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chris-rynd


Chris Rynd, manager of advancement communications



“When I was in my early twenties, I housesat for my aunt, a professor of instructional design at Penn State, while she spent a summer consulting in Thailand. When she returned, she brought back half a dozen cookbooks to experiment with, inspiring in me a love of Thai cooking that I enjoy to this day.

What follows is my favorite Thai green curry recipe, an amalgam of various sources from the internet, and a staple of my repertoire in the kitchen. If you are vegetarian, leave out the shrimp and fish sauce, and you will still enjoy a rich, delicious dish.” —Chris Rynd,
manager of advancement communications

Thai Green Curry Eggplant with Shrimp Dumplings


I get my ingredients from the
Hoa Binh Supermarket
in Garden Grove, located next to the Boiling Crab.

shrimp-green-curry


Photo courtesy: www.shesimmers.com


Green curry ingredients

  • 2 cups or one 14-oz. can coconut milk

  • 2-3 tbs. Mae Ploy green curry paste

  • 1/2 lb. small, round Thai eggplants, cut in halves or quarters

  • 1/2 cup fresh green beans, cut in halves or thirds

  • 1/2 cup bamboo shoots

  • 2-3 kaffir lime leaves

  • Fish sauce to taste

  • 2 tsp. sugar

  • 1/2-1 cup fresh Thai sweet basil leaves and flowers

  • Slivered Thai green chilies, to desired heat

Dumpling ingredients

  • 1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

  • One egg white

  • 2 tsp. fish sauce

  • 1 tbs. tapioca starch


Blitz the shrimp, egg white, fish sauce and tapioca starch together in a food processor. Move the mixture to a bowl and whip it vigorously until it’s very viscous, and set it aside.

Open the can of coconut milk without shaking, so that the cream remains on top. Spoon about 2/3 cup of this thick cream into a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Reduce until smooth and bubbly and until oil begins to separate from the cream. Add the curry paste and fry in the cream for a few minutes to release the aromas. Then pour in the remaining milk.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes, uncovered, before adding the Thai eggplants. Simmer a few minutes more, then stir in the green beans and kaffir lime leaves. Season to taste with fish sauce (I admit I omit this one). Add sugar to taste. Continue to simmer until eggplants and beans are nearly tender.

Add in the dumpling mixture, dropping it into the curry in full tablespoon portions. Stir in the basil and chilies and cook one more minute.

Serve with steamed white rice and enjoy with a glass of wine in animated conversation with a good friend or brilliant, beloved relative. Thanks, Auntie B!