Ingredients
Serves 4-6½ Cup of Peanut or rice bran oil for frying
6 baby Lebanese Eggplants, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise.
1 cup of coconut cream or milk
2 fresh Kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
2 tablespoons green curry paste.
4 Salmon steaks, each cut into 4 strips width-wise
Lime wedges for serving
Method
Heat half the oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Cook the eggplant pieces in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown, adding more oil if necessary. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
Combine the coconut cream or milk, lime leaves and curry paste in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Cook the Salmon strips in the coconut sauce in batches for 1 minute on each side. Transfer to a serving bowl. Add the eggplant pieces to the sauce, stir to coat and simmer for 2 minutes to heat through. Spoon the eggplant and sauce over the salmon and top with extra lime leaves.
Serve with lime wedges and steamed rice.
Notes:
'Forty years ago I visited Thailand and was entertained by a member of the Thai royal family. She ran her own cooking school and was one of the first people to can the spicy curry sauces and pastes that can be so time-consuming to make. I brought back some of her canned goods, which were quite a novelty at the time.
The advent of bottled exotic pastes, sauces and coconut milk, plus fresh South-East Asian ingredients, has since delighted us all, and opened our minds and tastebuds to new flavour combinations.
The salmon is a bit of a surprise in this recipe, but it goes very well with the strong Thai spices. It is rich, though, so if you prefer use coconut milk in place of the coconut cream for a lighter result. If you can't find baby eggplants use one medium, cut into long thin strips.'