Literally meaning "Curry with pork and green peppercorns," this dish is supposed to contain an ingredient not easy to come by around here... green peppercorns. Neither the shop in SLO nor the one in Atascadero carry the green so I decided to use 1/4 the amount called for in black peppercorn. This may or may not have been a big mistake.
It's easy enough. Red curry paste, pork, Thai eggplant, coconut milk and (green peppercorns). Cook, serve with rice and enjoy. As I eat it I can make out the various flavors captured within but without a doubt the decision to use black peppercorns was a fatal one. The pepper outweighs the other flavors at times but I can think of at least one person that wouldn't care in the least. Given that green peppercorns are supposed to be a bit sour, I definitely got this one wrong.
Oh well, no harm no foul. I'm still happily eating it, just sifting out the corns.
The Food of Thailand: A journey for food lovers). My notes can be followed in italic.
Put 1/4 cup of coconut cream in a wok and simmer over medium heat for about 5 mins, or until the cream separates and a layer of oil forms on the surface. Stir the cream if it starts to brown around the edges. *My wok heats things up real fast so I don't wait 5 mins. The cream begins to reduce early so I've learned to give it about 1 min or less before moving on.
Add 2 tbps of red curry paste, stir well to combine and cook until fragrant. This is hard to determine as the stuff is fragrant right out of the can. After a bit of practice using pastes I've come to know when "fragrant" happens.
Add 3 tbsp of fish sauce and 1 1/2 tbsp of palm sugar and cook for another 2 mins or until the mixture begins to darken. The fish sauce will darken it automatically. Be patient and you'll notice a gradual darkening over time.
Add the pork and stir for 5 to 7 minutes. Make sure the pork is cooked thoroughly or you'll have some serious Thai Revenge later.
Add 440ml of coconut milk (one can) and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add 10oz of Thai eggplant, cut in quarters, and then 3oz fresh green peppercorns and cook for another 5 minutes. My guy down the street carries Thai eggplant from time to time. If you can't find it then you can use a regular eggplant cut into cubes.
When done throw in about 7 makrut, torn in half, for flavoring. Stir them in real good then remove from heat.
Garnish with red chilies, seeded and finely sliced.
Looks great! Where's mine?
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