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Kaeng tai pla jay (southern vegetable curry)
แกงไตปลาเจ · Southern Thailand's fiery, dark, turmeric-rich vegetable curry, made with fermented soybean
Kaeng tai pla is the boldest curry of southern Thailand, eaten from Surat Thani down to Hat Yai: a dark, pungent, fiercely hot broth of turmeric-heavy southern curry paste, pumpkin, bamboo shoots, aubergine and long beans, normally flavoured with fermented fish innards. During the Vegetarian Festival (thetsakan kin jay), held every autumn in Phuket and Trang, cooks make a 'jay' version with fermented soybean paste and roasted peanut, and that is the curry here. It is thinner than a coconut curry and served with rice and plenty of raw vegetables to cool the heat. Chef's tip: this curry is meant to be very hot. If you want less heat, add fewer bird's eye chillies to the paste but keep the black pepper and turmeric, which give it its character.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the southern curry paste
- 6 dried red chilliessoaked for 10 minutes
- 6 bird's eye chilliesuse 2 for less heat
- 1 oz fresh turmericor 1.5 tsp ground
- 2 stalks lemongrasssliced
- ⅓ oz galangalsliced
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3 shallots
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp makrut lime zest
- 1 tsp salt
For the curry
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 ¼ cups water
- 3 tbsp fermented soybean paste (tao jiao) or dark misogluten-free if needed
- 9 oz pumpkinpeeled, cut into 2 cm cubes
- 5 ½ oz bamboo shootssliced, rinsed
- 4 Thai round auberginesquartered
- 3 ½ oz yardlong beanscut into 4 cm lengths
- 3 ½ oz fried tofu puffshalved
- 2 tbsp roasted peanutscrushed
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 1 tsp palm sugar
- 5 makrut lime leavestorn
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Pound 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black peppercorns, 6 dried red chillies and 6 bird's eye chillies in a mortar, then add 2 stalks lemongrass, ⅓ oz galangal, 1 oz fresh turmeric, 1 tsp makrut lime zest, 3 shallots and 6 cloves garlic in turn, pounding each until it disappears. After 10 minutes you should have a thick, orange-yellow paste.
10 minStep 2: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a pot over a medium heat and fry the paste for 2 minutes, stirring, until the turmeric smells earthy and the colour deepens. Wear an apron: turmeric stains.
2 minStep 3: Add 3 ¼ cups water and stir in 3 tbsp fermented soybean paste (tao jiao) or dark miso until dissolved. Bring to the boil and add 9 oz pumpkin. Simmer over a medium heat for 8 minutes until the pumpkin edges start to soften and cloud the broth.
8 minStep 4: Add 5 ½ oz bamboo shoots, 4 Thai round aubergines, 3 ½ oz yardlong beans and 3 ½ oz fried tofu puffs and simmer for 8–10 minutes until the aubergine is soft and the pumpkin breaks when pressed.
10 minStep 5: Stir in 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, 1 tbsp tamarind paste, 1 tsp palm sugar and 5 makrut lime leaves and simmer for 2 minutes. Taste: it should be salty, hot and only lightly sour. Adding coconut milk is a common mistake; this curry is meant to be thin and sharp.
2 minStep 6: Serve hot with jasmine rice and a plate of raw cucumber, cabbage and long beans.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kaeng tai pla jay (southern vegetable curry) take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
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