Kaeng phed gai

Method

1. 1 Boil fresh bamboo shoots with the lid open for 20 minutes, then rinse with cold water and cut into strips.
2. 2 Simmer the coconut milk for 6 minutes until the coconut oil separates, then sauté the red curry sauce for 5 minutes.
3. 3 Sauté the sauce in the separated coconut oil, not in regular cooking oil; this step is what makes the sauce so flavorful.
4. 4 Add the chopped chicken pieces and stir-fry for 5 minutes, then pour in the diluted coconut milk and cook for 18 minutes.
5. 5 Add bamboo shoots, pickled eggplant, and Thai lime leaves, then cook for 6 minutes.
6. 6 Season with fish sauce and palm sugar, then mix in basil leaves and green chilies just before turning off the heat.

With an appliance

• Microwave 36 min

  Replace steps 4–5: place the chicken, sautéed with diluted coconut milk, into a deep bowl, microwave at 700W for 12 minutes, add bamboo shoots and pickled eggplant, and microwave for another 4 minutes; reduce to about 8 minutes, the chicken will be evenly cooked, the coconut milk will separate less, and you only need to stir once instead of constantly monitoring the pot. The bamboo shoots should still be boiled with the lid open for 20 minutes in step 1 to remove bitterness.