The simplicity of Thai curries is often over-looked. Once the paste is made the preparation of the curry is easy. This is how we were taught to make the curries on my food tours through Thailand. The amount of coconut milk and cream may seem excessive, but it will make a delicious curry, true to flavour. Should you wish, use half coconut milk and stock at point 3.

Ingredients

• 400 ml can coconut cream
• 3-4 tablespoons Thai red or Thai green curry paste
• 600-750 grams pork fillet, or Scotch fillet, thickly sliced
• 400 ml can coconut milk
• 2 peppers, diced (red peppers for red curry or green for green curry)
• 1-2 kaffir lime leaves
• 2-3 tblsp chopped coriander (optional)

Method

1. Heat the coconut cream in a wok or frying pan, stirring until the cream is lovely and smooth. Bring to the boil and boil until the oil separates out from the coconut cream. In a wok this will gather around the edge.
2. Add the Thai curry paste and fry this in the oil that has separated out for 3-4 minutes, before incorporating it into the much reduced remaining coconut cream.
3. Add the pork fillet, coconut milk, peppers and kaffir lime leaves and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the pork is tender. Season with salt and pepper and coriander if using. Serve with boiled rice.

Cooks Tips

- As I prefer peppers roasted or grilled, peeled and diced when I make my curries, but this is not authentic or essential. - Add about 500 grams diced pumpkin if wished. - Pork Scotch fillet is a moist cut of meat and you will have a thinner sauce than if you use pork fillet. - In Thailand meat is rarely pan-fried before being cooked in a sauce. I prefer to do this for colour and flavour (see the photo) however the choice is yours.