Thai cuisine · Soups & Stews

Jungle Curry

A fiery curry without coconut milk: chicken, bamboo and Thai eggplant in a bold, herb-scented broth.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 500 g boneless chicken thigh
• 3 tbsp red curry paste
• 800 ml chicken stock
• 200 g bamboo shoots
• 200 g Thai eggplants (or 1 regular eggplant)
• 2 sprigs green peppercorns (or 1 tsp peppercorns)
• 50 g krachai (fingerroot, or ginger)
• 100 g green beans
• 5 kaffir lime leaves
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 bunch Thai basil
• 2 tbsp oil

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken into strips; quarter the eggplants, cut the beans into pieces and shave the krachai into fine matchsticks.
2. Fry the curry paste in the hot oil for 2 min. until deeply fragrant — without coconut milk it needs this frying step for depth.
3. Add the chicken strips and fry for 3 min., turning, in the paste until white on the outside.
4. Deglaze with the stock, add the bamboo shoots, krachai, torn lime leaves and the green peppercorns, and simmer uncovered for 10 min.
5. Add the eggplants and beans and cook for another 6–8 min. until the vegetables are tender-crisp and the broth is richly seasoned.
6. Season with fish sauce, fold in the Thai basil off the heat, and serve hot at once — this curry is meant to be very spicy.