievably spicy. I’d take a bite, drink a half glass of beer, wait a few minutes for the fire to go out, then take another bite. It took me a long time to eat it. (And quite a few beers) Even though I was growing accustomed to the heat, it never got easier. But, I asked them to make it “Phet mak mak.” Or ‘same same khon Thai’ . (When in Thailand...right?) Now that I’m back in the states, I doubt I can handle full-strength Jungle curry, but I want to try. See if my tongue can deal with the burn. At the very least it will clean out anything bad in my digestive tract. Wahoo!

[@cristinacabrera8462]

Thanks for sharing

[@benjovionejma4848]

Beautiful food ang great recipe I'll try to do it at home...

[@donneyrayenriquez1777]

I love this recipe. I love to eat veggies and spicy food. Thank you

[@karenfrost5100]

Great video, I have not tried this before but I know I am gonna like it to. I always like a little more lemon grass too, I believe more is better but too much is not good too, lol

[@homecookingtv1434]

Another delicious recipe.

[@phraewnaphathakaew2029]

เปิดดูตอนดึกหิวเลยค่ะ จะหาเวลาฝึกทำตามนะคะ

[@kesitheguesser716]

Finally I water based curry! I love these

[@vsalasarcr]

Delicious, thank you

[@lofiben]

I was wondering when this would get featured! I love this curry when I want something lighter than the usual coconut milk-based curries.

[@randallyoung2628]

Welcome to your new kitchen. Hi from San Francisco! I enjoy your evolution from your start!

[@LARKXHIN]

That vent over the stove is beautiful 😍

[@eleanorryanryan2442]

Lovely recipe, full of colour and flavour, yum🍀🇮🇪💚

[@NekaMusaraj]

Your new space is so welcoming and elegant 👌👌👌😌😌

[@martypoll]

I am living in Bangkok. My wife does most of the Thai cooking but I cooked this one myself tonight. For the chili 🌶 paste she just had me buy พริกแดงเผ็ด at the fresh market. No problems buying กะเพรา here. Wow! This was good! And spicy!🥵

[@mahlina1220]

P.S.- I love the rice bowl in your presentation. Reminds me of eating at Thai restaurants. I _especially_ miss that experience now w/COVID. * _If you are ever in L.A., I HIGHLY recommend Palm’s Thai_ (The Best Thai food in all of SoCal, plus they have entertainment- singing, Elvis Thai it used to be until he had a stroke, BLESS his soul, but they have a new Elvis performer -FYI😉).

[@gchow6009]

Thai Elvis moved back to Thailand over 10 years ago but the food there is still good.

[@tookitogo]

My favorite local Thai restaurant (whose menu isn’t gigantic, but is authentic) has this dish, and it’s my favorite curry. :) I’ve made it a few times at home, too. Luckily I live literally half a block from the biggest Asian (primarily Thai and Vietnamese) market in town, and their twice weekly air cargo from Thailand has all the fresh produce for this dish. :D

[@Brossardoise73]

My mouth is watering. Love from Canada 🇨🇦

[@keithdavidson4723]

Sawasdee krub 🙏🏻. Wonderful recipe Pai 😋. Greetings from Northern Ireland ☘️. Khob khun mak mak krub 🙏🏻

[@phunkychunky]

Nice video. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

[@sorrowstormsinger4899]

Going to be making this tomorrow yayy. But I have a qustion, can I also add bamboo shoots or would that alter the flavour a bit too much? ( I have some boiled bamboo shoots that need using up lol ) 🥰

[@LuckyDuckie115]

love the new kitchen

[@pharyhuy4330]

This is a dish that i am waiting for so long!

[@childersoasismotel7570]

That looks amazing. Yum

[@patricktowner2877]

Beautiful & the curry ! Grachai makes a big difference !

[@cut--]

when you took that first sip , my scalp started to perspire ! true ! Can't wait to try this !

[@mahlina1220]

Hey! New Kitchen Recipe. _Literally._ ❤️

[@Cathy.C.]

Definitely going to try this. But will make it less spicy!