While we love Thai food, it never quite has the same complex and rich flavour  in Australia as it did back in Thailand. The elusive missing ingredient in many dishes is call Kra Chai, also known as Chinese Keys or Finger Root. I grow a lot of it each year and have it for sale in about July to August, so if you’d like some fresh Kra Chai at this time of the year, please get in touch via email..

So, let me share with you the ingredients for making your own Thai green curry paste with the addition of Kra Chai. It’s sensational and you can make it as spicy or mild as you like.  It has no preservative or flavour enhancers, and its superior to any you’ll buy.

While you can make this into a curry, you can also use it to marinade eggplant slices, fish and chicken, and simply grill the marinaded pieces. The delicious curry recipe follows down the page.

The paste can be frozen for 3 months in portions. I usually freeze a couple of tablespoons serving size in silicon moulds and once frozen, unmould it into a container in the freezer.

For the Curry Paste You’ll need:

4 large cloves garlic

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1 onion

3 stalks of lemon grass

1 – 2 red Cayenne chilis (depends on your heat tolerance)

2 pieces ginger each about the width and length of your thumb

5 kaffir lime leaves

3 tablespoons Kra Chai root scrubbed and chopped

2 teaspoons lime zest

50-80 ml lime juice. Start with 50 ml and add more if the paste is too thick.

 

You’ll need a large mortar and pestle or a blender for this paste. If using a mortar and pestle, crush the ingredients to a paste. If using a blender…

Peel the garlic cloves and drop them into the blender jug whole. Crush the peppercorns a little before adding. Peel and chop the onion into chunks and bask the lemon grass with a meat tenderiser or a rolling pin to crush the white stems. Reserve the green leaves for tea leaves another day.

Peel or scrub the ginger and chop it a little.

Remove the central vein of the kaffir lime leaves and drop the leaves in. Add the Kra Chai root, citrus zest and juice.

Blend the ingredients until they are a textured paste. They are now ready to use or to store in the fridge or freezer in serving sized ice blocks or patty pan-sized serves.

Linda’s Thai Style Eggplant, Green Bean and Sweet Potato Curry

Serves 4 with rice and a Side Dish

2 tablespoons Thai Curry Paste (Add more according to taste)

1 medium eggplant – peel off strips of the skin

1 cup green beans

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into thick pieces

½ onion, cut into thick pieces

2 kaffir lime leaves

270ml can coconut cream

270 ml vegetable stock

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon fish sauce (I use vegan fish sauce from Asian grocers)

To serve: ¼ red pepper thinly sliced and a sprig of coriander or parsley leaves

 

Add 50 ml of the coconut cream to a saucepan with the Thai curry paste. Cook 1 minute, bubbling it gently.

Add the vegetables, lime leaves, and stir through to coat the vegetables.

Now add the remaining coconut cream and stock.

Bring to a gentle simmer to cook the vegetables until just tender. It won’t take long, maybe 5-8 minutes depending on the size of your vegetable pieces

To serve the curry, top with the red pepper and some coriander or parsley leaves if you have them.

PS Please bear with me… I’ll add a nice photo of this curry when I’ve made it again. But in the meantime, be assured that this vegetarian curry is as delicious as it gets.