Thai Yellow Curry Pork Tenderloin

    Some people like myself can eat spicy food for every meal.  Today, I cooked this Thai curry for breakfast.  Las Vegas is a great place to throw the "dining etiquette rule book" out the window!  Many chefs who have done a lot of breakfast cooking, get so tired of seeing bacon and eggs, that anything but regular breakfast food sounds good in the morning. 

     Thai green curry is the mildest of Thai curry.  Yellow curry can be a little spicier.  Green Thai eggplant are a necessary ingredient for this recipe.  Eggplant is in most Thai curries.  The amount of hot Thai chile pepper is a matter of personal preference.  Kafir lime leaves are not always available fresh, so I listed them as an optional ingredient.
     Thai curry spices differ from Indian curry spices.  Thai yellow curry paste or powder is available in nearly every store these days.  Read the ingredients on a Thai yellow curry paste label.  Sometimes eggplant paste is already part of the mixture, so less eggplant should be used in the recipe.
     Thai green eggplant is almost always the base of a Thai green curry or yellow curry.  Some Thai chefs briefly saute the eggplant to bring out more flavor, while others simply simmer the eggplant in broth.  The vegetables and meat are added, then several reductions of broth and coconut milk create the sauce and cook the ingredients.  The only item that is sauteed is the eggplant.     

     Lemongrass Galangal Broth:

     Boil 3 cups of water in a sauce pot.

     Add 1 stalk of lemongrass that is tied in a knot.

     Add 1 1/2 teaspoon of ground galangal. 

     Boil the broth, till the lemongrass flavor is infused.  (About 10 minutes.  The amount of broth should      be reduced a little bit by that time.)

     Remove the lemongrass knot and set the broth aside.

     Thai Yellow Curry Pork:  

     Heat a saute pan or wok over medium/medium high heat.

     Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil.

     Add 1 cup Thai green eggplant that is cut into wedges.

     Saute till the eggplant begins to turn a translucent color on the surface.

     Add 5 ounces of sliced pork tenderloin.

     Add 4 minced garlic cloves.

     Add 2 teaspoons of ginger paste.

     Add 1/3 cup of sliced onion.

     Add a few thin carrot sticks for color.

     Add 1 small red Thai pepper or 1 teaspoon of Korean Serrano Chile Sauce.

     Add 1 cup of the lemongrass galangal broth.

     Add 1 tablespoon of Thai yellow curry paste or 1/2 tablespoon of Thai yellow curry powder.

     Simmer and reduce the liquid till a thick sauce is formed. 

     Add 1 more cup of the lemongrass galangal broth.
     Simmer and reduce till a thick sauce is formed.
     Reduce the temperature to very low heat.
     Add 2 torn kafir lime leaves.  (optional)

     Add 1 cup of coconut milk.

     Add 2 green onions that are cut into large bite size pieces.

     Simmer and reduce, till a thin sauce is formed.
     Add 1 teaspoon of lime juice.

     Remove the pan from the heat.

     Add 10 to 15 small Thai basil leaves.

     Stir the ingredients.

     Place the curry into a shallow bowl or casserole dish.

     Place the casserole on a serving platter.

     Garnish with a Thai basil sprig.

     The complex flavor of this Thai yellow curry will put a smile on any curry lover's face!  You can make this curry thin and soupy by adding more coconut milk or serve it like a thin sauce like the one in the pictures.  Both styles are authentic.  The eggplant adds a mellow healthy flavor.  The pork tenderloin takes on the curry flavor nicely.  Yummy!  ...  Shawna