This warming jungle curry is easy and authentic

It is one of the few curries made without coconut milk.

A jungle curry is a northern Thai classic. Photo: Akiko Ida

Jungle curry comes from the forest areas of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. It is one of the few curries made without coconut milk. This is because it is made only of produce collected or hunted in the jungle, and coconut trees do not grow in this region of Thailand. The traditional game is replaced here by chicken.

Try too my Thai fish cakes and stirfried prawns with basil and chilli.

Orathay Souksisavanh cooks approachable Thai dishes.

Thai Home Cooking (Murdoch Books, $49.99).

Chicken jungle curry (Gaeng pha)

Ingredients

• 400g boneless chicken thighs (2 large thighs)
• 250g green beans
• 250g mini Thai eggplants
• 100g Thai pea eggplants
• 200g fresh baby corn
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon raw sugar
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 5 lime leaves
• 600ml good-quality chicken stock
• 4 sprigs of Thai basil

Curry base

• 2 lemongrass stalks
• 70g ginger
• 40g store-bought red curry paste

Method

1. To prepare the curry base, remove the bottom and hard outer layers of the lemongrass and finely slice the centre section. Reserve the scraps for cooking the curry. Thinly slice the ginger. Pound it all in a mortar and set aside.
2. Cut the chicken into even-sized pieces. Tail the beans and cut in half. Cut the mini Thai eggplants into quarters. Remove the Thai pea eggplants from their stems. Cut the baby corn in half.
3. In a casserole dish, heat the oil and fry the red curry paste, pounded lemongrass and ginger for 2 minutes. Add the sugar, fish sauce, lime leaves and chicken. Pour over the stock, add the green beans and cook for 8 minutes.
4. Add the Thai eggplant quarters and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Add the baby corn and Thai pea eggplant and cook for 3-5 minutes. The quartered eggplants and green beans should be tender, and the baby corn and pea eggplants should be slightly crunchy. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
5. Thai basil leaves can be added before serving. Serve with glutinous rice or white rice.

Serves 6

This is an edited extract from Thai Home Cooking by Orathay Souksisavanh.