Charred Aubergine Red Thai Curry

Ingredients

Thai Red Curry: 

• Flaked Sea Salt 
• 3 lemongrass stalks, finely chopped 
• 3-inch piece ginger sliced  
• 10 dried birdseye red chilis 
• 4 lime leafs (deveined) 
• 4 banana shallots, thinly sliced 
• 5 whole cloves garlic  
• 1 tbsp shrimp paste 
• 2 tbsp fish sauce 
• A good splash of neutral oil (I used organic rapeseed oil) 
• 2 cans of coconut milk 
• Juice of ½ lime 
• 2 cups jasmine rice 
• Handful of fresh coriander, to garnish 

 

Charred Aubergine 

• 2 aubergine  
• Good spalsh of olive oil 
• Generous pinch of salt rubbed in 

 

Pickled Green & Red Chilis 

• 4 green chilis  
• 4 red chilis 
• 100ml rice vinegar  
• 1 tbsp brown sugar 
• 1 generous pinch salt 
• 100ml boiling water 

 

Zesty Peanuts 

• 150g raw, skin-on peanuts 
• 1 Tbs Olive oil 
• Generous pinch Salt 
• Zest of 1 lime 

Method

For The Thai Red Curry  

You want the consistency to be dry and condensed, so blend the ingredients in stages so they break down completely  

Start with the chopped lemongrass and ginger in a food processor, adding a pinch of salt to help things break down throughout blending 

Blending and adding a pinch of salt after each ingredient is added, combine the dried chilis, lime leaf, shallots, garlic, shrimp paste and fish sauce in the food processor until it is fully combined and a dry paste consistency 

Bring a saucepan to a medium heat and add a neutral oil  

Toast 2 tablespoons of the paste in the oil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until the oil and paste have fully combined  

Add a tin of coconut milk and simmer for 5 minutes to meld all the flavours  

Season to taste and give a good squeeze of lime juice. The lime juice brings out the flavour of everything.   

 

For The Aubergine  

Cut the aubergine in half and score the inside with a sharp knife   

Dress in olive oil and rub salt into the scores   

Pan fry on skillet or oven-proof pan on a high heat for 6 minutes until the inside has taken on a charred colour  

Flip the aubergine so the inside is facing up & place the pan in a 200* oven for 15 minutes until the aubergine is gooey throughout and caramelized on top  

 

For The Pickled Chilis 

To make the pickle liquor, combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a medium sized bowl. Pour in the boiling water to dissolve everything and allow to cool.  

While the liquor is cooling, slice red & green chillis into round, even slices. Submerge in the pickling liquid for at least 15 minutes 

 

For The Zested Peanuts  

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C 

Lightly dress the peanuts in salt and olive oil and layout on a roasting tin  

Roast until golden brown, for about 8 – 10 minutes  

Allow to cool and add the zest of a lime to coat and season with more salt if needed  

 

For The Rice 

Wash the rice thoroughly in cold water to remove the excess starches  

Add to a pot with a lid with equal parts water to rice. Season with a pinch of salt and bring to the boil  

Once boiling, put the lid on and drop the heat setting to the lowest it can go for 20 minutes. If using a gas hob, use a heat diffuser 

Remove from the heat and break rice up with a fork. Place the lid on for a further 5 minutes to steam and then serve  

 

To Serve 

A generous serving of jasmine rice on the plate. I like to pour the sauce beside the rice and sit the aubergine on top. Put a nice pile of the pickled chillis on the plate with a generous helping of roughly chopped coriander and a spoonful of zesty peanuts.