"Khua Kling:" Southern Thai Curry with Dried Fried Meat

Serve with Jasmine rice to package directions or quick sticky rice to method below. This dish is served with rice traditionally, I like to make it into lettuce wraps, rice on the side.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and peel off first 2 layers, mince white and light green

1-2 inches fresh ginger, grated

2 fat garlic cloves, grated or minced

6 leaves of kaffir lime or makrut stacked and trimmed or stem and very thinly sliced (Asian market)

5-6 fresh Thai bird chilies (prik kee noo) very thinly sliced 

3 T Thai red curry paste, store bought ***

1 1/2 pounds ground beef sirloin, ground pork or ground chicken

1 t light brown, dark brown or fine sugar

½ cup shelled defrosted or cooked stink beans, sataw, available on line frozen OR use defrosted fresh frozen fava or edamame for color and texture – this ingredient is optional and the dish is great without it – it is commonly used in stir fry preparations   

To serve

16 peeled and bias-cut cucumber sticks, seeded (English or seedless long cuke)

4 scallions, thinly sliced on bias

1 head of bibb or leaf lettuce (tropicana lettuce)

Quick Short Grain Rice: 

1 cup short grain rice, washed vigorously in strainer and drained  

2 thin slices ginger root

1 large clove garlic, crushed

1 ½ cups water   

1 t salt

Southern Thai Red Curry Paste:

2 ounces dried Thai chilies, stemmed  

5-6 fresh Thai chilies, stemmed

1 t salt

10-12 cloves garlic, 2 bulbs

1 2-inch piece of galanga/galangal or ginger if not available– they are not the same but they are similar in flavor, peeled and chopped or sliced

1 2-inch piece of fresh turmeric, peeled and sliced – now widely available in produce departments but 2 T dried can be added to mix if not available

1 T lime zest or kaffir lime zest (regular are fine)

2 T coarse black pepper

1 large shallot, chopped or, 3-4 small

2 T shrimp paste (1 small container)

Directions:

Start rice of choice.

Prep the lemongrass, lime leaves, chilies.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add red curry paste (see additional recipe) and a tiny bit of the meat being used to keep it moist as this is a dry frying method, about 2 T.  Stir the curry 2-3 minutes, add the protein and crumble well as it browns into fine bits.  Add the lemongrass, ginger, garlic and stir a minute or 2, add ¾ of the lime leaves and the Thai fresh chilies, reserving a bit for garnish.  Add beans if using and cook 2 minutes more.  Transfer to a serving dish.  Serve with cucumber, rice and lettuce for wrapping.

Quick Short Grain Rice:

Place the ingredients in a pot and cover tightly, boil 14-15 minutes, do not open lid, let stand 5-10 minutes and fluff with fork.

Southern Thai Red Curry Paste:

This will keep a few weeks in small jar and will make 3-4 recipes of Thai cuisine for 4-6 people.

The paste should be made slowly in a mortar and pestle over about an hour, but I really don’t often fine the time or patience for it.  Pulse very short bursts in food processor and store in small mason jar.

Pulse all ingredients in food processor in very short bursts until thick paste forms.