SpiceLines

Import Foods, whose homemade green curry paste I adapted, features a recipe on its website for Thai green curry with chicken and tiny, pea-sized eggplants. The same mini-eggplants turn up in Kasma Loha-Unchit’s marvelous cookbook, It Rains Fishes, in recipes for Green Curry with Fish/Shrimp Dumplings and for Easy Green Curry with Pork. Loha-Unchit recommends shelled fresh peas if the tiny eggplants are not available. She also uses long Asian eggplants and ping pong ball-sized green Thai eggplants.

One of my own favorites—Quick Green Curry with Shrimp and Eggplant-- comes from Kay Karuna, a 5th generation Singaporean of Indian descent and stellar cooking instructor who has a deep interest in Thai cuisine. It is not strictly authentic, but it is quite delicious and if you make your own curry paste, it rises to the level of the sublime.

Although I always make this curry with shrimp, Kay also recommends chicken, pork, lamb or beef, cut in strips. If you can’t find round green Thai eggplants, you can substitute the long purple Japanese variety. As with most traditional Thai curries, the recipe calls for kaffir lime leaves—but if they are not available you can grate a little lime zest into the sauce. And if the curry paste isn’t hot enough, you can turn up the heat with chopped green chiles to taste. All in all, a wonderfully versatile curry that can be adapted to almost any ingredients you have on hand.

The new version of Kay’s Quick Green Curry may not be as quick as the original, but it transports a good recipe to new heights. For smiles on a summer night, serve it with steamed jasmine rice, a plate of sliced cucumber, and icy cold beer.

Homemade Green Curry with Shrimp, Eggplant and Coconut Milk

To serve 4

Ingredients:

1 pound shrimp
Salt
3/4 cup homemade green curry paste
1 can coconut milk
1 cup water
2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste
1 long purple Japanese eggplant, thinly sliced
2 kaffir lime leaves, torn in half, or 1 teaspoon grated lime zest (see note)
1 or 2 green Thai or Serrano chiles, seeded and chopped (optional)
Thai or other basil for garnish

Method:

1. Peel and devein the shrimp. Place them in a large bowl, cover with water and sprinkle in 2 teaspoons salt. Swish the shrimp in the salted water for 20-30 seconds to remove impurities. Drain and repeat. The third time, rinse the shrimp in cold clear water. Drain and set aside.
2. Spoon the top half of a can of coconut milk into a large sauce pan and heat over a medium flame. When it is just barely bubbling, stir in the curry paste. Lower the heat slightly and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rest of the coconut milk and 1 cup of water to the pan. Stir and simmer gently for 3 minutes.
3. Add the sugar, a teaspoon at a time, and taste after each addition. The sugar will bring the flavors into balance, but the curry should not be sweet. Add the eggplant, and, if you are using them, kaffir lime leaves and green chiles . Simmer until the mixture has thickened slightly and the eggplant slices are nearly cooked through.
4. Add the shrimp and stir well. If using lime zest, add it into the curry now. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked through.
5. Serve the curry, garnished with basil leaves, alongside a bowl of steamed jasmine rice.

Note: Kaffir lime leaves are available at Asian markets, sometimes at Whole Foods and from Import Foods.