Thai Red Pork Curry
Another recipe inspired by the contents of my pantry/freezer and utilizing one of the few herbs that is currently in my back yard pots ... Thai basil.
Unlike last year, when I started several herbs from seeds, my leggy little Thai basil plant self-seeded and grew in the cement planter in my back yard, after I had cut back its parent plant down to the soil, at the end of the summer. It was a slow grower and I didn't harvest any of the leaves because I hoped it would grow bushy and beautiful. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. And once it started to go to flower, I knew I had to use some of the leaves before they became tough and their flavour turned bitter.
The recipe below is based on the cooking instructions on the Maesri red curry paste can, with some modifications. Cause whose waistline needs all that coconut milk? :)
Mise en Place for Thai Red Pork Curry
Thai Red Pork Curry - serves 6
1 tsp vegetable oil (optional)
1/2 can (4 oz) Maesri Red Curry paste
1 can coconut milk and water as needed
1 pound boneless pork, cut into 2 inch strips and sliced about 1/8-1/4" thick
1 small onion, sliced thinly lengthwise
1 medium carrot, medium julienne strips
1 small jalapeno pepper, fine dice
1/2 pound eggplant cut into 1" cubes**
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 red pepper, halved, seeded and sliced thinly lengthwise
Thai basil leaves for garnish
** I didn't have any eggplant but it would have extended the curry to serve 6 people rather than just 4 servings of a meat heavy curry.
In a large saute or sauce pan over medium heat, saute the curry paste in the vegetable oil until you start smelling the pleasant aroma of the paste. It will refresh the spices in the paste. If you don't want to add additional fat to your recipe, spoon a tablespoon or so of the coconut fat that has risen and solidified at the top of the can of coconut milk into your saute pan and fry the curry paste in that instead.
Add the coconut milk and stir well. Bring to the boil.
Add pork, fish sauce, onion, carrot, jalapeno pepper and eggplant. Fill the empty coconut milk can with water and add the water to saucepan until the contents are just covered. Turn down the heat to medium and boil until the meat is tender and the liquid has reduced to a thin gravy. The pork will take about 30 minutes.
About 10 minutes before done, add the red pepper. If you add it at the same time as the other ingredients the peppers will become limp and shapeless.
Serve over Basmati or jasmine rice and sprinkle Thai basil leaves over the top as a garnish and for additional flavour.B
The Basmati rice turned out so pretty I had to share a close up picture.
Unlike last year, when I started several herbs from seeds, my leggy little Thai basil plant self-seeded and grew in the cement planter in my back yard, after I had cut back its parent plant down to the soil, at the end of the summer. It was a slow grower and I didn't harvest any of the leaves because I hoped it would grow bushy and beautiful. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. And once it started to go to flower, I knew I had to use some of the leaves before they became tough and their flavour turned bitter.
The recipe below is based on the cooking instructions on the Maesri red curry paste can, with some modifications. Cause whose waistline needs all that coconut milk? :)
Mise en Place for Thai Red Pork Curry
Thai Red Pork Curry - serves 6
1 tsp vegetable oil (optional)
1/2 can (4 oz) Maesri Red Curry paste
1 can coconut milk and water as needed
1 pound boneless pork, cut into 2 inch strips and sliced about 1/8-1/4" thick
1 small onion, sliced thinly lengthwise
1 medium carrot, medium julienne strips
1 small jalapeno pepper, fine dice
1/2 pound eggplant cut into 1" cubes**
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 red pepper, halved, seeded and sliced thinly lengthwise
Thai basil leaves for garnish
** I didn't have any eggplant but it would have extended the curry to serve 6 people rather than just 4 servings of a meat heavy curry.
In a large saute or sauce pan over medium heat, saute the curry paste in the vegetable oil until you start smelling the pleasant aroma of the paste. It will refresh the spices in the paste. If you don't want to add additional fat to your recipe, spoon a tablespoon or so of the coconut fat that has risen and solidified at the top of the can of coconut milk into your saute pan and fry the curry paste in that instead.
Add the coconut milk and stir well. Bring to the boil.
Add pork, fish sauce, onion, carrot, jalapeno pepper and eggplant. Fill the empty coconut milk can with water and add the water to saucepan until the contents are just covered. Turn down the heat to medium and boil until the meat is tender and the liquid has reduced to a thin gravy. The pork will take about 30 minutes.
About 10 minutes before done, add the red pepper. If you add it at the same time as the other ingredients the peppers will become limp and shapeless.
Serve over Basmati or jasmine rice and sprinkle Thai basil leaves over the top as a garnish and for additional flavour.B
The Basmati rice turned out so pretty I had to share a close up picture.