A tongue-tingling, rich and aromatic Thai curry tempered (a little) by coconut milk
Until I accidentally left some chillies out on the kitchen counter some 10 years ago, I hadn’t realised that, like most fruit, they ripen. I watched them turn from Kermit green to angry red, before slowly drying and deepening to a wine-like burgundy. Their flavour changed, too: the bright green, fresh heat transformed into something richer, more rounded, and hotter. In this curry, I have, like the Thais do, used dried red chillies, soaked and blended with other aromatics to give the dish its characteristic warming and complex flavour. It is ear-ticklingly spicy, but fear not: it has been softened (a little) with some coconut milk.