Ask someone if he or she likes curry and you'll likely wind up with several different styles of curry, from the heavily tomato-based curries of India to deeply rich Japanese style curries. We're focusing on the Southeast Asian style (of which I could not get enough of in grad school).
Thai curry can be one of those intimidating, almost opaque (GET IT) recipes to really nail down, but is surprisingly simple once you have a good base for curry paste (that's where all the magic happens). Either the texture isn't right because your standard domestic coconut milks are too thin, or the spice doesn't quite have the punch of your go-to Thai place in town. The paste in this recipe is thankfully adjustable to your own preferences so you don't blow your face completely off. If you can't find the ingredients, most of these come available online in dehydrated forms that are acceptable.
This recipe is also a guide of sorts; feel free to add in or remove vegetables as you see fit. Quartered Thai eggplants, Kabocha squash (or any winter melon), red bell peppers, pineapple, they all work well in this stew. You can also serve this with shrimp or chicken, making it that much more versatile. However, do serve it alongside a ton of jasmine rice, and then die happy. Shopping List:
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Hardware:
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Prep (for the paste):
A disclaimer for my recipe for curry paste: you'd normally cook this over coconut oil and milk to brighten the flavor and expand the fat-soluble flavors, but that DOES require you to make this every time you want curry. Is it worth it? Possibly. But having my option for fridge-stable paste is a great alternative.
If using a mortar and pestle, pound the solid paste ingredients together, using kosher salt as an abrasor until well beaten (this will take several minutes), then slowly pound in the fish sauce and oil until a thick paste has formed. Add water as necessary, but don't make it too runny. This is by far the more authentic version, and strangely the fastest/easiest method, but not everyone has access to a asian style mortar and pestle (generally the ceramic/marble ones aren't large enough, and a molcajete style will soak in the flavor and oil). Depending on the quantity of Thai and bird's eye chilies used, your paste may look more yellow than red. The color is mostly secondary, the flavor is what matters; if you don't mind the heat, add more ground dried Thai chilies and continue mixing to hydrate those and bleed their red color into the paste.
For everyone else, rough chop the cilantro stems, galangal, and lemongrass on your cutting board, using some salt to help bust up the fibrous roots. You're just looking to make the food processor's job easier (an oxymoron, I know). Once mostly broken down, transfer the remaining solid ingredients to the food processor and pulse 20-25 times until somewhat pasty (it will definitely be dry still). Dump out onto a cutting board and run your knife through a few times to catch any larger chunks and ensure mostly homogeneous. Transfer to your favorite high powered blender, and add the fish sauce and half of the water. Pulse to begin to liquefy it. Start slow and work up, scraping down the bowl as needed. This may take a while, but continue working it in the blender. Over a medium-low speed, stream in the oil to emulsify. Here's where the real art comes in; you'll need to eyeball it and keep adding oil and/or water to get a smooth paste in your blender. Apologize to your neighbors for the 10 minutes of blender usage.
Store in an air-tight container in the fridge (nearly indefinitely thanks to the amount of oil used and since we don't cook it down over reduced coconut milk fats/solids). You CAN use this immediately, but I like to give it some time in storage to meld the flavors together, as all of the fat soluble compounds dissolve into the paste. I guarantee it will taste better than the tiny, overpriced red jars that you'll find in your regular grocery store. Looking at you, [you know the brand].
Prep (for the curry):
There's really not much prep here. Peel the shrimp, open the can of coconut milk, put your Dutch oven on the stove. Start your jasmine rice now (it can sit in a warm place while the curry comes together). Otherwise, c'mon folks, the prep is all in the paste.
The Business:
Over medium heat, cook the shallots, bamboo shoots, and bruised lemongrass stem in the coconut oil until softened. Stir in the curry paste and cook until it splits (you'll notice little splotches of oil separating from the paste at this point, this is good), several minutes.
