Serves: 6
Prep time: 30 to 40 minutes
Cooking time: 18 to 25 minutes
Ingredients
- For the Curry Paste
- 5 stalks lemongrass, outer leaves discarded
- 8 medium shallots, sliced
- 5 red Thai chilies
- 1 head of garlic, cloves peeled
- Zest from 4 limes
- 2 tablespoon galangal (from a jar purchased from the supermarket) or substitute with a fresh ginger
- 12 whole white peppercorns
- 3 tablespoon ground coriander
- 5 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Curry paste (see recipe above)
- 750 grams sirloin, thinly sliced
- 3 cups coconut cream from fresh coconut
- 4 to 5 dried kaffir lime leaves
- 3 to 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 6 to 7 baby eggplants, thinly sliced at a diagonal
- Additional fish sauce
Preparation
- Finely chop the first six ingredients for the curry paste one by one. Then combine them in one pile.
- Using a mortar and pestle, grind the white peppercorns to a fine powder. Add this and the ground coriander to the pile of chopped ingredients.
- Take the entire pile and chop again into a rough paste, stopping only when the bits can't get any smaller. Transfer to a bowl and stir in fish sauce.
- In a large pot over medium heat, sauté curry paste in vegetable oil until sizzling and fragrant
- Add sirloin strips to the pot. When the edges have turned light brown, add coconut cream and kaffir lime leaves. Bring to a boil then lower flame to medium-low, keeping the curry at a constant simmer.
- Add brown sugar and season with fish sauce to taste. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add sliced eggplants and simmer an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until eggplant is tender. Serve piping hot, over steamed rice.
