Gaeng Liang — Herb-Forward Vegetable Curry / แกงเลียง

Central Thai — considered a royal cuisine preparation and one of the most ancient Thai curry styles; associated with health and restoration

Gaeng liang is the oldest Thai curry style — predating the arrival of chillies from the Americas, relying on white pepper for heat and dried shrimp paste for depth. It is a clear, fragrant broth cooked with seasonal vegetables: young marrow, baby corn, pea eggplant, and an abundance of fresh Thai basil or sweet basil added at the end. The paste is simple (dried shrimp, white pepper, shallots, kapi) and brief; the broth is water or a light pork stock; the cooking is fast. This is considered a healthy, restorative dish in Thai culinary tradition — its simplicity is intentional, its flavour is clean, and it is one of the few Thai dishes where the vegetable character is primary.

• The white-pepper-driven herb broth has structural similarities to some Cantonese medicinal soups; the vegetable-forward no-chilli approach echoes certain Vietnamese canh (clear vegetable soups).

Gaeng liang's value is in contrast — after heavy coconut curries, its clean, herb-forward broth acts as a palate refresher and illustrates the range of Thai curry traditions beyond the coconut-rich mainstream.