What Exactly Is In A Jungle Curry?

[leisurely]

I have just seen another reference to it in the nation and i wondered what the principal ingredients are? So, can anyone enlighten me?

Cheers

Leisurely

[OneeyedJohn]

My wife makes it with a ton of veggies, maybe 10 or more. Plus some chicken and red curry paste.

Doesn't have to be chicken, but anyway it is usually very hot.

Alternatively most every market will have some lady selling it.....Gaeng Pha

A vital ingredient is a leaf ( must be young ) called Cha Om which contains Uric acid so not good for gout sufferers, similar bamboo.

No coconut milk just water.

[leisurely]

Aha, thank you I was envisioning chimpanzees or elephant

[autonomous_unit]

Not chimps, but the previous poster forgot to mention tarantala feet.

[BambinA]

Jungle curry is a bowl of curry that Jane makes for Tarzan

Jungle curry -Gaeng Pah (not pla=fish) .. we called it like that coz basically we dont add coconut milk in the curry ( tarzan cant find that in the jungle)

for the recipe i have found on net looks acceptable

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/109438

Anyhow when i cook "Geang Pah" i use "Gaeng pah chilli paste"

many people fried that chilli paste with oild before.. but i dont do like that (hehe i'm fat) I put the chilli paste in the pot and then add water wait till it's boiled

the i add Meat (as chicken , pork ,fish etc) wit till it's boild again do i added veggies as

- pumpkin

- eggplant

- baby corn

- long bean

add flavour

-fish sauce

-sugar (many people dont add it.. but i like)

then i add some herbs like

- grachai (lesser galangal or wild ginger) strips peeled

- Kaffir lime leaves

wait till its boiled

topping the curry with holy basil and thinly sliced prik shee fah (chilly)

before serving

[davidjtayler]

Fresh green peppercorns on the stalk (prik thai sot) go well in the jungle curry ...

[BambinA]

Fresh green peppercorns on the stalk (prik thai sot) go well in the jungle curry ...

agree

[sabaijai]

One of my favourite Thai dishes, and very healthy since it contains all the Thai herbs/rhizomes known for their high antioxidant content. Just had a bowl for breakfast ....

[suegha]

Once again Bambi comes up with the goodies - I like the sound of the recipe and will try it.

However, when I have had Jungle curry in Thailand it's never been that 'hot and spicy'. Is this cos they were doing it for Farangs???

[OneeyedJohn]

Well I always knew Bambina would piss on my firework, no problem wiv that. She knows wot she's talking about for sure

We just had a jungle out tonight made wiv frog, excellent and with a distinctive flavour.

In a restaurant its always going to be a compromise when u ; a farang is present, so the best way is to make it yourself.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Our Bambi knows what is what

[Samuian]

Another Version is

Kaeng Liang - vegetable soup

Though normally included in Thailand, the curry paste and chili beans in

oil can be considered optional for those who are looking for something

with a little less heat.

You can use any vegtables available, but typically in Thailand it would

be made from one of the gourds (buap liam (sponge gourd), phak dumleung

>(gord gourd), phak nam tao (bottle gourd)) or from phak wan (a forest

tree, latin name melientha suavis - the leaves and flowers are used, and

are slightly sweet) or banana flowers.

If one of the gourds is used it is cut into bite sized chunks first.

----------------------------------

Ingredients

spice mixture

10 prik Thai (black pepper corns) or Prick Thai Oon - green peppercorns

1 tablespoon kapi (fermented shrimp paste)

3 tablespoons of nam pla (fish sauce)

10 hom daeng (shallots - purple onions)

half a cup of dried shrimp

other ingredients

1 tablespoon of red curry paste

2 tablespoons of nam prik pao (chilis paste in oil)

1 tablespoon of fish sauce

5 cups of vegetables

5 stems of bai horapha (sweet Thai basil)

4 cups of vegetable stock

Method

in a mortar and pestle or food processor, grind the spice mixture

ingredients to a smooth paste.

Bring the stock to a boil and add the spice mixture, curry paste, and

prik nam pao, and stire until thoroughly mixed.

When it is again boiling, and mixed, stir in the fish sauce.

add the vegetables and basil, stir until cooked.

The vegetables should be minimally cooked - especially gourd, which will

become soft and unpallatable if overcooked.

Taste and adjust the saltiness by adding more fish sauce if required.

Source:

>>Personally I think it's the most authentic recipe<<

One may add Koong (Shrimps) or Pla Duc (Cat fish) up to you........

---------------------------------------------<

spicy vegetable soup (kaeng liang)

Serving size: Serves 4

Cooking time: Less than 30 minutes

serves four people, has 130 calories and 1.4g of fat.

INGREDIENTS

2 cm fresh galangal

3 shallots

1 tsp brown miso paste

1 tsp ground black pepper

100g straw mushrooms

1 cup fresh baby corn — cooked

200g pumpkin

1 medium sponge gourd

2 spring onions

1 litre vegetable stock

1 tsp light soy sauce

Half a cup of Thai sweet basil leaves

METHOD

Pound the pepper, galangal, shallots and miso paste together in a mortar to mix to a paste. Alternatively, place all in a blender. The mixture need not be smooth. Place the spice mix in a saucepan with the vegetable stock.

Cut the pumpkin and ground into cubes. Cut the baby corn to the same size. Roughly chop the mushrooms and add to the pot with the pumpkin and corn and cook until the pumpkin is tender. Add the sponge gourd and continue to simmer until just done. Adjust the seasoning with the soy sauce. Remove from the heat an add basil leaves to serve.

Source:

Edited December 1, 2006 by Samuian

[realthaideal]

Yes, of course Bambina is right on. The major distinction in Jungle Curry is that there aren't really enough coconuts going around the jungle- though these days they grow everywhere it seems - and so the curry is lower fat, and not creamy. (And I don't think Bambina is fat from her icon, maybe she deserves a treat to some coconut cream sometime !) But anyway, my experience is that these jungle curries are definitely more piquant becuse there is nothing cutting the spiciness. What goes into the curry is up to the cook and what's around. As usual ,the Thai imagination leaves me knowing about 10 favorite places where I've had a great jungle curr, all of them different.

I definitely caught the jungle fever. But I still likes me some coconuts when possible !

[sabaijai]

Another principal distinguishing characteristic is the presence of kra-chai (Chinese key) in most kaeng paa (can also be translated 'forest curry') recipes.

[Hadrian1]

Fresh green peppercorns on the stalk (prik thai sot) go well in the jungle curry ...

I am glad you mentioned this. I am sure I had this in a Green Curry I used to eat in BKK. It was like a little bush with green peppercorns I presume on it floating in the dish. Tried to describe to several people but they didn't know what I was on about. Is it common in Green Curry too?

Edited December 2, 2006 by Hadrian1

[davidjtayler]

Fresh green peppercorns on the stalk (prik thai sot) go well in the jungle curry ...

I am glad you mentioned this. I am sure I had this in a Green Curry I used to eat in BKK. It was like a little bush with green peppercorns I presume on it floating in the dish. Tried to describe to several people but they didn't know what I was on about. Is it common in Green Curry too?

Not sure if its a common ingredient but I have certainly eaten some green curries with those lovely fresh green peppercorns in as well ...