Can I let you in on a secret about Malaysian curries?
They’re almost always made with purchased curry powders. The majority of my relatives live in Malaysia, and I don’t know a single one who grinds their own paste. They do, however, put enormous time and energy into sourcing the most flavoursome curry powder they can get their hands on, then tweak it with their own touch, adding a little star anise, a twig of cinnamon, some bruised lemongrass, as so on.
I suspect, but can’t be sure, that a lot of Thai curries are made in a similar way. There are certainly some fabulous commercial Thai curry pastes on the market, and it can be hard to replicate their pungent, heady flavours from scratch. Both the Mae Ploy and Maesri brands are excellent, and very reasonably priced (the Maesri tins below were just $1.20 each)…
This recipe is based on one from Charmain Solomon’s Thai Cookbook – a birthday present from Maude many years ago (it’s now out of print, but there’s a generous preview on Google Books).
Here is my slightly modified version:
- 500g (1lb) belly pork, cut into bite-sized cubes
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar (I used gula melaka)
- 375ml (1½ cups) coconut milk
- half a small tin of Maesri Panang curry paste (about 2 tablespoons)
- handful of basil leaves
- snake beans (or whatever else you have in the garden)
- red chilli for garnish
1. Place the pork, fish sauce and palm sugar in a small saucepan, then add just enough cold water to cover. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the pork is tender. Scoop out the pork with a slotted spoon, and keep the stock.
2. In a wok or clay pot (I used my Emile Henry baby risotto pot), heat up one cup of the coconut milk. Add the curry paste and simmer until fragrant, then add the pork. Cook gently until the oil separates from the gravy, ladling in the reserved stock as needed.
3. Add the snake beans or other vegetables, and cook for a further few minutes until softened. Just before serving, toss in the basil leaves and allow them to wilt. Spoon over the remaining coconut milk, then garnish with a little chopped chilli and serve with steamed rice.
The following day, I took a small quantity of leftover curry and heated it in a saucepan with a container of homemade chicken stock (from the freezer). Once it was boiling, I added a handful of rice vermicelli noodles. It was the perfect faux laksa! I can see myself stashing small containers of leftover curry in the freezer just so I can make this at a moment’s notice…
This dish was supposed to be made with strips of belly pork, but I quite liked the rustic look and taste of the chunky cubes. As I mentioned earlier, much of the Charmaine Solomon book can now be viewed via Google – definitely worth a peruse if you don’t already own it!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Curry powders make everyone’s life so much easier! :-) I’m very grateful for them!
The best Malaysian style one I’ve found in Sydney is at Fiji Market in Newtown! :)
A huge ‘thank you’ for this, Celia! Altho’ European born I have lived in a ‘curry world’ all of my grownup life and always feel abysmally ‘short’ when I use some curry mix bought in a store!! Lovely Malaysian recipe of yours in which just the basil leaves were new!!! Charmaine Solomon has been beloved longer than you have been alive ~ ‘Maesri’ is a brand new and to look out for . . .
This isn’t a Malaysian curry recipe Eha, it’s a Thai one. Malaysian curries are made in quite a different way. The Maesri brand is widely available and very good! :)
As i said ~ I have learned something again! Including a brand I did not know!And I shall look for!!! The term ‘Panang’ naturally makes one thnk of Malysian . . . what fun having to look this up as I am always open to this particular duopoly!! Thanks!!!!!
G’day and oh no Celia, please tell me it’s not true!
The myth is debunked…your recipe and photo look yum and want to taste some right now too!
Cheers! Joanne
It’s not a myth Jo – some cultures always blend from scratch. I don’t know a single Indian who uses a curry paste, for example…
yum, we love curries here and I often feel like I’m cheating using the premade mixes. Its nice to know its actually the way its done :-)
Only in certain cultures, Leah! :)
Ah, nice one, Celia… we love these, as you know! Peter was first given a tin by Tim, the owner of Tim’s Surf and Turf, one of the oldest restaurants in Darwin. He let Peter in on the secret of their beautiful curries. How generous is that! The first time I made a curry with these, I used the whole tin. It was delicious. The second time, I used the whole tin and it almost burned our mouths out! When we next went to Darwin, we asked Tim. He laughed and said that a whole tin lasts him the entire week!
