I first had this red curry with pork belly and water spinach at the Thai temple in San Bruno. It was a Sunday morning and I was sitting at my dining room table, trying to bust out some articles about Thai food to meet an upcoming deadline for Answers.com (which is really coming along, by the way! If you haven't checked it out recently, it's worth a look...). This particular morning, however, even though I knew what I wanted to say, the words just weren't flowing.
Rather than dwell in writer's block misery, I decided to take a little break and visit the local Thai temple. Fortunately one of my best friends was up for the adventure, so we headed out, planning on picking up a yummy lunch, and secretly hoping for a little Thai food inspiration.
The temple itself is not terribly big, but there were quite a few different food stalls set up in the courtyard when we arrived. They had booths for pad Thai, som tam, noodle soups, curries, and even some nam prik relishes. As we made our rounds, exploring all of the different options and trying to decide what to feast on that day, I noticed a kaffir lime floating in one of the curries. I was, of course, immediately sold on trying that curry, given how in love I am with the distinctive taste of this lime!
We bought a plate of that curry (which I now know is called gang tay po in Thai), along with some delicious fried fish cakes and a rather pungent nam prik gapi, and sat down to enjoy our lunch. It was all fantastic, but for me, the star of the show was the red curry with pork belly and water spinach. Its taste was similar to a traditional Thai red curry, but with a pleasant sourness from tamarind and citrusy aroma from the kaffir lime. The spiciness and sourness played exceptionally well against the fatty flavor of the pork belly and the crunchy stems of the water spinach. It really was just as good as I imagined it might be!
Fast forward to a few weeks ago when my brother told me that he had too many kaffir limes on his tree and offered to send me some. It wasn't a difficult offer to accept, because after having gang tay po at the Thai temple, I knew exactly what dish I was going to try to recreate!
It turns out that this curry is not any more difficult to make than a standard red Thai curry or green Thai curry, but its flavors really are exceptional. That combination of spicy and sour, superimposed with the aroma of kaffir lime, and encased in a rich coconut base invites you in and makes you want more. It is unlike any of the other Thai curries I've had so far, yet just as satisfying.
You can be sure that whenever I find myself in possession of fresh kaffir limes, this curry will be on the menu, perhaps along with a Thai-inspired kaffir lime tart or kaffir lime white cake for dessert!
Recipe
Red Curry with Pork Belly and Water Spinach | Gang Tay Po | แกงเทโพ
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons red curry paste Gang Kua is best, but Gang Ped also works
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2-4 cups water
- 1 fresh kaffir lime sliced in half
- 1 Tablespoon tamarind paste
- 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon palm sugar
- 3 cups water spinach leaves and stems cut into 3 inch pieces
- 1 cup pork belly skin removed and sliced into thin pieces
- 6 kaffir lime leaves deveined and torn in pieces
Instructions
- Scoop the top ⅓ cup from a can of coconut milk to obtain the thicker coconut cream portion. Heat the coconut cream over medium to medium-high heat in a wok until it starts to separate into its oil and milk layers.
- Add the red curry paste, stir to incorporate into the coconut cream, and then let it fry until a sheen of oil can be seen on top, being careful not to let it burn.
- Add the pork belly slices, coat them in the curry paste, and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes. Then add the remaining thinner part of the coconut milk as well as 1 cup of water and bring to a gentle boil.
- Allow the pork belly to cook, uncovered, until it is very tender. This should take at least 1 hour and up to 2-3 hours, depending on your heat and the size of your pork belly slices. During this process, additional water may be necessary to ensure that the pork belly is covered in liquid.
- Once the pork belly is cooked through, season the curry with tamarind paste, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Taste the curry and adjust these seasonings according to which brand of curry paste you used and your personal taste preferences.
- Add the water spinach, kaffir lime leaves, and halved fresh kaffir lime. If you enjoy kaffir lime flavor as much as I do, feel free to squeeze a bit of the juice into the curry for more pronounced flavor. Allow the curry to cook for a few minutes more, just until the water spinach is done. Serve immediately over jasmine rice.
Stan
Hello Rachel, did you mean 1 can of coconut milk? Using 1 cup (about half a can) as the recipe directs didn’t produce much liquid, and the flavor didn’t seem quite right.
Rachel
Hi Stan! Thanks for trying this recipe! I usually make curries with a 1:2 ratio of coconut milk to water (1 cup coconut milk, 2 cups water). This results in a curry that's thinner than what is served in many American Thai restaurants, but is more similar to a curry served in Thailand. Since the time it takes for the pork belly to become tender will vary, the amount of liquid you'll need in this recipe will also vary, hence the recommendation for somewhere between 2-4 cups water. However, if the curry was too thin, it's absolutely fine to add more coconut milk. It's really a matter of personal taste preference.
James
I somehow managed to get my hands on some makrut limes all the way in Auckland, NZ so I made this curry with one and my god it was delicious. There's a tiny bit of heat from the curry paste but this dish is all about the citrus which was very apparent and it was so zesty but without being too limey if that makes sense.
Rachel
So glad you enjoyed it James! It's one of my favorite curries.
YASUA
Amazing website and Delicious recipes
Hema
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
Dominique
Dear Rachel, I enjoy your blog a lot - for inspiration as well as reassurance. I cook red curry with water spinach quite often, but usually used loin cut. I like your version much better. Unfortunately Swiss customs have banned Kafir Limes, so I have to do with regular limes. It was truly delicious all the same, thank you!
Rachel
Thanks, Omar! That means a lot...
Omar
I just wanted to let you know I LOVE your blog!!
Bibs @ Tasteometer
This sounds a delicious alternative to traditional red curry. Will have to try it when I can get some decent pork belly. I am unable to get water spinach here, would regular spinach be acceptable?
Rachel
Hi Bibs, using regular spinach instead of pak boong is a good idea. I think it would work pretty well in this dish... Best of luck!