Food and drink พริกแกง prík-gaeng
curry paste noun
- prík high
- gaeng mid
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
Parts: พริกprík chilli แกงgaeng curry
How to use it
A pounded paste of chillies, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime zest and shrimp paste: the base of every Thai curry. Fresh green chillies make green curry paste, dried red ones red curry paste. Markets sell it fresh by weight from big coloured mounds, and in old-style kitchens it's still pounded by hand in a ครกkrók.
Other spellings you'll see
There's no single official way to write Thai in English letters. We mark the tone of every syllable; online you'll also find:
- phrik kaeng
- prik kaeng
- prig gang
- prik gang
More food and drink in Thai
All food and drink- ข้าว kâao Rice
- ข้าวเหนียว kâao-nǐaw Sticky rice
- ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง kâao-nǐaw má-mûang Mango sticky rice
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones