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Thai Red Curry

Tue 19 November 2019 by Cory Cross

Jacqui and I took a cooking class at Siamese Cookery House and it was one of the highlights of our trip!

I have been making my own Thai red curries for a decade and it was nice to find out how it's supposed to be done. What I'm capable of doing at home does not end up much worse than doing it in Thailand.

The first difference is the freshness and composition of the curry paste. In Thailand they have great heaping mounds of the pastes available in the markets, freshly smashed -- they're less a paste and more a crushed mix of the ingredients. I choose to make do with store-bought paste back here, but I make up for it by throwing in some of the fresh ingredients. Additionally, they use coconut cream bought freshly pressed in the market as you order it.

Second difference is the choice of ingredients. Prior to the trip, I did not know of or use long bean, Thai eggplant, or pea eggplants. Long beans look like (French) green beans, but are not the same taste. I detest French beans but enjoy the long bean. Second is the Thai eggplant, round and about the size of a chicken egg. I don't love it, but it's interesting. Third is the pea eggplant. It's a real-life fruit gusher. It's the size of a pea and explodes in your mouth when you bite into it. I don't know how to explain the flavor. It is my favorite thing!

Third difference is incorporating large pieces of flavor ingredients into the final product, without the necessary intention of them being eaten. Large pieces of lemongrass, galangal, and others will be left in the dish for the diner to choose whether to consume it or not. Very different from the restaurants in the US.

The recipe from our class has fewer vegetables total than meat. As we are trying to eat less meat and more vegetables, this recipe increases the vegetables about 3x the original recipe.

The following things freeze acceptably: long bean, kaffir lime leaves, little Thai chiles.

Do not measure any of these ingredients. The listed measurements are all approximate.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 2 tbsp curry paste

  • 3 tbsp coconut cream (optional)

  • Half stick of lemongrass

  • 20 cm^3 of galangal

  • 1/2 pound non-breast chicken, bite size pieces

  • 1 cup long bean, chopped (Thai way is slivered and used practically as a garnish)
  • 1 red bell pepper (nearly same flavor and (lack-of-)heat as 15cm Thai sweet chili, about 3x more pepper)
  • 1 tbsp roasted peanuts
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • Little Thai chiles (optional and dangerous)

  • Broccoli (optional and non-traditional)

  • 1 tbsp palm sugar

  • 1 tbsp fish sauce

  • ~15 pea eggplants (I can only find them in brine)

  • 2-3 kaffir lime leaves

Equipment

  • Wok
  • Spatula
  • Cutting board and knife (and scissors for chicken)

Instructions

  1. Set the following things next to the stove (do not measure out): oil, curry paste, peanuts, opened can of coconut milk, right amount of palm sugar, fish sauce, and kaffir lime leaves.

  2. Put pea eggplants in cup of water.

  3. Remove outer potions of lemongrass, cut bigger pieces into ~10cm lengths, then smash it up

  4. Chop long bean, peppers, chicken, broccoli. They can be stored together.

  5. Big fire under wok, add oil. Stir fry curry paste, lemongrass, galangal, and optional coconut cream until oil separates.

  6. Add long bean, peppers, chicken, broccoli, and also peanuts.

  7. Add coconut milk after things brown but before it burns.

  8. Once chicken is cooked, add palm sugar, fish sauce, and drained pea eggplants.

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