Spicy Fermented Fish Curry — Gaeng Tai Pla
A Southern Thai fermented fish-gut curry of mackerel and Thai aubergine simmered in a fiery turmeric-rich curry paste with kaffir lime leaves, krachai, and bird chillies for the deeply funky and aggressively hot regional showpiece.
Thai
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Soak 16 dried Thai red chillies in 100ml warm water 5 minutes until softened. Pound chillies with 16 garlic cloves, 120g shallot halves, 40g fresh turmeric slices, and 60g krachai in a mortar to a fine yellow paste. Stir this paste into 60g Southern red curry paste off heat until evenly mixed into a thick yellow-orange master paste. Whisk 60ml tai pla fish stock with 200ml water in a jug. Cut 560g mackerel into 4cm chunks, 240g Thai aubergine into wedges, 160g long beans into 4cm lengths.
Bloom
Heat 4 tbsp neutral oil in a heavy pot over medium heat 1 minute. Add master paste and fry 3 to 4 minutes until deeply fragrant, oil turns deep yellow-orange, and turmeric aroma fills the kitchen.
Simmer
Pour tai pla mixture and remaining 800ml water into pot over medium heat. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and simmer 25 to 30 minutes until broth deepens to dark amber and chilli oil pools across surface.
Build
Drop mackerel, Thai aubergine, and long beans into pot over medium heat. Simmer uncovered 12 to 14 minutes until fish flakes cleanly, aubergine is fork-tender, and beans are crisp-tender.
Reduce
Stir in 40ml fish sauce and 20g palm sugar over low heat 90 seconds until sugar dissolves. Taste for balance, fold in 20 torn kaffir lime leaves until just wilted and fragrant.
Plate
Kill heat and transfer curry to a wide bowl or divide between two bowls. Serve alongside 300g cooked jasmine rice (150g per person) with extra kaffir lime shreds scattered on top, broth ladled generously over rice.
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