This recipe is adapted from a recipe I obtained from a jungle food restaurant in Kanchanaburi province. The paste is a downgrade of a phrik khing paste – it omits the coriander roots and shallots. In addition, the recipe substitutes the fermented shrimp paste (kapi) with maawn fermented fish paste (กะปิมอญ; gabpi maawn), which is a popular ingredient among the Mon-Burmese population of the western province. The lack of shallots eliminates any sweetness that might impair the sharpness and heat of the dish. Furthermore, a double hit of citrus notes from holy basil are infused into the dish: from the holy basil flowers added to the paste and the holy basil leaves added to the curry.
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The vegetables of choice are pea eggplants, apple eggplants and yellow bitter eggplants. This trait of bitterness can be further explored by adding other ingredients with solid woody-earthy and bitter properties such as climbing wattle leaves (cha-om) (ชะอม), bitter gourd (มะระขี้นก) or Chinese bitter gourd (มะระจีน).
[Add] | [Omit] |
---|---|
Holy basil flowers | Coriander root |
Fermented fish paste (gabpi maawn) | Shallots |
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Ingredients
- 250 gr snakehead fish (ปลาช่อน)
- 3 cups chicken stock (น้ำสต๊อกไก่)
- 1/2 cup pea eggplants (มะเขือพวง)
- 1 bitter yellow eggplants (มะเขือขื่น)
- 3 apple eggplants (มะเขือเปราะ) sliced into quarters
- 1 fresh green long chili (phrik chee fa) (พริกชี้ฟ้าเขียว)
- 1 fresh red long chili (phrik chee fa) (พริกชี้ฟ้าแดง)
- 8 kaffir lime leaves (ใบมะกรูด)
- 1/2 cup holy basil (ใบกะเพรา)
Optional:
- climbing wattle leaves (cha-om) (ชะอม)
- Chinese bitter gourd (มะระจีน) or
- bitter gourd (มะระขี้นก)
- bamboo shoots (หน่อไม้)
For the paste:
- 1/4 cup dried boat bow shaped chilies (hua rua) (พริกหัวเรือแห้ง)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (เกลือทะเล)
- 1/4 cup lemongrass (ตะไคร้)
- 1/4 cup galangal (ข่า)
- 1 teaspoon kaffir lime zest (ผิวมะกรูด)
- 1/4 cup Thai garlic
- 3-4 holy basil flowers (ดอกกะเพรา)
- 1 1/2 tablespoon Mon style fermented shrimp paste (kapi maawn) (กะปิมอญ) or
- 3/4 tablespoon fermented shrimp paste (kapi)(กะปิย่างไฟ)
Instructions
- Clean the fish and remove the internal organs.
- Using a sharp knife, slice the fish into 1″ (2.5 cm) thick steak cuts. Set aside.
Prepare the curry paste:
- An overview of the curry paste ingredients.
- In a pestle and mortar, pound the curry paste; start with the chilies and gradually add the other ingredients, from the driest to the wet. Pound the paste to a semi-fine consistency. Set aside.
Cook the curry:
- In a pot, dilute the paste with chicken stock to the desired consistency.
- Bring the stock to a boil and cook it until the paste loses its rawness.
- Add the fish and continue to cook on medium heat.
- Add the eggplants; cook until the fish and eggplants are fully cooked.
Add the herbs:
- Turn off the heat and add the fresh chilies, kaffir lime leaves and holy basil leaves.
c1933 An Auspicious fish ball curry with two basils (แกงเผ็ดปลาเล็กปลาน้อย; gaaeng phet bplaa lek bplaa naawy)
Typically, in Central-style curries, different types of basil are not used together. In higher cuisine, it is an unstated – but understood – practice to avoid blending the definitive scents of various basils. A curry’s final herbal identity is intended to remain definitively with its basil: the citrus notes of holy basil; the spicy-woody and pungent flavor of tree basil; the tart fragrance of lemon basil; or the cooling anise sensation of Thai basil.
Clear Soup of Bitter Gourd Stuffed with Pork and Glass Noodles ต้มจืดมะระยัดไส้หมูสับ ; dtohm jeuut mara yat sai muu sap
Bitter gourds have long been prized in Asia for a trait considered a defect in cucumbers: bitterness. We tend to believe that anything bitter is medicinal and, in this case, we could be correct. The bitter gourd is said to cure a wide range of ailments – from gastrointestinal conditions to cancers, and from diabetes to HIV.
Also known as bitter melons, bitter gourds are pale green, with an irregular, warty surface. Typically, they are eaten following an initial treatment to remove some of the bitterness; often they are stuffed, to complement their somewhat eccentric bite.
Swamp Eel Triple-Layered Red Curry with Fingerroot, Bitter Ginger, Sand Ginger and Thai Basil Flowers (แกงเผ็ดปลาไหลทรงเครื่อง ; Gaaeng Phet Bplaa Lai Sohng Khreuuang)
This eel curry includes a greater-than-usual quantity of aromatics used over three stages. First, the eel is cleaned and sliced into segments; then it is fried with a generous amount of lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and shallots. These help to counter its muddy and somewhat iron-like odor, which disappears along with the liquids and the aromatics.
This eel curry recipe is adapted from the vintage book: “Gap Khaao O:H Chaa Roht” by Ging Ga Nohk) (กับข้าวโอชารส โดย กิ่งกนก – กาญจนาภา พ.ศ. 2485). This rare book was written in 1942 during WWII, a period of global turmoil in which Thailand was invaded by the Japanese. That same year marked a decade from the ending of absolute monarchy rule in 1932, and one generation away from the peak of the Siamese culinary renaissance that flourished in the court of King Rama V (1868-1910): a nostalgic era for its children who are still with us to remember and reflect on those times.
Curry of yellow chilies with whole quail, fresh turmeric and lemon basil (แกงเผ็ดนกกระทาพริกเหลืองสด; gaaeng phet nohk grathaa phrik leuuang soht)
Salty leading and sour-sweet to follow, this coconut-based gaaeng phet spicy curry might be made of chilies, but it is fruitier than it is spicy, and lighter than it is dense. Originally cooked with the meat of game birds, it retains a surprisingly light body that opens space for the birds to fly. The curry is tinted golden orange from a paste imbued with fresh yellow chilies and turmeric; it is perfumed with lemongrass and lemon basil leaves.
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