🌶️ Gaeng pa (Thai jungle curry)
Gaeng pa, or jungle curry, is a thin, fiery Thai curry made without coconut milk. Pork simmers in a broth seasoned with a hot red curry paste, green peppercorns and krachai (fingerroot), together with vegetables such as long beans, eggplant and baby corn. Holy or Thai basil goes in at the end. It is sharp, herbal and lighter than coconut curries.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g lean pork, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp red or jungle curry paste
- 400 g mixed vegetables: long beans, Thai eggplant, baby corn
- 2 sprigs of fresh green peppercorns
- 30 g krachai (fingerroot), cut into strips
- A large handful of holy or Thai basil
- 1 tbsp oil
- 800 ml water
- Salt and a pinch of sugar
Method
- Fry the curry paste in the oil for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the pork and stir until it changes colour.
- Pour in the water, bring to a boil and add the krachai, peppercorns and harder vegetables.
- Simmer for 10 minutes, adding softer vegetables for the last few minutes; season with salt and sugar.
- Stir in the basil and serve hot with rice.
How to make it lighter
- Without coconut milk this curry is already light — load it with extra vegetables.
- Choose lean pork loin or tenderloin and trim the fat.
- Eat it as a soup with a small portion of rice on the side.
History
The name means "forest curry": it is said to come from the forested north and countryside of Thailand, where coconuts were scarce and curries were cooked with water. Today it is eaten across the country.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →