{"id":17246,"date":"2015-02-14T21:27:45","date_gmt":"2015-02-14T20:27:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.withaglass.com\/?p=17246"},"modified":"2018-01-22T17:59:49","modified_gmt":"2018-01-22T16:59:49","slug":"red-curry-with-pork-and-green-fresh-peppercorn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.withaglass.com\/?p=17246","title":{"rendered":"Red Curry with Pork and Green Fresh Peppercorn"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"pork_curryp\"As many foreign\u00a0Thai cuisine fans I am impressed\u00a0by the number of ingredients used in every curry, not to mention the\u00a0mystery of their combinations. I keep on\u00a0wondering how the cooks cited by David Thompson in Thai Food<\/a>\u00a0(THE book to buy if you are seriously interested in this cuisine) decided on\u00a0the composition of\u00a0a curry. First of all,\u00a0the items used to create numerous pastes, but also herbs, roots and\u00a0other condiments. In\u00a0this curry I had no doubts at least about the\u00a0presence of fresh peppercorns:\u00a0not only do they go perfectly with the paste and the remaining ingredients, but, most of all, they are ideally suited\u00a0for pork.<\/p>\n

In fact, if it hadn’t been for this curry I would have probably never discovered fresh peppercorns. \u00a0Until very recently, each time I saw them I assumed it was another exotic vegetable I had no idea how to use… I had known pickled green peppercorns for long years (I\u00a0suppose they are popular in many Western countries), but would never suspect\u00a0the grape-like clustered grains to be the\u00a0raw version of what we buy bottled! Now that I think how much I love the very popular French pork p\u00e2t\u00e9\u00a0with pickled green peppercorns, I shouldn’t be surprised I have appreciated so much the Thai combination of tenderloin\u00a0with fresh\u00a0ones.<\/p>\n

I’m not a peppercorn specialist and I’m sure you can find detailed information on Wikipedia, but for those who\u00a0have doubts:\u00a0black, white and green peppercorns are exactly the same fruit of the same plant. They are simply processed (or not, in case of raw ones) in a different way. It’s a bit like black and green olives or green and black tea…<\/p>\n

As usually, I tried to follow the recipe as closely as possible, but, as always, I have seriously cut down on coconut milk and cream because of the taste (I simply preferred a less rich, sharper version ) and for dietary reasons\u00a0(just like I try to cut down fat in many Western dishes). Another thing I do\u00a0is\u00a0thicken most curries;\u00a0they end up still liquid, but not as soupy\u00a0as they probably are in Thailand. I have also doubled the amount of meat and adapted the ingredients\u00a0to a dish for two.\u00a0I have used pork tenderloin and its use forced me to change a part of the cooking process.\u00a0You can use any cut you prefer, but if\u00a0you have\u00a0a fatter or\/and tougher pork cut, check\u00a0David Thompson’s steps<\/a> to follow (and of course to see his unaltered\u00a0recipe).<\/p>\n

The missing holy basil is the only not intended change. Unfortunately, the only day I had a chance to take\u00a0the photograph of this particular curry (not obvious during the rare daylight hours I’m at home during the winter…), I didn’t have holy basil, cited in the ingredients list. If you can find it, definitely buy it! (Holy basil, or graprao, is pungent and has green serrated leaves, while the more popular Thai basil is totally different: it has dark violet hues and smells like liquorice or anise seed).<\/p>\n

TIPS:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fresh peppercorns
\n<\/em>I know some of you cannot find fresh peppercorns (though do not despair! if I find them easily in several shops in my Swiss city, I’m sure you will find it in many other much bigger Western countries; sometimes fresh produce is sold also online, especially in the USA). Look out for Vietnamese, Thai and generally Asian shops (here even a big supermarket for restaurants sells fresh peppercorns in the Thai section) and ask about\u00a0the ingredients (sometimes they have small batches arriving once a week). Using rinsed pickled green peppers is another solution, though the taste changes a lot (I have seen these sold in several different European countries, so I hope it’s a universally acceptable tip) and I’ve also seen on some blogs the use of dried green peppercorns, but I’d go rather for the pickled version if the fresh ones are impossible to find.<\/p>\n

Curry paste
\n<\/em>If you cannot find the products to prepare a curry paste, it’s better to buy a ready-to-use one (in this case red curry paste is the right solution) rather than skip such crucial ingredients such as galangal, coriander root or lemongrass. Your dish will end up closer to genuine Thai cuisine.\u00a0This being said… if you have all but makrut\u00a0lime zest, skip it. Do not substitute it with the popular lime zest which has a completely different aroma and taste. To be frank, I once forgot this ingredient and the difference in the served\u00a0dish\u00a0was tiny…\u00a0(I will probably get angry looks if a Thai visitor reads my post…).<\/p>\n

