© Copyright 1995-2023, Clay Irving <clay@panix.com>, Manhattan Beach, CA USA
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Recipe from: Colonel Ian F. Khuntilanont-Philpott
This is the second of my pair of confusing recipes (See the first recipe in the pair): consider the literal meaning: gai is chicken; pad means stir-fried; prik means chile; khing is ginger; so it's chicken stir-fried with chiles and ginger, right? Unfortunately, in this case, its wrong. How the name came about I don't know, but the dish is essentially chicken stir fried with veggies. Even more puzzling it doesn't have either ginger or chilis in the ingredient list! Unlike kai pad khing, which is cooked at smoking point, this dish is cooked at medium high - any more heat and the vegetables will be cremated! As with gai pad khing this dish can also be made with pork or beef. This is a good dish for those who don't like really hot food, as it can easily be prepared with less curry paste. Finally, if you can't find Thai red curry paste, you could use a little Indian curry powder, blended in some coconut cream. Though the flavour is undoubtedly different, it is quite acceptable.
3 tablespoon peanut oil
1 cup chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup veggies (either swamp cabbage, long beans, or broccoli, or a mixture of beans and broccoli)
3 tablespoon red curry paste
4 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
Stir fry the curry paste for a short while, until the mixture becomes aromatic, and a little oil is driven out of the paste by the cooking process. Add the chicken and stir fry briefly, until it just begins to turn whitish. Add the remaining ingredients, stir until it is heated through, and taste for flavour balance. Serve with steamed rice, and garnish with lime and basil leaves.