Our presentation for this week is about a beautiful winter squash. We get a few kinds that are from the Okanakan Valley. Solid skin butternut squash, Glossy skin Acorn squash and spaghetti squash. Thai Red curry would be best to use pumpkin for its texture and yellow colour and also the firm texture of Kabocha squash. Unfortunately although this would be the most similar to use in Thai cuisine I could not get one. Our presentation today will be a mixer of half of butternut squash and Acorn squash, peeled for butternut squash and not peel for acorn squash)
Ingredients (serves 4-5)
1 – 1.5 coconut Brown hard shell coconut to get estimated 500 ml coconut cream and 800 ml coconut milk
300 ml water
1,000 grams Your favorite squash cut into your style
300 – 400 grams of meat slices to bite size (Today I use chicken thigh), For vegetarian Medium – Firm tofu are good match with winter squash
2.5 – 3.5 Tbsp Palm sugar
3 – 4 Tbsp Fish sauce
Sea salt (option)
1 hand Sweet basil leaves
fresh chili, thin slices (option)
Preparation
1. Make fresh coconut cream and coconut milk by open coconut with a strong chopping knife. Wash and use a knife to take a white meat careful. There is some notice for a new good coconut will not have a smell and firm and the inside brown shell has a brown colour not dark and mold. When chew the coconut meat is not rancid. Cut or not cut the brown skin. I decided to peel the hard brown skin by knife because the food professor will not work too hard and the meat is beautiful white.
so when add water to blend to get coconut cream use amount 500 ml and add a second time to blend with 800 ml. will get enough for this red curry.
coconut in carton or box is a second choice if you don’t have time to do it our self.
2. Preparation the main ingredients by cut winter squash into your likely style also if you add the meat slices to bite size.
3. Preparation the rest ingredients.. red curry paste, crush palm sugar, torn kaffir limes leaves, fish sauce, sweet basil, slices fresh chilis.
4. Cooking red curry. Heat the cooking pan to medium-high heat, add 1-2 ladle of coconut cream follow-up with red curry paste and stir use a whisk until see bubble, add one ladle at time. The coconut cream is breaking into coconut oil. Adjust the heat to simmer for less splash. after coconut cream done, add slices chicken, Let chicken cooked then season with palm sugar, fish sauce and sprinkle of sea salt. Add all coconut milk and squash, Add more water. Let it boil and reduce heat to simmer take times about 10-15 minutes to cook the squash.
The Final taste is the balance taste, first salt from fish sauce, sea salt follow up with sweeten from coconut cream, palm sugar. After the squash is cooked add kaffir lime leaves, sweet basil and slices fresh chili (if prefer for spiciness).
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with a sprig of sweet basil and thin slice chili, serve the squash red curry with Jasmine rice.
Turmeric Fried fish
To make the curry have a good accompany, simple fry fish is long time good match, such as sun – dry fish and deep fry until golden brown, will make the meal with Gaeng Kati (curry made from coconut cream and milk) more appetite.
Today I made Fried sea bass with turmeric, A cook from Southern Thailand will always use fresh turmeric root, peel and pound in mortar with other ingredients.
Ingredients (Make 1 plate)
250 grams Fresh white Fish fillet prefer from ocean, today I use fresh fillet of sea bass
1 -2 Garlic, peeled and coarsely chop or pound in mortar
1 Tbsp (estimated) Turmeric powder
sea salt
black pepper
cooking oil
Preparation
1. Slices fish into your prefer size. Combine the fish with turmeric powder, garlic, sprinkle of sea salt, black pepper and one tbsp of cooking oil for 15 minutes, marinate to half an hour.
2. To deep fry, use a medium – high heat and fry until fish and garlic golden brown but not burn or the garlic will get bitter. Transfer cooked fish on to paper towel.
3. Prepare a serving plate, add some slices cucumber and a sprig of coriander and prik nam pla (thin slices Thai chili in fish sauce)
Hope you enjoy this good match of Curry and fried fish with rice and prik nam pla.
My mom used to make this fish this way and made a spicy red coconut curry to go with it. Thanks for bringing some wonderful memories, aromas and tastes from shelved memory banks!
You are welcome, I am happy to hear about your memories. My mother also, we ate often of pumpkin when I was young for all year round.