Defined by the earliest definition found in the first Thai dictionary, circa 1873, gaeng is simply a “watery substance”(“What is Thai Curry”). True to its name, curries from this region are more of a soup than the thicker Indian version often either with a water base, known as gaeng shom plah, or a coconut base, which is named by it’s color or the spice mixture used. Unlike its Indian counterpart, Thai curries employ the use of pastes that often come from fish and shrimp along with chilies, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, and coriander root. After the ingredients for the paste are chosen they are ground in a mortar and pestle or thrown in a food processor with spices such as tumeric, pepper, coriander seeds, cardamom pods, and cumin. It is then briefly stir-fried in a general cooking oil before the other ingredients such as fresh water fish or easily caught game are added. Some common examples would be: frogs, snakes, snails, or wild birds, fresh fruit, vegetables, and tree leaves and flowers. The kaffir lime leaf is most commonly used to add a fresh flavor to the kaeng. It is then served with jasmine or sticky rice, fermented rice noodles known as khanom chin, or roti canai, a kind of na’an