Three recipes to try from Around the World in 50 Curries: Khao gai – chicken noodle soup; prawn tamarind curry; and palak paneer. Photos / Supplied
Creamy, spicy, crispy, sweet, salty, sour and hot. This noodle dish really does have it all, and every garnish adds something crucial.
The dish originated in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, an area with a large population of Hui people, a Muslim minority hailing from Chinese Yunnan, who emigrated
to Myanmar, Laos and northern Thailand in the 19th century. The Chinese influences are obvious, thanks to the black cardamom, ginger and fermented mustard greens, all typical of southern Chinese cuisine.
Khao soi gai – chicken noodle soup
Flavour profile: spicy, with smoky notes of black cardamom, round and creamy.
Spice level: mild
Substitutions: braising beef, eg, chuck steak
Serves 4
Khao soi curry paste
• 5 black cardamom pods (seeds only)
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 10 dried red chillies, cored and seeds removed
• 5cm fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
• 5cm fresh turmeric, coarsely chopped
• 2 red Asian shallots, diced
• 5 garlic cloves
• 2 lemongrass stalks, bottom parts only, finely sliced
• 5 coriander roots or stalks
• 1 tsp shrimp paste
Soup
• 2 x 400ml tins coconut milk
• 1kg chicken legs, thighs and drumsticks separated
• 500ml chicken stock or water
• 2-3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp palm sugar (jaggery)
Fried wonton sheets
• ½ package wonton sheets
• cooking oil
To serve
• 500g fresh egg or wonton noodles
• 200g pickled mustard greens (suancai), in 1cm pieces
• 150g fresh bean sprouts
• 1 red Asian shallot, finely diced
• handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 4 lime wedges
• chilli oil
Khao soi gai – chicken noodle soup is spicy, with smoky notes of black cardamom, round and creamy. Photo / Supplied
Khao soi curry paste
Toast the dry spices in a hot, dry frying pan until fragrant. Pestle or mix to a fine powder. Toast the ginger, turmeric, shallot, garlic, lemongrass and coriander root in the same dry pan until lightly browned. Then pestle or mix everything, along with the spices and shrimp paste, into a smooth paste. Use half for the recipe and freeze the rest for the next time you want to make this dish.
Soup
Cook the thickest third of the coconut milk in a heavy-based pan, stirring over a medium heat until it splits. Then fry the curry paste in the coconut fat for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until fragrant. Add the chicken and fold into the curry paste, then add the rest of the coconut milk, stock, fish sauce and palm sugar, to taste. Simmer over a low heat for 45 minutes until the meat starts to fall off the bone.
Meanwhile, prepare the accompaniments. Cut the wonton sheets into 3mm-wide strips, then fry in 180°C oil until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Cook the noodles in a separate pan, following the package instructions until al dente.
Divide the noodles among warm serving bowls. Ladle in the warm soup, add the chicken and, if you like, garnish each bowl with mustard greens, bean sprouts, shallot and coriander. Serve with lime wedges and chilli oil.
Prawn tamarind curry
Flavour profile: spicy and hot with a distinct seafood flavour
Spice level: hot
Substitutions: langoustines or firm white fish
Tamarind’s fruity acidity is fabulous combined with the sweetness of seafood. Traditionally, this dish is made with whole, unpeeled prawns (shrimp), which add a lot of flavour, but a faster weeknight version with peeled prawns is lovely, too. Ensure the seafood is certified as sustainable!
Serves 2-3
• 400g peeled prawns (shrimp)
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• salt
Tamarind curry
• 3 tbsp virgin cold-pressed coconut oil
• ½ tsp fenugreek
• 1 red onion, finely sliced
• pinch of salt
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1½ tsp untoasted Sri Lankan curry powder (see below)
• ½ tsp coriander seeds, crushed in a pestle
• 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder or gochugaru (Korean chilli powder)
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 100g cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 250ml coconut milk
• 4 tbsp tamarind purée (see below)
• 1 tsp cane sugar
Tempering
• 2 tbsp virgin cold-pressed coconut oil
• 3 dried red chillies
• 15 curry leaves (optional)
• 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
• ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder or gochugaru
Prawn tamarind curry: Tamarind’s fruity acidity is fabulous combined with the sweetness of seafood. Photo / Supplied
Season the prawns with turmeric and salt. Leave to marinate.
