I have always loved the fragrant aromatics used in Thai cuisines, and there is no better way to get to know it than learning how to make Thai curry pastes from scratch and thus the start of my Thai week. The recipe below is adapted from a recipe in "Thailand the Cookbook" by Jeanne Pierre Gabrielle. I deliberately did it the traditional way by pounding the aromatics in an old school mortar and pestle for nearly an hour until it turns into a smooth paste. The curry was fresh, subtle and fragrant. Would I make it again? Yes, but maybe with a food processor for the curry paste next time.
Difficulty: Medium/Difficult
Time: 2 hrs
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Panfried Duck Breasts
- 2 duck breasts
- 4 tbsp soya sauce
- 2 tbsp cooking wine
Red Curry Paste
- 5 dried red bird's eye chillies seeded
- 2 dried spur chillies seeded
- 3/4 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp chopped galangal
- 1/2 tsp chopped coriander roots
- 1/2 tbsp finely chopped kaffir lime leaves
- 1/8 cup finely sliced lemongrass
- 1 shallot
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp shrimp paste
Red Curry
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cup ripe pineapple cut into chunks
- 4 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 kaffir lime leaf torn
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
Garnish
- 2 tbsp coconut cream
- 1 red large chilli sliced diagonally
- 2 kaffir lime leaves finely sliced
- bunch of Thai basil leaves
Method
1. Soak both the dried red chillies in hot water for 15 minutes until rehydrated. Take it out, remove the stems and and chop into pieces.
2. Dry the duck breasts and add it to a ziplock bag with the soya sauce and cooking wine, making sure the ducks breasts is well coated by the sauce. Cook it in a sous vide bath at 57 degrees for an hour. Take it out and set it aside once cooked.
3. Add the chillies, salt, coriander, cumin, white pepper, galangal, coriander roots, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, garlic and shrimp paste into a mortar and pound with a pestle until it turns into a smooth paste. This took me over an hour and probably the longest time for the whole cooking process. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to process it into a smooth paste.
4. Dry the sous vide duck breasts thoroughly with kitchen towel. Heat up some oil in the pan, cook the breasts with the skin side down until the skin is golden brown and fat under the skin rendered. Cut the duck breasts into slices.
5. Remove excess fat from the pan, add the curry paste and stir fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the coconut milk and bring it to boil. Add the pineapple, tomatoes, kaffir lime leaf, fish sauce and sugar. Taste and adjust as required.
6. Assemble the plate by laddling the curry sauce in the middle, drizzle with some coconut cream. Place the sliced duck breast on top and garnish with sliced kaffir lime leaves, red chillies and Thai basil leaves.
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