Insipired by ChefSteps open recipe development, but not quite destined for the bin or "Top Fails...," tell us what you learned as an outcome of a cooking project.
I tried a Penang pork curry, something I have a lot of experience eating, but not much in cooking. I sourced some fresh ingredients from a Thai grocery located in an alleyway on the far side of Mott St (far as in away from Canal St).
The basics:
Grind rehydrated dried chilies, galangal, garlic, lemon grass, kefir lime leaves, lime zest, fresh chilies, roasted peanuts into a paste. Cilantro root came up in recipes, but I didn't find it.
Fry some paste.
Stir fry the protein and toss with the paste.
Add some coconut milk and simmer until the protein is cooked through.
Optionally add some fresh herbs like more lime leaves, cilantro.
Lessons learned:
You have to really do a good job of hydrating the chilies, and use a lot of them. The quantity means they should probably be deseeded. Why? This is the primary source of color in the entire dish. My result was was well spiced, fragrant, and delicious. But visually, it was an unappealing grayish mass.
Using fresh coconut milk is not like the stuff in the can. There are pros and cons to this. The problem I ran into is that simmering for too long or on too high a heat, the coconut milk separated very effectively into grainy solids and a slick of oil. I skimmed some of the oil off with a spoon, and the taste was OK, but the benefit from the creamy texture was mostly lost. The can is homogenized and possibly includes stabilizers. If using fresh, keep a very close eye on it!
Looking forward to your lessons and advice. Thanks!
