Chiang Mai curry (kaeng hangleh or gaeng hanglay)

The food of northern Thailand is quite different from that of the south. Instead of rich coconut-milk curries, you'll see a noticeable Burmese influence on the food, and a love of chilies and pork. Here I've offered both a traditional, slightly sour-tasting, pork curry recipe (kaeng hangleh muu) and a veggie variation as well, for those who don't eat pork or simply want a healthier option.

Recipe

1 tsp oil
1 large onion or 2 small onions, sliced thinly
3 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced galangal
2 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp minced lemongrass
1 tsp sambal olek or minced chilies
1 tsp shrimp paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 cassia leaves (optional) *
1 tbsp peanut butter or crushed peanuts
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1-2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp palm sugar
Diced pork shoulder or belly OR cubes of oil tofu OR quorn chicken-style pieces
Pickled garlic (optional)

Heat the oil in a heavy pan, and add the onion. Cook, stirring regularly, until beginning to soften and colour (3-4 minutes). Add the garlic, galangal, ginger, lemongrass and chilies, and cook 2 minutes more, then add the dried spices and the cassia leaves. Add the peanut butter or crushed peanuts, tamarind, fish sauce, and sugar, and cook everything for 1-2 minutes more.

Pork variation (kaeng hangleh muu / gaeng hanglay moo)
Add the pork cubes to the pan, along with about a cup of water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the pork is very tender, about 1.5 hours. Add more water during cooking, if it gets too dry. Mix in a few slices of pickled garlic at the end of cooking (optional).

Tofu or quorn variation
Add 1/2 cup water, bring to a simmer and cook the onion and spice mixture for a further 5-6 minutes, until the onions are tender and liquid partially reduced. Add the tofu or quorn and simmer for a further 3-4 minutes. Add a splash more water if the mixture gets too dry during cooking.

Serve with rice, and a side dish of steamed or stir-fried vegetables.

* Cassia leaves are also known as Indian bay leaves (available in Indian food shops). Cassia bark tastes like a weaker, cheaper version of cinnamon, and despite the Indian bay moniker, cassia leaves taste nothing like bay leaves. If you don't have any cassia leaves, just leave them out.

A note on spellings: there are a lot of variations on how the Thai alphabet is translated into Latin characters; the first letter (แ) in the Thai word for curry (แกง) is pronounced a bit like a g and a bit like a k, hence different people will write gaeng or kaeng in Latin characters. Either way you prefer to spell it, gaeng hanglay (แกงฮังเล) is delicious.

Serves: 2-3
Preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes for veggie option; 1 hr 45 minutes for pork