Thai Red Curry

[mifsit]

I have adapted this recipe from one by Nigella Lawson. It makes a fantastic curry.

For the red paste:
4 medium red chilli peppers
4 tablespoons of coriander seeds
2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
4 stems of lemon gr**** chopped
4 shalotts or spring onions
6 cloves of garlic
chopped ginger or galangal
zest and juice of 2 limes
2 level tablespoons of chilli powder (heat to your own taste)

Basically toast the seeds together in a hot dry pan until the aromas start to come out and then with the other ingredients crush them together in a pestle and mortar or food blender until they look like a paste.

For the curry:

1/2 pint of light coconut milk
1 pint of chicken or vegetable stock
1lb of diced chicken, turkey or firm fleshed fish (you could also use beef or pork but it will obviously be less healthy)
1lb of diced pumkin
kaffir lime leaves (just break them up in your fingers a bit)
A few green or red chillies depending on your taste
2 sticks of lemon grass chopped
fresh coriander leaves to garnish
fresh rice or noodles to serve
cooking time is approx 30-45 mins and should serve 4

In a pan heat through the coconut milk and add the paste, mix together well. Add the lime leaves, chilli, and lemon gr**** then poor in the stock. Once back to heat add the meat, stir through an cover well. allow 15-20 mins and check the meat is cooking through. Then add the pumpkin and cover once more (if using fish add the pumpkin at the same time instead of waiting). Once the pumpkin has cooked through and can be broken up stir it through to give an even consistancy of the sauce. Check the meat is thoroughly cooked. Serve with rice or noodles and garnish with freshly chopped coriander.

You could use mixed vegetables in place of the meat, if you do this and it starts to look a little dry you can always add a little water. You can use store bought red curry paste but it will have oil in it. I guess you could use a green or yellow paste but I haven't done one of those yet and it may look strange with the colour of the pumpkin flesh.

[Jules]

THis looks good, but when you say pumpkin, you mean the orange jacko-lantern halloween pumpkins? Do you eat the skin too? Sorry, Don't have a clue how to fix pumpkin. And what are kaffir lime leaves?

[mifsit]

yeah, we only get the jack- o - lantern types here and its just the flesh you use, not the skin. Kaffir lime leaves are bascially the leaves off a lime tree, kaffir being the name of the specific type. I'm sure you should be able to get the dried versions in your supermarkets in the oriental section. If you really cannot find it grate a bit of the rind off an unwaxed lime.

[muppet]

Isn't Nigella Lawson that really gorgeous woman who has a cooking show. I love her! Not sure if she's on anymore around here though!
This recipe sounds great. But there's a lot of things that I don't have around the house! I would have to make a special trip to get all the ingredients. They aren't exactly staples around here.
Gee, can you tell I'm not much of a cook!

[Missy]

I have never been a fan of curry, only because when people make it the smell is horrifying to me *lol*

I haven't had the nerve to actually taste it...a lot of people love it, but I haven't been able to get past the smell when it's being cooked.

[mifsit]

Missy if you come to Malta I'll let you try some :-)

I love Nigella Lawson. She's had several shows in the UK as well as books. I've seen them all and got all the books. There was a joke about her doing the rounds once. "today we are going to make something with ingredients you have never heard of and utensils you can't afford"