Go Back
+ servings
Close-up of pork and turkey berry curry with rice.
Print Recipe
5 from 43 votes

Thai Pork and Turkey Berry (Pea Eggplant) with Coconut Milk Curry Recipe

Inspired by Thai green curry, but without using cilantro roots which can be hard to get outside of Asia, this is an easy and tasty way to cook up your turkey berries.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Southeast Asian, thai
Servings: 4 people
Author: Zen

Equipment

  • mortar and pestle Substitute: blender
  • Pan & heat-proof spatula
  • Pot

Ingredients

For the curry paste (Substitute: shop bought Thai green curry paste)

  • ½ Tablespoon cumin, lightly toasted
  • teaspoon black peppercorns, lightly toasted
  • 1 teaspoon shrimp paste (belacan), toasted
  • 1 teaspoon salt Add more if you need it to help break the spices down but remember to add less fish sauce and salt when making the curry later
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, peeled
  • Tablespoon galangal
  • 11 dried red chillies, seeds removed if not it will be crazy spicy Soak and cut to make pounding them down easier. Substitute with fresh red chillies if necessary. (Don't touch your eyes after handling dried chillies!)
  • 4 fresh red chillies, cut into smaller pieces, seeds removed
  • 1 red onion (about ½ Cup) Substitute: yellow onions + a pinch of sugar as red onions are sweeter, or shallots
  • Optional: you can add in a few coriander roots/ stems and some lemongrass if you like

For the turkey berry curry

  • 1 Cup coconut milk Substitute: ⅓ Cup coconut cream mixed with ⅔ Cup water
  • 1 lb pork shoulder (453g) Substitute: other cuts of pork or chicken
  • 2 eggplants/ aubergines/ brinjal, sliced into small strips
  • Cup pea eggplants or turkey berries May be cut into half if you like
  • 1 Cup Water If the curry becomes too thick after simmering, add more water.
  • 2 Tablespoons fish sauce Use less if your fish sauce is very salty, or if you've added more salt to the curry paste above
  • 1 Tablespoon white granulated ugar, or to taste Substitute: coconut sugar
  • Salt, to taste
  • 2-3 kaffir lime leaves, removed from the stem and lightly bruised Slice 1 into thin strips for garnish if you wish. Do not omit these lime leaves or the curry will not be as tasty.
  • 1 handful Thai basil leaves
  • 1 red chilli, thinly sliced Substitute: dry red chilli
  • Dried shrimp, toasted Optional topping for texture

Instructions

For the curry paste

  • Lightly toast the cumin seeds, black peppercorns and belacan (do it 1 at a time.)
  • Pound the above and the salt in a mortar and pestle. (If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can use a blender instead.)
  • When crushed, add the rest of the ingredients, a bit at time, and pound till everything becomes a paste. (Add the ingredients in the order they are listed.)

For the curry

  • Add oil to the wok on medium heat. Once hot, add the curry paste and stir-fry till fragrant.
  • Add ½ the coconut milk and stir to mix well. Stir continuously to avoid burning. If it starts to splatter, lower the heat. Continue stirring till the oil separates at the top - the coconut oil is helping to bloom the flavour in the herbs and spices- and the paste becomes aromatic.
  • Add the pork to the wok and stir till partially cooked.
  • Add the regular eggplants, stir, then pour in the rest of the coconut milk and water.
  • Simmer for 10 minutes or till the pork is fully cooked then add the pea eggplants.
  • Add the fish sauce, sugar and, if required, salt (taste first as fish sauce is quite salty already) If necessary, add a bit more sugar.
  • Stir in the sliced up red chilli and Kaffir Lime Leaves, bring to the boil, add the Thai Basil then immediately switch off the heat (if not the basil will be overcooked and not as bright a green)
  • Optional: garnish with more slivers of Kaffir Lime Leaves and some toasted dried shrimp
  • Serve with rice.

Notes

The curry paste can be made in bulk and frozen.
It can also be used to make fried rice- fry the curry paste with some tomato paste, add the rice (I cook 1 Cup of rice for the amount of curry paste in this recipe- always best to use leftover rice for fried rice though), stir to mix, season with fish sauce, sugar and Kaffir Lime Leaves, and you've got a balanced meal!