Jungle Curry

Fancy making this hot curry from northern Thailand? It’s unusual as it doesn’t have any coconut milk in – but it has loads of flavour and a really earthy taste – and it’s one of my favourites!

The distinctive taste comes mainly from wild ginger - a really strange looking form of ginger which looks a bit like thin light brown fingers (also known as Chinese keys).  When I first saw it I had no idea what it was – sold under its Thai name ‘krachai’. I always get really excited when I see something I don’t recognise and have to buy it straight away – then work out what the hell it is and what to do with it.
 
I also love this curry as it has has loads of veggies in it and its really really hot! In fact it’s also good for using up leftover seasonal veggies in the fridge. Anyway here’s the recipe:

INGREDIENTS                                           Jungle curry paste
 

200g boneless chicken thigh                        10 dried long red chillies
2 tbsp vegetable oil                                    3-4 dried small red chillies
2 tbsp fish sauce                                        2 bird’s eye chillies
300ml chicken stock                                   2 tsp chopped galangal
Mixed Veg                                     2 tbsp shallots
2 green aubergines                               2 stalks chopped lemongrass
a handful green beans chopped into 3        1 tbsp chopped wild ginger
a handful baby corn                                     1 tsp chopped coriander root
a handful of pea aubergines                          1 kaffir lime leaf
1 smll tin bamboo shoots                              6 garlic cloves chopped
                                               1tsp shrimp paste
3 sticks wild ginger
1 green chilli de-seeded and sliced                                           
2 kaffir lime leaves                                                                    
a handful of thai basil       
                            
Garlic Paste  
2 cloves garlic  
3 sticks wild ginger
4 bird’s eye chillies

First of all make the jungle curry paste by pounding the ingredients in a pestle and mortar one at a time. Start with the chillies, (de-seeding, soaking and chopping first)then work through the list pounding the hardest ingredients first and the softest last. Set aside.

Next make the garlic paste by grinding garlic, wild ginger and chillies together in the mortar. Cut up the chicken and heat the oil in a wok. When it’s really hot add the garlic paste and fry until golden (not long) to flavour the oil. Add 2 1/2 tbsp of curry paste and carry on stirring to stop it sticking. When it’s really fragrant add the fish sauce and stock and bring to the boil.

Add the chicken and harder veg and simmer for a while. Add the rest of the veg, chilli, basil and lime leaves and simmer until all the veg are cooked through.

I really hope you enjoy this curry. It’s best served on fragrant rice in bowls as it’s quite soupy. Once you’ve made the paste there’s enough left for another meal. (Store in a jar in the fridge for a couple of weeks or freeze.) Wild ginger is available on-line from Thai4UK.com and lasts in the fridge for about 4 weeks.