Lizzy, I used half a tin in this curry and it really wasn’t too hot! An entire week is surprising! :)
Does that mean I’m not cheating if I use a pre-made paste or mix?! Yay! Love the bowl Celia… Aldi purchase?
Of course you’re not cheating, Claire! I’d qualify that though by saying that it’s probably best to choose pastes and mixes from the country where the recipe originates. There’s a world of difference between a little tin of Thai curry paste and a Woolies simmer sauce. :) Not Aldi, Chefs’ Warehouse, but someone else mentioned that the bowls were at Aldi as well!
You’ve lifted a weight from my shoulders, knowing I don’t have to roast and grind to make my own curry pastes! Not that I always do anyway, but I’ll feel more relaxed about the whole thing now. I love that Charmaine Solomon book, we’ve had it for years. My husband taught me to make my first curry, after we were married and living in Darwin!
That’s good, I don’t think we should ever be weighed down with stuff like that! :) I do try and read ingredients on the packet very carefully before I buy though…
I recently discovered the liberation of pre made pastes, now I don’t have to hide the fact, thank you! This looks really good and I love the idea of left over Laksa. GG
GG, glad to hear it! The leftover soup has now made a couple of appearances at our lunch table…
I love pork curry. It’ quite fatty, but very delicious. This looks fantastic.
Thanks Nick, the simmering first helps to take the edge off the fattiness…
I love the Mae Ploy pastes, that’s what we use for curries such as Penang, Green, or Massaman. Love the quick faux laksa too!
Kavey, I used the Mae Ploy for years and have only just moved to the Maesri, purely because it comes in small tins rather than the larger tubs. We never made it to the end of the tubs! :)
I’ve never had any trouble replicating the pungent flavours when making Thai curry pastes from scratch … you just need a damn good recipe and about 4 hours up your sleeve!! Love love love the sound of this Thai pork curry – will give it a whirl once I’ve used up my Thai curry pastes in the freezer (have had a Thai cook-a-thon this week!) Thanks for sharing.
Rach, why am I not surprised that you make your pastes from scratch? :) It does take ages though, doesn’t it? And I never seem to have all the ingredients…
This is just the sort of food I’m craving at the moment Celia, funny how thai dishes are comforting on our grey January days but suit your sunny ones too. Love your use of leftovers. I enjoyed stock from a pheasant pie (and leftover flakes of pheasant) with thai fish sauce, chilli, ginger, lemongrass etc added and noodles last night. So warming and savoury & something very satisfying about leftover noodle dishes.
Andrea, that sounds delicious! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a pheasant! :)
Life’s too short for making your own curry paste especially when there’s Mae Ploy around. I use Sharwoods curry pastes too. It’s good to hear I’m not the only one. This is perfect for our chilly weather – it’s 3C and heading south so I’m firmly in soup territory here.
Nancy, I think so long as we’re discerning about the pastes we use, there are some really great ones to be found! So cold – must have been a hard transition from Melbourne summer!
I love those curry pastes and have been using them ever since I was let into the secret by a lovely Thai woman many years ago. Love the look of the recipe but think the use of the leftovers is inspired. I too may start to squirrel away leftover curry
Thanks Tania, I was pretty chuffed with the leftovers too. I thought the sauce flavour would be too watered down, but it was absolutely perfect!
I am very fond of those curry pastes, and most recipes will use only half the tin, as your recipe does.. I immediately scrape the rest into a saran wrap, label and freeze. Very convenient.. all I have to do is add the frozen chunk to the next preparation and I’m all set
I am all for cooking from scratch, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with using good products to make life easier..
Great post, Celia! I never cooked pork belly, would probably adapt it for pork shoulder or butt…
Sally, now that’s a good suggestion, thank you. I scraped my half a tin into a jar and popped it in the fridge, but freezing probably is a better idea…
It definitely depends on how often you use it – I can go for months in between uses, and find that in the fridge it tends to dry up. On occasion, I’ve even had it turn moldy, so the freezer works better for me….
