Dish of Chicken & Fuzzy Melon Red Curry
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Chicken & Fuzzy Melon Red Curry


Thailand   -   Kaeng Kua Phak Gai
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 3-1/2 cups
***
1-1/2 hr
Yes		 A very flavorful curry with good Chicken / Vegetable balance - moderately spicy, but exact hotness depends on the curry paste and how much you use.

12
1
20
3
6
14
2
1/4
1-1/2
1/2
oz
#



oz
T
c
T
T
Chicken Meat (1)
Fuzzy Melon (2)
Thai Basil Leaf
Chili, Red (3)
Kaffir Lime Leaves (4)
Coconut Milk (5)
Red Curry Paste (6)  
Water
Fish Sauce (7)
Palm Sugar (8)
Prep   -   (45 min)
  1. Slice CHICKEN about 3/8 inch thick and cut slices into bite size strips or chunks.
  2. Scrape FUZZY MELON (no need to peel, just take off the thin dark green skin). Split lengthwise into quarters (or sixths if large) and cut into slices 1/4 inch thick.
  3. Remove BASIL LEAVES from stems, and start them soaking in cold water. This will help keep them green when added to the curry, but not for long.
  4. Blast the CHILIS black with your Kitchen Torch and brush off the skins under running water (see Note-9). Seed them and cut into strips about 1/4 inch wide and 1 to 1-1/2 inches long.
  5. Roll LIME LEAVES up (end to end) as tight as you can. Slice these rolls into threads as fine as you can cut them. Discard the central stem and make a few cuts through the threads to shorten them. Mix with Chilis.
  6. Open COCONUT MILK without shaking. Scoop about 6 ounces off the top, including all the cream. Hold separate from the rest of the Coconut Milk.
Run   -   (45 min)
  1. In a sauté pan or wok, place the Coconut Cream part of the Coconut milk. Bring to a boil (carefully), then stir in Curry Paste until evenly distributed. Keep at a strong simmer over moderate heat, stirring until red oil starts to separate.
  2. Stir in Chicken. Cook over moderate heat, stirring often, until you again see red oil starting to separate.
  3. Slowly stir in remaining Coconut Milk and Water. Bring to a boil, then stir in Fuzzy Melon. Bring back to a simmer and stir in Fish Sauce and Palm Sugar (if using). Cover and simmer for about 12 minutes until the Fuzzy Melon is nearly done. It is done when it's translucent, but the seed mass has not started to fall out.
  4. Stir in Chili mix and simmer another 5 minutes. You can hold it hot for awhile at this point.
  5. When ready to serve - take off heat. Drain Basil Leaves and stir in well. Serve immediately with plenty of steamed Jasmine rice.
NOTES:

  1. Chicken:

      Weight is skinless and boneless. I always use thigh/leg meat for better flavor and texture than the cardboard breasts we get around here.

  2. Fuzzy Melon:

      [Mo Gwa, Mo Qua, Moa Gua]   Select a fresh looking one that's about 1 pound, or two smaller ones. Note that Thai recipes in English usually call Fuzzy Melon "Winter Melon" (it is an immature Winter Melon). Suitable substitutes are Opo Squash (Bottle Gourd) or Luffa Squash (a Gourd), ribbed (Chinese Okra) or smooth (Sponge Luffa). For details see our Fuzzy Melon and Gourds page.

  3. Chili, Fresh Red:

      Around here we all use Red Ripe Fresnos, but other medium hot red chilis, such as Red Anaheim or Holland Red will work. For details see our Thai Chilis page.

  4. Kaffir Lime Leaves:

      These come 2 leaves to a stem, so this recipe needs 3 stems (more if one of the leaves is very small). For details See our Kaffir Lime page. If you don't have them, grate the zest of the limes before you squeeze them for lime juice.

  5. Coconut Milk:

      Unsweetened. Coconut milk from Thailand is excellent. I use Aroy-D, but there are other fine brands. A good quality Coconut Milk will have lots of heavy cream at the top. Check the recipe - you need to avoid shaking the can before opening.

  6. Curry Paste, Red:

      You can buy commercially made Thai Red Curry Paste, but it is better made at home - see our recipe Red Curry Paste. Our recipe is probably a little hotter than most commercial versions, but some of those are so salty you may have to cut back on the Fish Sauce. "Thai Red Curry Sauce" sold by yuppie outlets is not suitable for Thai (or Clovegarden) recipes.

  7. Fish Sauce:

      This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisine as it was to Imperial Rome. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce - Introduction page.

  8. Palm Sugar

      (optional)   This is available in pretty much all Southeast and East Asian markets. I buy it in lumps of about 1 Tablespoon each. If you don't have it, use a lightly refined sugar such as Turbinado.

  9. Comments

      Skinning the chilis is optional, but I always do it as it improves the texture, and it's particularly important if any of this curry will be reheated, because skins often come loose with reheating.
  10. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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