Depending on your desired level of spiciness, add any chili sauce or fresh chilies here, along with the cilantro stems, long beans, and tomato (and any other vegetables that you want). These veggies will cook as the curry simmers, you're not looking to saute them anyway. Toss in the coconut milk, sugar, and fish sauce. Reduce to a simmer and cook until desired thickness and flavors have developed. Poach shrimp in curry just before serving (these could optionally be grilled externally, or substituted for thin slices of chicken breast).
Serve with plenty of rice (making sure to keep them separate as to not end up with a glob of rice and curry), and garnish with desired options. Enjoy!
A disclaimer for my recipe for curry paste: you'd normally cook this over coconut oil and milk to brighten the flavor and expand the fat-soluble flavors, but that DOES require you to make this every time you want curry. Is it worth it? Possibly. But having my option for fridge-stable paste is a great alternative.
If using a mortar and pestle, pound the solid paste ingredients together, using kosher salt as an abrasor until well beaten (this will take several minutes), then slowly pound in the fish sauce and oil until a thick paste has formed. Add water as necessary, but don't make it too runny. This is by far the more authentic version, and strangely the fastest/easiest method, but not everyone has access to a asian style mortar and pestle (generally the ceramic/marble ones aren't large enough, and a molcajete style will soak in the flavor and oil). Depending on the quantity of Thai and bird's eye chilies used, your paste may look more yellow than red. The color is mostly secondary, the flavor is what matters; if you don't mind the heat, add more ground dried Thai chilies and continue mixing to hydrate those and bleed their red color into the paste.
For everyone else, rough chop the cilantro stems, galangal, and lemongrass on your cutting board, using some salt to help bust up the fibrous roots. You're just looking to make the food processor's job easier (an oxymoron, I know). Once mostly broken down, transfer the remaining solid ingredients to the food processor and pulse 20-25 times until somewhat pasty (it will definitely be dry still). Dump out onto a cutting board and run your knife through a few times to catch any larger chunks and ensure mostly homogeneous. Transfer to your favorite high powered blender, and add the fish sauce and half of the water. Pulse to begin to liquefy it. Start slow and work up, scraping down the bowl as needed. This may take a while, but continue working it in the blender. Over a medium-low speed, stream in the oil to emulsify. Here's where the real art comes in; you'll need to eyeball it and keep adding oil and/or water to get a smooth paste in your blender. Apologize to your neighbors for the 10 minutes of blender usage.
Store in an air-tight container in the fridge (nearly indefinitely thanks to the amount of oil used and since we don't cook it down over reduced coconut milk fats/solids). You CAN use this immediately, but I like to give it some time in storage to meld the flavors together, as all of the fat soluble compounds dissolve into the paste. I guarantee it will taste better than the tiny, overpriced red jars that you'll find in your regular grocery store. Looking at you, [you know the brand].
Prep (for the curry):
There's really not much prep here. Peel the shrimp, open the can of coconut milk, put your Dutch oven on the stove. Start your jasmine rice now (it can sit in a warm place while the curry comes together). Otherwise, c'mon folks, the prep is all in the paste.
The Business:
Over medium heat, cook the shallots, bamboo shoots, and bruised lemongrass stem in the coconut oil until softened. Stir in the curry paste and cook until it splits (you'll notice little splotches of oil separating from the paste at this point, this is good), several minutes.
Depending on your desired level of spiciness, add any chili sauce or fresh chilies here, along with the cilantro stems, long beans, and tomato (and any other vegetables that you want). These veggies will cook as the curry simmers, you're not looking to saute them anyway. Toss in the coconut milk, sugar, and fish sauce. Reduce to a simmer and cook until desired thickness and flavors have developed. Poach shrimp in curry just before serving (these could optionally be grilled externally, or substituted for thin slices of chicken breast).
Serve with plenty of rice (making sure to keep them separate as to not end up with a glob of rice and curry), and garnish with desired options. Enjoy!