All those layers of intricate nuances that gently tickle or tackle your olfactory senses, and sometimes hardly any fat to carry or bind it at all. The processes people use to extract the most flavours out of ingredients – whether by pounding, roasting, drying or preserving – really are similar the world over. The conceptsof “Cucina Povera” or “Ahaarn Baan baan” both display the sentiments of rustic home cuisine emerging from subsistence eating. I’m talking about cooking that emerges from real whole foods, whole flavours that require some crazy women or men tospend the hours, days, if not years preparing it. It takes years, days, hours for a farmer to grow, pick, process then slice (thinner than a strand of hair) those delicate slivers of makrut lime that get sprinkled on to curry, only for many diners to push it aside. Sometimes when a dish comes back into the kitchen and the bowl is close to being licked clean but all the makrut lime leaves are left on the side, I swear it guts me. The makrut lime is a knobbly, warty thing; the rind is such a pleasantly strong aromat that once it is removed to be used in curry pastes we often put the peeled fruit into the bathrooms to deodorise the toilet. The juice is so sharply sour and bitter it’s never advisable to substitute for lime – unless you are cooking something where all the other ingredients are of equal strength so it can harmonise rather than dominate. Gaeng Tae Po is moreish red paste based, coconut milk curry with pork belly and tamarind. To make the curry paste10 dry long red chilli, soaked in water for 20 minutes, sliced5 red birds eye chilli1 tsp salt3 pieces galangal, cut into 3cm discs lightly pounded but kept intact2 stalks of lemongrass, cut into 1cm pieces3 red shallots 10 cloves garlic 1 tbs shrimp paste 2 coriander root chopped roughly 10 whole white pepper 1 makrut lime rind with pith To make the curry300g washed pastured pork belly, cut into cubes250ml organic coconut cream250ml organic coconut milk1 lge bunch water spinach cut into 1-inch lengths 1 makrut lime fruit, halved and deseeded 7 makrut lime leaves very finely julienned 2tbs fish sauce 125ml palm sugar 125ml tamarind pulp concentrate 1L home-made chicken stock In a mortar and pestle pound the rehydrated long red chillis, red birds eye chilli and salt until smooth, then incorporate all the other ingredients – except the shrimp paste – and pound until smooth, then add the shrimp paste and pound until well incorporated. Bring up the heat to a soft rolling boil until the curry is slightly reduced, which will take about 10 minutes. Season with fish sauce, tamarind, palm sugar, squeeze juice of the makrut lime fruit and then pop the halves into the pot.
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