An unusual Thai red curry

I haven’t taken a great photo here but this was a really nice curry. I wanted a red curry but not the usual creamy, sweetish red curry. I wanted itto have a hint of bitterness mixed with a hint of heat. Bitterness from little Thai eggplants, snake beans and grachai (Thai ginger). Sweetness from pumpkin. Creaminess from delicate silken tofu. Yum yum! Part of my motivation was to keep this low fat and healthy, hence the low amount of coconut cream and use of tofu.

My Thai Red Curry

Curry Paste
1 tsp corriander seeds
2 tsp Thai shrimp paste
1 tbs sliced galangal
1 tbs sliced lemon grass
2 tsp chopped grachai
1 red shallot
1 tsp peppercorns
2 tsp chilli powder

3 kaffir lime leaves
2 tbs fish sauce
1 tsp palm sugar
4 tbs coconut cream
250gm packet silken tofu
Thai apple eggplants
1 bunch snake beans
1 cup butternut pumpkin
1 carrot cut into sticks
Handful of snow peas
Handful of mushrooms

Roast the coriander seeds and shrimp paste in a pan for a few minutes. Grind with the rest of the curry paste ingredients into a fine paste.

Put two tablespoon of coconut cream into a pan and cook until it splits. Add the paste and finely shredded lime leaves and fry well. Add a little water a few times to prevent it from burning. Cook for approx 10 minutes. Add fish sauce and sugar. Add remaining coconut cream and some water until it is a thick curry consistency. Add the pumpkin and carrots and cook for ten minutes. Add the eggplant and cook until tender. Now add the remaining vegetables and stir. Cut the tofu into large cubes while still in the container. Carefully place them on top of the veggies. Cover the pot and cook on slow for 10-15 minutes. The tofu should steam and cook while sitting on top of the curry – keeping its flavours clean and separate from the curry.

I ate this without rice and loved the contrast of the bland delicate tofu with the spicy and slightly bitter curry. Crunchy snake beans against creamy pumpkin and eggplant.

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