Lao-style curry (Geng Phet)

prep time:: 1 hr
total time:: 1 hr

Makes 4-6 servings

Kate

A wonderful curry recipe that adapts to just about any ingredients you have in your fridge.

ingredients

3 Tablespoon red curry paste (Thai) or to taste
two sliced chicken breasts or 1 block of tofu, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fish, oyster or soy sauce.
1 cup water or stock
1 Asian eggplant (sliced into 1 inch lengths and halved)
2 zucchini (sliced into 1 inch pieces and halved)
2 red bell peppers, in 1 inch pieces
2 Kaffir Lime Leaves, broken into medium pieces
6 long Asian green beans, cut into 4 cm lengths
16 large basil leaves, with leaves torn or chopped
6-8 Tablespoons coconut milk, divided.

directions

1
To a cold wok, add curry paste and bring to a medium-high temperature, it will smell fantastic as it warms.
2
Add three Tablespoons coconut milk and mix to form a sauce, then add the chicken or Tofu and cook.
3
When the protein is cooked, add salt, pepper, sugar, fish sauce, vegetables, lime leaves, and water, cooking and stirring until eggplant is soft. (optionally, you can add in chopped thai chilis if your taste runs spicier)
4
Add the bean pieces, basil and two tablespoons of coconut milk when the other vegetables are nearly done. Cook for a few minutes, until the beans are warmed through, but still firm. Add more coconut milk, chili, soy sauce or lime juice to taste.
5
Serve in a bowl with the remaining T of coconut milk on top. Serve with sticky or steamed rice, slices of lime and chopped thai chilis on the side.
6
This recipe is endlessly adaptable. I’ve made it with tofu and bean paste in place of the meat and fish sauce, with sweet potato, squash, red peppers, pork, carrots, you name it. I don’t recommend broccoli, though, as it disintegrates as you stir and cook.

notes

Prep all the vegetables beforehand and measure all the sauce ingredients into a bowl to speed things up. Start your rice cooking before you start the curry.

Source: Kate