Peter's Curry

Some folks claim it's the rice. Some say it's the curry paste. Others insist it's the lemon grass. However you account for it, the result is delectable! So I've decided to set down once and for all how I make the Thai curry that causes my co-workers to turn green with envy every day around noon.

First of all, ingredients are important! I use nothing other than authentic Thai jasmine rice, fresh lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, Maesri brand curry paste (I used to make my own but now I'm too lazy), the little hot peppers that you can get at any good Asian grocery store, and so on. [By the way, I always make vegetable curry with one of a number of different curry pastes (usually red but sometimes green, panang, or prik khing), but you can change this recipe around to suit your tastes by adding shrimp (goes well with panang or prik khing curry), chicken (red or green), pork (green), beef (red or panang), etc.]

Ingredients

Core ingredients:

• Maesri brand curry paste, half a 4 oz can (or to taste; store the remainder in a glass jar)
• 1 or 2 13½-ounce cans of coconut milk (I use 2 cans because I don't like my curry to get dry)
• 7 to 9 small hot peppers (fewer if you don't like it hot), diced small with the seeds (removing the seeds is not worth the effort)
• 3 to 5 kaffir lime leaves, cut into small strips (if you can find them, otherwise optional; by the way, you can store them in the freezer)
• 1 to 1½ teaspoon fish sauce

Other ingredients (change as desired):

• 1 stalk or about 2 tbs fresh lemon grass, minced (or to taste, e.g. half a stalk)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of Thai basil or regular basil, cut or torn into strips
• 4 to 5 oz of bamboo shoots (one-third of a large can)
• 1 red pepper, diced medium
• 1 or 2 medium carrots, sliced into ¼-inch cross-sections
• ¼ lb green beans, snap peas, or snow peas, cut into 2-inch lengths

Preparation

1. Skim off the coconut cream (rises to the top) and reserve the watery remainder
2. Place the coconut cream and curry paste in a large saute pan or wok
3. Heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly
4. If including fish or meat, add to curry cream sauce and cook for an additional 3 or 4 minutes, stirring as necessary
5. Add vegetables, fish sauce, and remaining coconut milk
6. Stir until blended
7. Cook on medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally
8. Serve immediately over jasmine rice, or let stand for a few minutes before storing in a container and refrigerating

Last Updated: 2004-03-07