I have made curry from scratch and from mixes and liked it both ways. But the pastes and mixes are by far much easier and I am more prone to make a curry using one of them when I don’t have lots of time for preparation.
Aren’t you brave in admitting it out loud on the blogiverse?!
I love the twoness of your dish- that is a neat theme- this is what I made- this is how I used it as a leftover!
Ah Heidi, I don’t think it was brave, but thank you. :) I’ve tried and tried to make curry pastes from scratch, but I don’t think the spices I use are ever fresh enough.
I agree, there are so many fabulous pastes around and I think we have the same brand available here…from memory it packs quite a punch (which is good). Looks wonderful!
Chica, I love that it’s a small tin too. So often I’ll open a larger container of paste, and it won’t taste as fresh by the time I get around to using it all.
I have always done this too and give myself a hard time. Those Malaysian packet pastes are the ants pants too ( Thanks for mine). Having worked in a restaurant where we made at least 4 different curry pastes a day , I always felt I was cheating when I used the thai pastes at home. I never put a curry on the blog because i wonder if I should using a premade paste. You just gave me a big green light because we are all interested in the how of adding this and that to make all the difference. x.
Don’t be hard on yourself, love. I never think of it as cheating, so long as the flavour is good and the paste isn’t full of preservatives and other rubbish. Takes a bit of trial and error and careful reading of the back of the packet though! The Chinese have been using sauces in their cooking forever – do you know anyone who makes their own soy? ;-)
Like the way you think and your practical solutions. I too use ready made curry mixture. Since I do not cook a lot with curry it really does not make sense for me to try to make from scratch.
Norma, that makes sense! Especially when there are so many good options on the market!
Your dinner looks delish Celia! We like that brand too for adding a bit of extra flavour, but I have the time and adore making my pastas from scratch. One of my favorites dishes ever is a Janelle Bloom recipe using Maesri Musaman paste that is divine indeed, so it’s definitely not cheating- more of a short cut :) xox
Oooh Becca, I’ll have to look that up! I have some of the mussaman paste as well! Thanks! xxx
Over the last couple of years I’ve been experimenting with curry, which has helped me figure out the flavors I like most. It is far more work, but now when I do use a paste or powder I have a better idea what to tweak to suit our preferences as you mention. Thanks for the tip on the brands, I just bought some beef for panang, so your post is timed perfectly for me! I’ll be looking for those tins. :)
Judy, both those brands are readily available here, and they have long expiry dates, so it’s worth keeping them on the shelf. Hope you track some down! :)
I never beat myself up about cooking. Some days I think the family should be darned glad there’s food at all. Some other days I think I’ve done a brilliant job making every single element from scratch. It’s all about balance, isn’t it.
I LOVE panang curry. It’s so creamy and wonderful.
Maureen, I’m with you. I don’t beat myself up over cooking either. Other stuff, sure, but not food. :)
I don’t know much about curry at all since I’ve only recently tried cooking with it. This is good information though and this dish looks terrific. I like how you think about keeping some on hand for later – good thinking.
Diane, it was delicious too – the pork curry seemed a great match for the noodles! Hope you have fun exploring curries – we eat them weekly!
I’m glad the curry powder blend recipe our family got from a friend is an easy one to make and keep, so I use it for nearly all of my curries and just make the tweaks with lemongrass, kaffir lime, Thai basil, etc, that you mention when I want to adjust. Love Panang curries! I’ll have to try this combination! Yum. xoxo
Kathryn, you’re good to make your own! I’ve tried, but I never seem to get as much punch in the final blend as I get in a bought one. How cool that you can adapt your recipe to suit! x
I made your lovely curry & it was just divine, really delicious too! x
Hooray! Thanks for trying it, Sophie, so glad you liked it! x
I love all of your tasty recipes! ;) That fabulous chocolate cake is calling my mouth,…looks really appetizing too!
Your curry sounds delicious. It is 7 degrees above zero this morning and a warming curry for dinner sounds great. :)