Red Curry Chicken

The sultry coconut curries of Thailand are addictive, once you try one, you will want to explore the rainbow of colors and flavors. Feel free to replace the red curry paste with other curry pastes such as yellow or Penang. You can also turn this into a full meal by adding pepper strips, bite-sized green or long beans and other vegetables to the sauce—just add some steamed rice and you are all set for a feast. Each brand of curry paste has varying levels of salt, so taste the curry after it’s made and, if necessary, add some salt and/or sugar to taste. Thais often garnish red curries with a drizzle of coconut milk.

Serves 4–6
 Preparation time: 5 mins
 Cooking time: 10 mins

1²⁄³ cups (400 ml) coconut milk (divided use)

¼ cup (65 ml) red curry paste

1 cup (250 ml) chicken or vegetable stock/broth

2 tablespoons Thai palm sugar or light brown sugar

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 lb (500 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized strips

2 stalks lemongrass, tender inner part of bottom third only, bruised

6 kaffir lime leaves (substitute 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest)

½ cup (15 g) Thai basil leaves

1 Heat ½ cup (125 ml) of the coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until it reduces by about half and thickens considerably and begins to separate (about 5 minutes). Mix in the curry paste and cook for an additional minute.

2 Pour in the remaining coconut milk, stock, sugar, fish sauce, chicken, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer for 3–5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with fish sauce, salt, and/ or sugar.

3 Stir in the basil leaves, remove from the heat and serve.

Five Spice Slow-cooked Pork

This is one of the first things I eat when I go to Thailand where large cauldrons of luscious sweet tender pork legs bathing in the star anise spiked broth are found in local markets and food courts. The hocks (the bottom portion of the leg) and the upper leg are often used with the fatty skin on. The skin is actually the most coveted part of it since after simmer it becomes so soft and succulent. You may opt to use the readily available pork shoulder, also called butt with its marbled meat. To save time, I use a pressure cooker, if I am in no rush I sometimes use a slow cooker. So rich and savory, I like to serve this with the Crunchy Sweet Papaya Pickles (page 42) or buy some ready-made pickled mustard greens.

Serves 4–6
 Preparation time: 10 mins
 Cooking time: 3–4 hours

3 lb (1.25 kg) pork hocks, leg or shoulder, cut into 3 or 4 large pieces

6 cups (1.5 liter) pork, chicken, or vegetable stock

6 tablespoons sweet soy sauce

¼ cup (65 ml) oyster sauce

3 tablespoons fish sauce

¼ cup (10 g) chopped coriander stems (cilantro stems)

6 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tablespoon five spice powder

3-inch (7.5 cm) piece ginger, smashed

¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

1 Cover the pork with the stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and if necessary, add enough water to cover the pork. Stir in the coriander stems, garlic, five spice powder, ginger, and white pepper.

2 Bring to a boil then lower the heat to simmer and skim any scum that rises to the surface. Cover and cook on a very low heat (barely a simmer) for 3–4 hours or until pork is very tender. If using a pressure cooker bring up to pressure and cook for 15 minutes

3 Taste the broth and adjust seasoning with soy sauce and sugar. Serve with bowls of jasmine rice and some vegetables for a complete meal.

Green Curry Pork with Eggplant

This is one of the spicier curry pastes you’ll find, so get ready for the sweet heat of Thai flavors! Silky eggplant pieces and slivers of tender pork are traditional partners in the Thai kitchen. As with all of the coconut curries in this book, I like to add the whole kaffir lime leaves (or zest) and lemongrass to fortify the pre-made curry paste; if you don’t have them go ahead and make the curry and you’ll still end up with delicious results.