Heat the coconut oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add the fenugreek and let it pop for 10-20 seconds. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, for 6-8 minutes until browned. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute or so until fragrant. Add the untoasted curry powder, coriander seed powder, chilli powder and turmeric, then cook for another minute or so. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 3-5 minutes until broken down. Pour in the coconut milk and tamarind purée, then cook for 3-4 minutes so the flavours meld. Add the sugar and more salt to taste.
Add prawns, then cook for 2-3 minutes over a low heat until cooked through.
For the tempering, heat the coconut oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat, add the chillies and optional curry leaves and fry for a minute or so. Add the garlic and chilli powder, fry for 10 seconds, then remove from heat. Pour the spice oil over the prawns and serve.
Thuna paha – untoasted Sri Lankan curry powder
Thuna paha means “three or five”, referring to the number of spices in the blend. Coriander, cumin and fennel are always included, but the other two vary. Use what’s in your cupboard or go with the full list. Sri Lankan curry powder is recognised by a distinct liquorice note from fennel seeds, and is mainly used in fish, seafood or vegetable dishes.
• 4 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp whole cumin seeds
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 5cm Ceylon cinnamon stick (optional)
• 10cm piece of fresh or dried pandan leaf (optional)
• 20 curry leaves (optional)
• 1 tsp black peppercorns (optional)
• 3 cloves (optional)
Preheat the oven to 100°C fan. Dry the spices on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 minutes. You don’t want them to toast, just to get really dry. Transfer to a plate and cool to room temperature. Grind the spices in a blender or spice mill. Pass through a sieve and grind any coarse pieces again until you have a fine powder
Tamarind Purée
Tamarind is a fruit that grows from trees in brown, bean-like pods. There are sweet and sour varieties, both delicious. The sweet kind can be eaten as candy, while the sour is more common in cooking. The flavour is reminiscent of caramel, dates and molasses. Tamarind is usually sold as a compact, sticky brick made of 100% dried fruit. To use, cut off a piece, add a splash of hot water, then leave for 10 minutes. Dissolve the pulp in the water by massaging with your hands, finally sifting out the pits and fibres – this is the purée for cooking. Various ready-made tamarind preparations exist, with names like paste, concentrate and purée – these differ enormously in concentration and strength. Unfortunately, there is no better way to acquaint yourself with them than by tasting; make sure to adjust the amount depending on the type you’ve got.
Palak Paneer is creamy, green and spicy. Photo / Supplied
Palak Paneer
There are infinite variations on palak paneer. Some prefer it to be smooth and bright green, but the template for this recipe comes from Shanti, a Stockholm restaurant that makes it with a creamy sauce with baby spinach cooked until soft and fried paneer folded in at the end. Whatever the texture, palak paneer is a vegetarian dish that never disappoints.
Flavour profile: creamy, green, spicy
Spice level: mild
Substitutions: halloumi or feta (adjust the salt levels according to your cheese)
Serves 6
• 3 tbsp + 2 tbsp ghee or rapeseed oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 3cm fresh ginger, finely grated
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 fresh green finger chilli, chopped
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed in a pestle
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• Pinch of grated nutmeg
• 200g tinned chopped or crushed tomatoes
• 200ml thickened (heavy/whipping) cream
• 200g fresh spinach
• 250g paneer, cut into pieces
• 1 tsp cane sugar
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) (optional)
• Salt
Heat 3 tablespoons of ghee in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them pop and turn golden brown for 10-20 seconds. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, then cook for 6-8 minutes until soft and golden. Add the ginger, garlic and green chilli, then cook for a few minutes more until fragrant.
Add the chilli powder, coriander seeds, turmeric and nutmeg and cook, while stirring, for another minute or so. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3-5 minutes until they break down and you can see the fat separating at the edges of the pan.
Pour in the cream and bring to the boil. Stir in the spinach in batches until wilted. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the spinach is really soft and the sauce has thickened.
While the sauce cooks, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a frying pan and fry the paneer over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Taste the sauce and add sugar and salt to taste, then fold in the cheese. Season with garam masala and dried fenugreek leaves, if using, stir, then serve with basmati rice. l
An edited extract from Around the World in 50 Curries by Jimmy Guo (Murdoch, RRP $45).
SaveShare this article
Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.
Copy LinkEmailFacebookTwitter/XLinkedInReddit
