Thai Gaeng Phed Gai Fak Keaw

Winter melon is currently available in many Asian supermarkets. This relative of melon and pumpkin can be used not only for desserts but also makes an excellent vegetable in Thai curries. And so I would like to present you my recipe for red Thai curry with chicken and winter melon or “Gaeng Phed Gai Fak Keaw” ( แกงเผ็ดไก่ฟักเขียว ).

For this curry, I used the red curry paste from Yak Thai. This is much more aromatic than many curry pastes from Asian supermarkets. Therefore, I managed with two tablespoons of paste, but I noted the usual amount for curry paste in the ingredients.

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Preparation

Before we start with the curry, we should first cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Then we turn to the winter melon. This is usually sold in thick slices. From this slice, we cut off the edge and then cut the greenish-white fruit flesh into bite-sized cubes. We also pluck the Thai basil leaves from their stems.

Next, we heat the oil in a wok or high-sided pan and stir-fry half of the curry paste until it’s fragrant. Then we add the meat and stir-fry it until it’s completely browned.

Once that’s done, we remove the meat from the wok and add the remaining curry paste. After this is fragrant again, we deglaze with the solid part of the coconut milk and let it simmer for a few minutes at reduced heat.

Now we add the palm sugar, fish sauce, and remaining coconut milk and mix everything thoroughly before adding the winter melon. We let this simmer for about ten minutes in the curry until it becomes soft but still has some bite.

Then we add the meat again and let it simmer for about three to four minutes. After that, we turn off the heat, add the Thai basil leaves, and let them steep briefly like tea.

Serve the finished Gaeng Phed Gai Fak Keaw immediately with steamed jasmine rice.