Thais believe that all meals should contain all the elements of taste in perfect balance: sweetness, sourness, saltiness, spiciness, and creaminess. By Liane Arno
MY PARENTS used to dock us 20 cents of our pocket money any time we swore. In our household that meant “Flip!” or “Damn!”. Somehow “pook” was okay even though it was a “swear” word used by Mrs Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie.[1]
Another demonstration of Dad’s eccentricity was that we never celebrated Christmas but –despite being £10 Poms – we did celebrate Chinese New Year. It was a tradition to head out to the local Asian restaurant and this particular year we were joined by the fiancée of a friend. My Dad greeted her with the Cantonese saying of great happiness and prosperity: “Gung hay fat choy.” “Well F#$% you too!” came the reply.
MY PARENTS used to dock us 20 cents of our pocket money any time we swore. In our household that meant “Flip!” or “Damn!”. Somehow “pook” was okay even though it was a “swear” word used by Mrs Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie.[1]
Another demonstration of Dad’s eccentricity was that we never celebrated Christmas but –despite being £10 Poms – we did celebrate Chinese New Year. It was a tradition to head out to the local Asian restaurant and this particular year we were joined by the fiancée of a friend. My Dad greeted her with the Cantonese saying of great happiness and prosperity: “Gung hay fat choy.” “Well F#$% you too!” came the reply.
You can imagine the looks of my parents and the noises emanating from Matt and me as we tried to stifle our laughter!
Goodness only knows what the fiancée would have made of Prik Chee Fah!
Otherwise known as spur chillis, these form the base of green curry paste. Our chillis are nice and green this time of year but in another month, they will be red. You might think that next month that means we can make red curry paste – but in fact that is not the case. Red curry paste is traditionally made with dried red chillis (I believe to give it a darker colour) – whereas green curry paste is made with fresh chillis.
I have had a bit of a fiddle with a number of recipes for green curry paste – and this is my favourite way of making it. It can be stored in the fridge for a good couple of weeks – but after that it starts to lose its flavour. But if you make a stack – vacuum seal or freeze and it will last forever (well a good couple of years anyway).
Ingredients
Process
Pretty tricky! Blitz in a food processor and store. When ready to use be sure to stir it into some coconut cream so that you get the fifth element of taste.
[1] Mrs Meers was the white slave trade ‘Oriental’ madam who bundled young ladies who stayed in her boarding house into a laundry cart.
Goodness only knows what the fiancée would have made of Prik Chee Fah!
Otherwise known as spur chillis, these form the base of green curry paste. Our chillis are nice and green this time of year but in another month, they will be red. You might think that next month that means we can make red curry paste – but in fact that is not the case. Red curry paste is traditionally made with dried red chillis (I believe to give it a darker colour) – whereas green curry paste is made with fresh chillis.
I have had a bit of a fiddle with a number of recipes for green curry paste – and this is my favourite way of making it. It can be stored in the fridge for a good couple of weeks – but after that it starts to lose its flavour. But if you make a stack – vacuum seal or freeze and it will last forever (well a good couple of years anyway).
Ingredients
- ½ tsp whole coriander seed (or powder)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¼ cup of coriander leaves (or 5 tsp of coriander paste or substitute with Thai Basil)
- 1 tsp of fish sauce (or 1 tsp of dried shrimp paste – or if you are a vegan – ½ tsp of salt)
- 3 green chillis (you don’t want the really hot ones here – the long ones you get in the supermarket are just fine – leave the birds eye chillis for special treats for your enemies)
- 5 peeled cloves of garlic
- 1 stalk of lemongrass chopped up (or use 2 tsp of lemongrass paste)
- 1 tbsp of fresh turmeric (or 1 tsp of ground)
- 1 lime zested and juiced (fortunately the limes are ripening at the same time)
- 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar* (or you can use maple syrup)
Process
Pretty tricky! Blitz in a food processor and store. When ready to use be sure to stir it into some coconut cream so that you get the fifth element of taste.
[1] Mrs Meers was the white slave trade ‘Oriental’ madam who bundled young ladies who stayed in her boarding house into a laundry cart.