Thai Pork and Turkey Berry (Pea Eggplant) with Coconut Milk Curry
Inspired by Thai green curry, but without using cilantro roots which can be hard to get outside of Asia, this is an easy and tasty way to cook up your turkey berries.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- ½ Tablespoon cumin, lightly toasted
- ⅓ teaspoon black peppercorns, lightly toasted
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste (belacan), toasted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4-5 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1½ Tablespoon galangal
- 11 dried red chillies, seeds removed if not it will be crazy spicy
- 4 fresh red chillies, cut into smaller pieces, seeds removed
- 1 red onion (about 1/2 Cup) (Substitute: yellow onions + a pinch of sugar as red onions are sweeter, or shallots)
- Optional: you can add in a few coriander roots/ stems and some lemongrass if you like
- 1 Cup coconut milk (Substitute: 1/3 Cup coconut cream mixed with 2/3 Cup water)
- 1 lb pork shoulder (453g) (Substitute: other cuts of pork or chicken)
- 2 eggplants/ aubergines/ brinjal, sliced into small strips
- ⅓ Cup pea eggplants or turkey berries (May be cut into half if you like)
- 1 Cup Water (If the curry becomes too thick after simmering, add more water.)
- 2 Tablespoons fish sauce (Use less if your fish sauce is very salty, or if you've added more salt to the curry paste above)
- 1 Tablespoon white granulated ugar, or to taste (Substitute: coconut sugar)
- Salt, to taste
- 2-3 kaffir lime leaves, removed from the stem and lightly bruised
- 1 handful Thai basil leaves
- 1 red chilli, thinly sliced (Substitute: dry red chilli)
- Dried shrimp, toasted (Optional topping for texture)
Instructions
- 1
Lightly toast the cumin seeds, black peppercorns and belacan (do it 1 at a time.)
- 2
Pound the above and the salt in a mortar and pestle. (If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can use a blender instead.)
- 3
When crushed, add the rest of the ingredients, a bit at time, and pound till everything becomes a paste. (Add the ingredients in the order they are listed.)
- 4
Add oil to the wok on medium heat. Once hot, add the curry paste and stir-fry till fragrant.
- 5
Add ½ the coconut milk and stir to mix well. Stir continuously to avoid burning. If it starts to splatter, lower the heat. Continue stirring till the oil separates at the top - the coconut oil is helping to bloom the flavour in the herbs and spices- and the paste becomes aromatic.
- 6
Add the pork to the wok and stir till partially cooked.
- 7
Add the regular eggplants, stir, then pour in the rest of the coconut milk and water.
- 8
Simmer for 10 minutes or till the pork is fully cooked then add the pea eggplants.
- 9
Add the fish sauce, sugar and, if required, salt (taste first as fish sauce is quite salty already) If necessary, add a bit more sugar.
- 10
Stir in the sliced up red chilli and Kaffir Lime Leaves, bring to the boil, add the Thai Basil then immediately switch off the heat (if not the basil will be overcooked and not as bright a green)
- 11
Optional: garnish with more slivers of Kaffir Lime Leaves and some toasted dried shrimp
- 12
Serve with rice.