Paleo Panang Curry via The Ultimate Curry Method (tm)
This method for making curry, involving browning and braising the meat, slow-cooking the curry sauce, and adding a stewed onion-stock-bacon fat reduction, was created by Cook and his buddy from A League of Morons a few months ago for a Family dinner. This particular variant is a paleo (read: almond butter) panang recipe, but simple alterations to the vegetables and curry paste used create good Thai curry of any type.
Done right, this is not particularly labor-intensive, but does take some time and TLC.
A large Dutch oven or stockpot
A food processor (if you're making the almond butter)
1.5-2 lbs. pork roast (we used Boston butt)
1 cup almond butter (simply blend raw almonds in a food processor)
1 jar Thai red curry paste
3 cans organic coconut milk (NOT LIGHT)
1 orange bell pepper, chunked
1/2 yellow onion, chunked
1 bunch green onions, thickly sliced
5 dried red bird eye chiles
2 whole or 1 Tbsp. bottled Kaffir lime leaves
NOTE: This is pleasantly spicy for the average palate. If you are a spice freak, double the red bird eye chiles, serranos, and curry paste, or sub fresh Thai chiles for the serranos.
Start about seven hours before you plan to eat. Warm a pat of butter and a heaping tablespoon of bacon fat in the pot, and brown the roast and onion on both sides:
Add the beef stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook four hours, turning once.
Start the curry sauce about halfway through the meat's cook time, right after you turn it. Set your slow cooker to low, and mix the curry paste, one can of coconut milk, the lemongrass, galangal, salt and pepper, and the juice of one lime:
Cover and let it sit on low.
After the four hours are up, remove the meat (keep the heat on the pot) and slice/shred it:
Add the meat to the slow cooker and stir. Meanwhile, raise the heat under the uncovered pot to medium-high, and stir vigorously to reduce the stewed onion/beef stock/bacon fat/butter mixture:
Note the pieces of pork fat liquefying in the pot. This is a good thing. Once the mixture is thick, but not jammy, add it to the slow cooker, along with another can of coconut milk, and stir. Allow to cook on low for another hour to 90 minutes.
Stir well. There will be a thick layer of oil and fat on top. Do not worry. This will get emulsified into the sauce later, when you add the almond butter.
Add the Thai basil, serrano peppers, red bird eye chiles, the juice of the other lime, and a touch more pepper. Stir well.
Now it's time to cook the butternut squash. Start by splitting the squash, lengthwise, and scooping out the seeds. Grease a jelly roll pan with butter, and place the butternut squash halves, cut side down, with a pat of butter in each cavity. This is different than we did things back when we made the Poached Chilean Sea Bass, because this squash mash is going to be more "al dente" to simulate the texture of rice. Cook for 30 minutes at 400 degrees, until it looks like this:
Turn off the oven, but keep the squash inside to keep it warm.
Next, it's time to finish the curry. Add the bell peppers, green onion, and western basil, as well as the last can of coconut milk. Stir well:
Turn the slow cooker to high, and cook 15-20 minutes. Find and discard the galangal, lemongrass, and red bird eye chiles. Some of the chiles may have disintegrated--do not worry. That's supposed to happen. Slowly add the almond butter, stirring until the sauce thickens and emulsifies:
Told you that oil and fat would get taken care of. Cover the slow cooker while you make the butternut squash mash. Scoop out the flesh of the squash, which should almost look like spaghetti squash. If it's softer, no worries--you'll lose the rice texture, but none of the flavor. Add salt, pepper, butter, and lemon juice, and mash it up:
Man, those are attractive rings Chef is wearing. Cook has really good taste.
Lay a bed of the mash in a bowl, and top with the curry sauce:
Afterwards, we recommend splitting a bomber of Stone's Belgo Anise Russian Imperial Stout for dessert:
