Thai Curry Without Tears, "Kaeng Sai Mai Rong Hai"

The translation of this means "curry [or stew or soup] without tears".

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon fried garlic
1 tablespoon fried red onion
4 tablespoons red curry paste
1 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons jalapena peppers
2 tablespoons ginger
2 tablespoons fish sauce
a pinch of sugar

Method

In a wok heat the garlic and shallots, and add the red curry paste, and stir until combined and aromatic. In a wok push it up the side of pan away from the heat. If you are using a saucepan remove and set aside. Heat the coconut milk until nearly boiling and lower the heat. Add the chili paste, a quarter at a time, and stir until dissolved. Now add the remaining ingredients, and stir until heated through.

You can increase or reduce the shallots/garlic and chili paste together by a factor of two (ie if you halve the chili paste, halve the garlic and shallots also. If you double them double them all). Similarly the jalapenas, ginger and fish sauce can be adjusted by up to a factor of two to give the flavor balance you want.

Ginger gives the dish an afterburn.

1: Curry without tears.

You can of course make the curry with any meat, poultry, fish or vegetables you wish. This is for a simple kaeng phet gai (chicken curry).

Ingredients

One portion of red curry sauce (above)
1 cup diced chicken
1 cup bamboo shoots, julienned
5-6 kaffir lime leaves, shredded

Method

Heat the sauce. Add the bamboo shoots and cook for three or four minutes, then add the chicken and lime leaves and cook until the chicken is cooked through. If you choose to make this with beef instead you will need to cook the meat for longer, so add it first, and cook until it just begins to be tender, then add the bamboo.

2: Stew without tears

Ingredients

one portion of red curry sauce (above)
1 cup beef stock
1 cup beef, diced
1 cup broccoli, cut up into florets and sliced stems

Method

In a medium pan bring the sauce and stock to a boil then turn down the heat as low as it can go. In a wok quickly stir fry the beef to seal it, and add it to the sauce. Poach it for 30 minutes to an hour until it is tender, then add the vegetables, turn up the heat and stir until the vegetables are barely cooked.

3: Soup without tears

Ingredients

one portion of red curry sauce (above)
2 cups fish stock
1 cup shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup mushrooms
2 tablespoons chili paste in oil

Method

Heat the sauce, add the stock and chili paste in oil, and stir to combine. Add the shrimp and mushrooms, and cook until the shrimp are pink. Taste and adjust the flavor by adding fish sauce (salt), sugar, and possibly more chili paste.