If you find the curry paste preparation tiresome, you can easily make it the day before (or even several days) and store in the fridge for several days (tightly closed; David Thompson advises to cover it very tightly with plastic film and then to close the jar\/box). It can even be frozen (though many people are against it), thought it won’t be as good as freshly made (but still better than store-bought, in my opinion).<\/p>\n

Curry paste can be prepared in a mortar (an optimal solution, apparently) or,\u00a0quicker and easier, in a food processor (I use a small baby food mixer). The author recommends to add some water if you opt for the latter (not coconut milk\u00a0which would make the leftover paste spoil quicker in the fridge). Water\u00a0makes it easier to obtain a smoother paste in a food processor.<\/p>\n

Coriander root
\n<\/em>Coriander root appears\u00a0practically in every curry paste ingredients list, so it’s a very important product. Thai and Vietnamese shops sell (at least here) coriander with roots, but if you cannot get it, you might ask for roots at any farmers’ market (vendors will be surprised, but you will probably get them for free next time you come!) or buy potted plants (it’s really worth it!) or grown your own coriander or, at worst use the lower parts of stalks, but they will be much much\u00a0more\u00a0pungent.<\/p>\n

Freezing fresh ingredients<\/em>
\nI have realised\u00a0that \u2013 purists might\u00a0criticise me\u00a0here \u2013 certain Thai ingredients freeze quite well (though they do lose some of their aroma, so I advise using a bit more of these; I usually use 50% more makrut\u00a0lime leaves for example).\u00a0I have been freezing makrut\u00a0lime leaves, grachai, galangal (this one loses quite a lot in the process, but is still acceptable), coriander roots\u00a0and\u00a0fresh pepper corns.\u00a0Frozen ingredients are obviously better than no ingredients at all and definitely better than dried ones.<\/p>\n

Special equipment: a mortar\u00a0and\u00a0pestle or a small food processor (baby food processor is perfect), coffee\/spice grinder (if you don’t use a mortar)<\/em><\/p>\n

Preparation: about\u00a060 minutes (if you use tenderloin)<\/em><\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/em><\/p>\n

about 300 g pork tenderloin in one piece<\/em><\/p>\n

300 ml coconut milk<\/em><\/p>\n

2 tablespoons coconut oil (or about 500 ml\u00a0coconut cream according to the original recipe)<\/em><\/p>\n

pinch of salt<\/em><\/p>\n

offcuts from the lemongrass used in the paste<\/em><\/p>\n

1 teaspoon palm sugar<\/em><\/p>\n

2 tablespoons fish sauce<\/em><\/p>\n

2-3 tablespoons green fresh peppercorns<\/em><\/p>\n

3 makrut (also known as kafir)\u00a0lime leaves, finely sliced (or more, if you use frozen leaves)<\/em><\/p>\n

a handful of holy basil (graprao) leaves<\/em><\/p>\n

1 long red chilli, julienned<\/em><\/p>\n

Paste:<\/em><\/p>\n

6 long dried chillies (or more!)<\/em><\/p>\n

large pinch of salt<\/em><\/p>\n

6 tablespoons chopped lemongrass ((remove the outer tough leaves, the upper 1\/3 of the stalk and also the lowest toughest small bit, use the offcuts in the “stock” at the beginning)<\/em><\/p>\n

2 tablespoons chopped coriander roots<\/em><\/p>\n

1 teaspoon coriander seeds<\/em><\/p>\n

1 teaspoon cumin seeds<\/em><\/p>\n

First prepare the paste.<\/p>\n

Soak the chillies for about 15 minutes in warm salted water.<\/p>\n

Drain and cut into pieces.<\/p>\n

Roast the cumin and the coriander seeds (don’t burn them).<\/p>\n

If you intend to use a food processor, grind the cumin and the coriander seeds in a spice or coffee grinder. If you use a mortar, start grinding them\u00a0in a mortar, adding one by one the remaining paste ingredients, starting from the toughest. If you use a food processor, simply put the ground spices and the remaining ingredients and mix everything, adding water if necessary to make a smooth paste.<\/p>\n

Combine 200 ml of the\u00a0coconut milk, the lemongrass offcuts and the salt.
\nBoil for about 20 minutes.<\/p>\n

Add the pork loin and simmer for about 10 minutes.<\/p>\n

Leave to cool in this “stock”.<\/p>\n

Remove the cold meat from the stock and cut into bite-sized pieces or slices.<\/p>\n

Fry the paste in the coconut oil + the remaining\u00a0coconut milk (about 100 ml) or in coconut cream for several minutes.<\/p>\n

Add the palm sugar and the fish sauce.<\/p>\n

Add the pork, the makrut\u00a0lime leaves, the peppercorns and as much of the coconut “stock” as you need to obtain the desired thickness of the curry.<\/p>\n

Just before serving add the holy basil leaves and sprinkle with fresh chilli.<\/p>\n

According to the author the curry should taste hot and salty at the same time, so adjust the taste accordingly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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