I have many memories from my travels; one that always comes to mind is when I was walking down a little alley in Bangkok, Thailand.
I saw this little old lady sitting on a milk crate, she had a curry cooking on a makeshift stove. Her family and kids were gathered around her eating, there were loads of locals waiting to buy a bowl of the curry. They were literally lining up around the block for something made by a little old lady sitting on a milk crate in a dirty alleyway.
To me, it just had a really nice vibe and feel. All the locals coming together, everyone talking and laughing, I could see there was a real sense of community. I mean, at the end of the day it was just one lady cooking a curry but it’s still one of the clearest and simplest examples I have of food bringing people together.
Curry Paste:
-
- 8 Large dried chillies
- 4 Coriander root*
- 4 Lemongrass sticks
- 50g Peeled shallots
- 50g Peeled garlic
- 15g Peeled fresh turmeric *
- 2 tspn Gapi (shrimp paste)*
Curry:
-
- 12 Large Tiger prawns (peeled and de- veined)
- 400g Fresh rice noodles
- 6 Apple eggplant* (chopped)
- 8 Snake beans* (chopped)
- 800ml Chicken stock
- 800ml Coconut milk
- 8 Kaffir lime leaves*
To season:
-
- White sugar
- Fish sauce
- Tamarind water*
To garnish:
-
- Coriander leaves
- Thai Basil leaves
* Ingredients that can be found at any Asian supermarket