Here is a curry with a thousand flavours even though it seems to have few ingredients. This curry sauce is called Choo Chee and it is very popular in the Kingdom although little known abroad. Make this recipe as here with tofu or vary the flavours with root vegetables.
Serves 2.
Curry paste:
3 fresh red bird's eye chillies
½ teaspoon white peppercorn
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
10 g lemongrass, chopped
10 g galangal, chopped
10 g garlic
10 g shallot
5 g fresh turmeric
10 g fingerroot
1 teaspoon salted soybeans
Pound the ingredients by gradually introducing them into the mortar. The curry paste is ready when it is smooth: you should no longer be able to distinguish one ingredient from another.
Fried tofu:
150 g tofu cut into 6 equally sized pieces.
2 tablespoons of tempura flour mixed with 2 pinches of salt
frying oil
Roll tofu in flour and remove excess. Fry at 170°C for about 2 minutes or until tofu is golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
Curry Sauce:
200 ml coconut cream
4 tablespoons vegetable stock
½ tablespoon light soy sauce
½ teaspoon coconut sugar
2 kaffir leaves, thinly sliced
½ fresh cayenne pepper, thinly sliced
Bring the coconut cream to a boil and dissolve the curry paste in it. Add the remaining cream, stock, soy sauce, sugar and half of the kaffir leaves. Cook for 5 minutes and then taste to adjust the seasoning.
Arrange the sauce and fried tofu in a serving bowl. Garnish with the remaining kaffir leaves and cayenne pepper.
This recipe is relatively spicy. For a mild curry, reduce the number of chilies used (1 to 2 chilies instead of 3).