Thai Jungle Curry or Kaeng Pa

October 03, 2021 6 Comments

Serving presentation for Thai Jungle curry

This is as fiery as it gets for a Thai curry, it is way more spicy than most people can handle. It is also one of the simplest Thai curries to prepare, Jungle curries, or more accurately, forest curries, were traditionally made with whatever was to hand so your choice of meats and vegetables comes down to whatever you want in your curry. Although this was a dish most often cooked with wild boar it is far more common these days to see it cooked with pork or sometimes chicken. Of all the ingredients you might use I think it's worth getting some Thai basil which is sold in most supermarkets these days, fresh green peppercorns on the stalk are great but you would need to find those in an Asian shop. This curry is also cooked without coconut milk but I don't doubt that someone is going to try it with coconut milk:-) Update.( I've been told by quite a few customers this is what they are doing! )
I'll wait to see customer feedback on this one, it's certainly possible to make it even spicier but no point in doing so if only a few people are able to take it.

A note of caution. Although this is already a cooked curry paste it's still capable of inducing a sneezing attack or worse when the paste is being heated. For that reason, the paste is added to water and cooked rather than cooked directly as with most curry pastes.  A cooker hood is also advisable. I just had someone* post a comment " Terrible methodology You're supposed to fry the spice paste first for starters." Nope, not unless you have a restaurant extractor fan at full blast, this is a real Jungle curry paste not one of those pretend ones.
*( I could think of terms more suitable than "someone" but best not!)
Suggested ingredients for Thai Jungle curry. Use around 500g of meat as well as vegetables. Note I have used aubergine below and after a few tests I think it tends to make the curry milder than it would be without it, probably due to the high water content. Personal preferences again, spice levels are so subjective. I would also add fish sauce and sugar to it but that is to my own taste.

Ingredients for Thai Jungle curry

 
This is how I have prepped my ingredients.

 Add a spoonful of oil to a pan and cook the meat whilst stirring.

Add meat to pan and cook whilst stirring

 Add 300 ml of water to the pan.

Add 300 ml of water to the pan

 Add the Jungle Curry paste to the pan.

Add Jungle Curry paste to the pan

Bring the contents of the pan to a simmer and cook for a few minutes.

Bring contents of pan to a simmer 
Add vegetables to pan and cook for a few minutes more. This paste has a low salt content as it allows me to judge the heat better when making it, so you might want to test and adjust salt content to your own taste, fish sauce would be ideal.

Add vegetables to pan simmer till cooked

 Garnish with Thai basil if available and serve with rice.

Serving Presentation Thai Jungle Curry from My Thai Curry
Serving presentation for Thai Jungle curry

 Enjoy:-)

If you like this recipe please click the star rating or add a comment below!  Kop Khun Kha, Nitsa.x
star



6 Responses

Lindsay Murphy
Lindsay Murphy

October 28, 2024

Fantastic flavors and perfect heat! I changed up my cooking order a bit: oil in the pan, stir-fried the veggies (I used bell pepper, aubergine, pea pods and bamboo shoots), then my protein (have done this with both tofu and shrimp and it’s come out aces both times), then the curry paste and water. Adjust with a touch of fish sauce, fresh lime juice, Thai basil and go. Simple, fresh, and super tasty!

Stephen
Stephen

July 28, 2024

Just had my second purchase of crying tiger sauce and had it with a 16oz rump with padron peppers and thickly sliced cucumber, beautiful tasting and a good heat, I love it and good way to have steak healthy, I’m looking forward to the jungle curry I’ve purchased, I have palm sugar and fish sauce, just need some Thai basil and a space for the toilet roll in the fridge 😂 I’m a sucker for hot and spicy, I like Thai basil and chilli stir fry, do you think you’ll be making any sort of paste like that in the future?
———
mythaicurry replied:
Glad you enjoyed the Crying Tiger Andrew:-) As far as Pad Kaprow is concerned I show how to cook it in this recipe and also why you don’t need a paste to do it! https://www.mythaicurry.com/blogs/recipe-blog/pad-kaprow

Gary Tiplady
Gary Tiplady

July 26, 2024

Hi, just received some jungle curry pastes and have a couple of questions.
When I have bought JC from my local Thai there has been what I believe are baby aubergines, I think these must have become expensive as they are no long in there JC, can these be obtained easily and should I bother?.
One other ingredient in there JC is several thin slices of what I can only describe as being light in colour, slightly textured and looking like a very this slice of fruit, like mango or peach but the colour is more avocado, do you know what this could be.
Many thanks.
———
mythaicurry replied:
Hi, The baby aubergine are called pea aubergine and can be bought in some Asian shops fresh or bottled. Also, I think you are describing Bamboo shoots which you can buy canned in most supermarkets. Hope that helps.

Rachael
Rachael

April 27, 2024

I would eat this Jungle Curry every day, if I could, I totally love it.
I use beef, vegetables are pepper, potatoes and water chestnuts, which seem to soak up the flavour.
Also add nam pla and lime juice, serve with rice, just perfect.
Very hot, but all the flavours come through beautifully.
———
mythaicurry replied:
Ooh Rachael, yes I can see water chestnuts in it! Glad you enjoyed it so much :-)

Jeremy k
Jeremy k

December 13, 2023

Wow, incredible jungle curry. Have to admit I was a little scared when tasting while cooking as it was super hot however when it all came together with the vegetables and then the rice it was a real winner. Incredible depth of flavour and and a great taste. As suggested I added some fish sauce and a little sugar. Lovely!

David Williams
David Williams

May 13, 2023

Your Jungle paste is absolutely brilliant – I love it. I have sought far and wide for such a paste and now I have found it. Thank you so much. Your recipes are wonderful with lots of alternatives and tips for personal taste. Keep up the good work.

Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.


Also in Recipe Blog

Serving Suggestion
Beef Short Ribs in Panang Curry Sauce

October 01, 2024 2 Comments

Have you ever tasted something so delicious that it feels like a culinary revelation? That's exactly how it feels to bite into a perfectly cooked beef short rib. I’m deeply in love with them, the rich slow cooked meat practically falls off the bone, leaving you craving for more. No wonder I’ve fallen head over heels for this underrated cut of meat. Gone are the days when you had to visit a specialty butcher to get your hands on beef short ribs as well, thanks to supermarkets like Sainsbury's ...

Continue Reading

Thai Curry Pie
Thai Curry Pie

July 26, 2024

My first confession is that that I never thought I would be sitting here writing a recipe for a Thai Curry pie, but times change and we change with them or stagnate. My interest was sparked on my first trip back to Bangkok after the pandemic, chicken curry puffs have long been a popular Thai snack but savoury pies, usually steak and kidney, were very much something that was restricted to the Bangkok expat pub scene. All that had changed, bake shops were springing up outside the traditional to...

Continue Reading

Prik Naam Pla, Thai dipping sauce.
Prik Naam Pla, Thai dipping sauce.

July 01, 2023 2 Comments

This is the essential Thai dipping sauce you see all over Thailand. An absolute must for the Pad Kaprow recipe but also used to spice up almost any dish, particularly grilled meats or similar. And for many Thais they can't think of eating a fried egg without some Prik Naam Pla to top it. More than anything, it sums up the Thai food tastes of sour sweet and salty. Spicy? Of course that also depends on what chillies you use for this, and if you're prepared to do the extra work of separating out...

Continue Reading

3309
Verified Reviews