Dish of Red Curry with Pork and Zucchini
(click to enlarge)

Red Curry with Pork & Zucchini


Thailand   -   Phat Phet Mu
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 3 main
**
35 min
Prep		 A light, easy, and very tasty curry. It has some chili bite (depending on your red curry paste), but not overwhelming. It could also be made with Chicken, which would be Phat Phet Kai.

1
6
2
3
1/2
1-1/2
1
1
1-1/2
1/4
1/2
1
#
oz


c
T
T
c
T
t
T
T
Pork, lean
Zucchini, small
Red Chili (1)
Kaffir Lime Leaf (2)
Thai Basil Leaf (3)
Oil
Red Curry Paste (4)
Coconut Milk
Fish Sauce (5)
Salt
Palm Sugar (opt)
Green Peppercorns (6)
Do-Ahead   -   (1-1/2 hrs)
  1. Make Red Curry Paste if you don't have it on hand.
Prep   -   (15 min)
  1. Cut PORK into strips less than 1/4 inch thick about 2 inches long and 3/4 inch wide.
  2. Slice ZUCCHINI in half lengthwise, then into slices about 1/4 inch thick. If the zucchini is over 2 inches diameter, cut lengthwise into quarters.
  3. Cap RED CHILIS, remove seeds and cut into narrow strips.
  4. Crumple LIME LEAVES and tear in half, discarding the central rib.
  5. Remove BASIL LEAVES from stems (measure is loosely packed). Set to soaking in cold water (keeps them green longer).
Run   -   (20 min)
  1. In a wok or spacious sauté pan heat Oil and fry Red Curry Paste stirring over moderate heat until evenly blended with the oil.
  2. Turn heat to high and stir in the Pork. Fry stirring until it has lost its raw color.
  3. Stir in Coconut Milk and the Lime Leaves. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for about 10 minutes.
  4. Stir in the Fish Sauce, Salt and Sugar (if used), and simmer for a minute or so.
  5. Stir in the Zucchini, Chilis and Green Peppercorns. Bring back to a boil and simmer covered until Zucchini is barely tender - don't overcook.
  6. Take off the heat. Drain Basil Leaves and stir them in.
  7. Serve immediately with plenty of steamed Jasmine rice.
NOTES:

  1. Red Chilis:

      Around here everyone uses Red Fresnos, but Holland Red or other medium hot chilis can be used. For details see our Thai Chilis page.

  2. Kaffir Lime Leaves:

      These come 2 leaves to a stem, so this recipe needs 1-1/2 stems. For details See our Kaffir Lime page. If you don't have them, grate the zest of the limes before you squeeze them for lime juice.

  3. Basil

      This should be Thai purple Basil (it's just the stems that are purple), not the light green Lemon Basil which is for salads. If you don't have Thai, regular purple or Italian basil are reasonable substitutes. For details on types of basil see our Basil Page.

  4. Red Curry Paste:

      This is one of the essential Thai curry pastes . Different brands and recipes vary, but the amount in this recipe is scaled for our Red Curry Paste which is fairly hot. "Thai Red Curry Sauce" is not suitable.

  5. Fish Sauce:

      This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisine as it was to Imperial Rome. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce - Introduction page.

  6. Green Peppercorns:

      Thai recipes presume these are fresh off the vine, which is not possible in North America. They are available in jars packed in brine in some markets serving a Southeast Asian community. Once the jar is opened they turn black very quickly, so I immediately freeze them in water to keep them from suffering freezer burn. If you don't have these, grind about 1 T of dried green pepper or 1/2 T of black peppercorns. For details see our Peppercorns page.

  7. Comments:

      Do they actually have Zucchini in Thailand? Is there anywhere they don't have zucchini? This Italian squash was first popularized in Los Angeles restaurants, and spread west and east, even all the way back to Italy.
  8. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
smm_pigredcurry1 100704 ett151   -   www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - agryg@aaxnet.com - Linking to and non-commercial use of this page is permitted.