Thai Street Curry w/ Recipe

So after my last visit to the Asian market, I was compelled to do the most important task any man or woman has when they have a fresh haul of perfectly fresh Thai basil, palm sugar, and ginger root, make a curry. Curries, especially in Thai food, can be the perfect thing to awaken your senses and allow you to see the true beauty in layers of spice and flavor. I have dreamt about curries some nights just because I know I have the stuff to execute the perfect curry! Well today I am going to share a simple curry recipe that will bring as much joy to you as it has from me. Every bite I take reminds me of the Thai curries that I can get while shopping in the markets, touch of sweet with a kick in the back of the throat spice that brings you to your knees. So put on some kneepads because we are going to cook some curry!

BE SCARED, I’M GOING VEGAN ON THIS ONE BUT YOU CAN ADD PROTEIN IF YOU WANT

You are going to need:
¼ cup Coconut cream
2 Tbs Red Curry Paste
½ cup Dutch Potatoes
1 cup Thai Eggplant
¼ cup Carrot
1 ¾ cup Coconut milk
2 ½ Tbs fish sauce
1 Tbs grated Palm Sugar
1 Tbs grated Ginger
6 Kaffir lime leaves
Thai basil for garnish
1 fresh Thai chili, seeded

I like to steam my diced potatoes before I make the curry, so get your steamer going with some boiling water and have them cook for about 10 minutes, then add the diced eggplant and carrot for another 5. Steaming the veggies before you make the curry gets them at the perfect doneness and does not risk you over cooking your curry.

SO ON TO THE CURRY!

Okay so first you are going to put the coconut cream in a medium to large sauce pan and simmer over medium heat until the cream separates just a tad and you can see a thin layer of oil on the top of the cream, about 5-6 minutes. Now take the curry paste and put it in the cream and cook until it becomes fragrant and you can tell that this is going to be one hell of a curry.

I prefer to use Maesri Red Curry Paste when I do not make it from scratch and it is a great go to for the avid lover who does not have the time! Once fragrant, add almost all the coconut milk, minus a quarter of a cup, to the cream and paste. You are shooting for a texture and color like this.

Now add all the veggies in the curry and get them nice and coated with the mixture, about 3 minutes. Add the Kaffir lime leaves, and the fish sauce on top of the veggies and paste and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Now add the grated palm sugar and ginger and let the whole thing marry as low as you can go for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. While the curry is simmering, make a nice chiffonade of the Thai basil and cut the red chili into small strips as well for garnish. Remove the Kaffir lime leaves before serving!! BIG STEP!! When plating, drizzle a little bit of that saved coconut milk on top to bring out the fresh flavor!

The curry is done after 45 minutes of work, including the steam time for the veggies! Simple, easy and amazing! Serve over rice, vermicelli, PUT IT IN A TACO! This stuff can go on pretty much anything, just keep it away from the eyes! I love how so many simple flavors can come together to make something layered perfectly with sweet, spice, and everything nice. The whole meal feeds 4 hungry customers and comes out to be under 10 bucks! I definitely had my fix and I hope you get yours soon too. Continue to follow me on twitter as @ChefGrantKeaton or on Facebook and feel free to send me any suggestions of cuisines you want to adventure next with me. We shall see, until next time, FOLLOW THE FLAVOR!!

PS I took this to the streets and it was a big hit!