I have to admit that this blog post is a little late. Life seems to have gotten ahead of me and the blogging has fallen by the wayside. But luckily it’s Saturday today and I have a few spare moments to blog.

Today’s recipe is my take on a the red curry we made at Chiang Mai cooking school. It took me three different trips to three different shops to find all of the ingredients!

When I first looked at the recipe for the curry paste, my mouth started burning when I read that they wanted me to add 10 dried and 10 fresh ingredients. Let me add here that that would’ve been one HOT curry.

So I have adapted it, just a little to suit my western taste buds.

The end product, tasted authentic, creamy, set, savoury, spicy and sour! And the most important part, I enjoyed it and didn’t set my mouth on fire

Let me know what you think.

Thai Inspired Ginga Musings Curry

Paste:

Dry ingredients:
1 Tbsp of coriander seeds – roasted until brown
2 Cardamon Pods (seeds removed) – roasted until brown
1/2 tsp of black peppercorns
1/2 tsp of salt
7 – 9 Dried red chillies – seeds remove and soaked in warm water for 10 – 15 minutes

Fresh ingredients:
1 tsp fresh ginger – chopped finely
2 tsps of finely chopped lemon grass (only use the bottom 1/3 of the stalk)
1 tbsp of finely chopped coriander root
1 whole medium shallot – finely sliced
5 cloves of garlic – crushed
1 tsp of shrimp paste
1/3 of a large red chilli and 2 small green chillies (with seeds)

The Curry:

400g of sliced cooked chicken
100g of Curry paste
150 mls of Coconut Cream
400 mls of Coconut Milk
3 Kaffir Lime Leaves – if these are dried remember to soak them first before using)
1 1/2 cup of Eggplant
150g of pineapple pieces (either tinned or fresh)
1 large tomato or 6 cherry tomatoes
8 mint leaves
2 Tbsp of Fish Sauce
2 Tbsp of Soy Sauce
1 tbsp of White Sugar
1 tbsp of Palm Sugar

Method:

1. Finely chop all the ingredients for the fresh part of the curry paste. The finer you chop them, the easier it will be to make the paste.
2. Toast the coriander seeds and cardamom pods in a medium hot pan until they are brown and aromatic
3. Then add them to a mortar and pestle along with the salt and pepper and pound into a fine powder.
4. Then add your dried chillies and all fresh ingredients.
   
5. Cover half the mortar with your hand and pound the ingredients into a smooth paste. The smoother the paste, the better the curry.
6. Chop the eggplant, tomatoes, and remove the stems from the lime leaves and tear them up.
   
7. Heat the coconut cream on a medium high heat, until the oil is separating from the cream.
8. Then add your curry paste and cook until it is combined with the oil/cream.
9. Add the coconut milk and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and then add the eggplant, chicken, and kaffir lime leaves. Cook for 3 minutes
10. Now add the tomatoes, pineapple, fish sauce, soy sauce, palm sugar and sugar to the pan. Stir to combine and cook for a further 3 minutes.
11. Take off the heat and add the mint leaves.
12. Leave to sit for ten minutes.
13. While you are waiting cook some basmati rice in the microwave.
14. Serve the curry over the rice with a side of green beans.

We’re off to China tomorrow for Sesame Seed covered Tofu snacks.

Ginga Musings Out.