Thai Pork Schnitzel with red curry sauce

A breaded pork schnitzel fried in lemongrass flavoured oil, served on a bed of jasmine rice and covered in a red curry sauce.

Delicious crispy on the outside and juicy inside pork goes so well with a flavoursome red curry sauce. The curry sauce is a well balanced mixture of 22 ingredients!

A fusion of Austrian and Thai cuisine. My photos really don’t do this fantastic dish any justice – it was truly delicious. Please give it a try and you will see!

Serves two people

preparation time 20 minutes, cooking 20 minutes

Ingredients

approx 390g Pork fillet – see instructions below

2 portions of rice – I used Jasmin but basmati or long grain also works

2 lime wedges – to serve

1 egg – lightly beaten in a bowl

flour – in a bowl to coat pork

Panko breadcrumbs – in a bowl to coat pork

2-3 sticks lemon grass – bruise with rolling pin

vegetable oil to shallow fry – 3-4cm depth in frying pan

Salt and pepper – to lightly season flour

For the pork – Cut in half, fold each half in parchment paper then using a rolling pin beat the pork fillet until it is flat and tender, so it is around 2cm thick. Give it a good beating as this will also tenderise the meat. Once flat coat each piece in flour, then dip in the egg then into the breadcrumbs making sue all sides are coated in breadcrumbs. Then dip back into the egg then back into the breadcrumbs, double dipping helps ensure a nice coating. Cover and set aside ready for cooking.

For the curry sauce:

100ml coconut cream – do not add this to the paste

2 sticks lemon grass – bruise, inner part only

Thumb ginger – peel, chop to make forming paste easier

Bulb garlic

3 large red chillies

1 medium red onion

3 Tbsp cashew nuts

3 lime leafs

1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

3 green cardamom pods

4 cloves

1 tsp crushed chillies

2 dessert spoon brown sugar

1 desert chilli paste

3 dessert spoons desiccated coconut

2 Tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp shrimp paste

4 black peppercorns

3 dessert spoons vegetable oil

Method: Use a mini blender (or mortar and pestle) to form a smooth curry paste from the ingredients – do not add the coconut cream to the paste.

Cooking instructions

Start by making the curry sauce as this can be heat through just before serving. In a wok and fry the curry paste over a high heat for 7-8 minutes, until it is aromatic and moves round an as a single mass. