Kaeng phet – classic red Thai curry

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• ½ liter coconut milk
• 0.1 litres of coconut cream, if necessary, and correspondingly less coconut milk
• 1 tbsp curry paste, red
• 200 g meat, fish, shrimp or tofu
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp palm sugar
• 100 g eggplant(s) (Thai eggplant)
• 100 g bamboo shoots
• Mushrooms, optional
• Bell pepper(s), optional
• 5 kaffir lime leaves
• 3 sprig(s) Thai basil, sweet,
• 1 chili pepper(s) (Thai chili)
• 1 sprig lemongrass
• some peanut oil for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

with meat, fish, shrimp or tofu

Briefly fry the red curry paste in peanut oil in a wok over high heat to release the full flavor. Then deglaze the curry paste with 500 ml of coconut milk. If you prefer a creamier sauce, you can replace 100 ml of coconut milk with the same amount of coconut cream. Bring the coconut milk to a boil and add the meat (or fish, shrimp, or tofu), fish sauce, and palm sugar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the remaining ingredients for 5 minutes. Remove the stem end of the Thai eggplant and cut it into quarters or eighths. Add the Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, and any other vegetables—peppers, mushrooms, etc.—and simmer for another two minutes. Slice the kaffir lime leaves. Slice the Thai chili into rings. Cut the lemongrass into approximately 10 rings, depending on your taste. Add the kaffir lime leaves, Thai chili, and basil leaves, and simmer for another minute. Serve the curry with rice.