Kaeng Kua Prawn and Fish Curry
Curry pastes is an essential ingredient for so many Thai curry dishes. There is a wide variety of pastes that can be used from the usual green, red and yellow to Kaeng Kua, Prik Khing and Massaman pastes. Quite often there is only a subtle differences in the ingredients which affects the heat and aroma of the curry. Many pastes are regional and will be influenced by the meat or fish to be used.
When I started cooking I use to make all my own pastes and occasionally still do but it can be difficult to get all the authentic ingredients. Making your own paste is extremely satisfying but time is required to get the best result as you need to grind the ingredients individually before pounding them together. Due to the time needed to make the paste most Thai people wont make their own but will buy it from the local market. They will buy the meat, vegetables and the prepared paste from stalls in the market before taking them home to cook the evening meal.
There are now some very good Thai curry pastes available to buy either in Asian food stores or on-line. Brands which I use and to look out for are either
Mae Ploy http://www.theasiancookshop.co.uk/ or Maesri http://www.tradewindsorientalshop.co.uk/.
For this dish I have used a Maesri paste but if you would like to make your own I have included the ingredients for the paste at the end. This curry paste is best suited for fish and the flavour has more texture and depth which I don't feel the normal Thai red curry has, it is also my eldest daughter's favourite dish and we tend to have it most weeks.
There are many different methods of cooking Thai curries. I was shown this particular method by a good Thai friend.
Ingredients
1 1/2 tbs Kaeng Kua paste (hot, use less if you don't like your curry too hot)
400ml coconut milk
200ml of chicken stock (if you have your own better still otherwise mix a chicken stock cube in 200ml of warm water.
1 tbs fish sauce (you can use soy sauce if you don't have fish sauce but not as good as it changes the flavour of the curry)
30g palm sugar (alternatively use brown sugar)
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
4 Thai green aubergines, chopped (each one into 4 small pieces) Not always the easiest to get hold of you can substitute with veg of your choice. I quite often use peas.
200g king prawns
200g white fish such as cod (diced 2 to 3cm)
Basil to garnish
1. Add the paste and coconut milk in a large pan, stir together and heat (high). You need to cook until the milk froths up in the pan (this will happen reasonable quickly) then add the stock. Turn the heat down to half.
2. Add the palm sugar, fish sauce and lemon juice one at a time and stir. You now need to taste to get the balance correct for your palate. If too hot add a little bit more sugar and lemon if not hot enough add a small amount of paste. The idea is to get a balance of taste between the salty, sweet, sour, bitter and hot or pungent
3. Add the Thai green aubergines (or peas) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the prawns and fish and cook until the fish starts to flake.
When ready add to a serving dish, sprinkle with basil leaves and serve with steamed rice.
Ingredients for Thai Curry Paste – Kaeng Kua
12 Dried Red Chilies, roughly chopped
10 Shallots, peeled and chopped
20 Garlic Cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
3 Lemongrass Stalks, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp Coriander Roots, chopped
1 Tbsp Fresh Turmeric, grated
1 Tbsp Galangal, grated
1 Tbsp Kaffir Lime Peel, grated
1 Tsp Fermented Fish Paste
There are now some very good Thai curry pastes available to buy either in Asian food stores or on-line. Brands which I use and to look out for are either
Mae Ploy http://www.theasiancookshop.co.uk/ or Maesri http://www.tradewindsorientalshop.co.uk/.
For this dish I have used a Maesri paste but if you would like to make your own I have included the ingredients for the paste at the end. This curry paste is best suited for fish and the flavour has more texture and depth which I don't feel the normal Thai red curry has, it is also my eldest daughter's favourite dish and we tend to have it most weeks.
There are many different methods of cooking Thai curries. I was shown this particular method by a good Thai friend.
Ingredients
1 1/2 tbs Kaeng Kua paste (hot, use less if you don't like your curry too hot)
400ml coconut milk
200ml of chicken stock (if you have your own better still otherwise mix a chicken stock cube in 200ml of warm water.
1 tbs fish sauce (you can use soy sauce if you don't have fish sauce but not as good as it changes the flavour of the curry)
30g palm sugar (alternatively use brown sugar)
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
4 Thai green aubergines, chopped (each one into 4 small pieces) Not always the easiest to get hold of you can substitute with veg of your choice. I quite often use peas.
200g king prawns
200g white fish such as cod (diced 2 to 3cm)
Basil to garnish
1. Add the paste and coconut milk in a large pan, stir together and heat (high). You need to cook until the milk froths up in the pan (this will happen reasonable quickly) then add the stock. Turn the heat down to half.
2. Add the palm sugar, fish sauce and lemon juice one at a time and stir. You now need to taste to get the balance correct for your palate. If too hot add a little bit more sugar and lemon if not hot enough add a small amount of paste. The idea is to get a balance of taste between the salty, sweet, sour, bitter and hot or pungent
3. Add the Thai green aubergines (or peas) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the prawns and fish and cook until the fish starts to flake.
When ready add to a serving dish, sprinkle with basil leaves and serve with steamed rice.
Ingredients for Thai Curry Paste – Kaeng Kua
12 Dried Red Chilies, roughly chopped
10 Shallots, peeled and chopped
20 Garlic Cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
3 Lemongrass Stalks, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp Coriander Roots, chopped
1 Tbsp Fresh Turmeric, grated
1 Tbsp Galangal, grated
1 Tbsp Kaffir Lime Peel, grated
1 Tsp Fermented Fish Paste
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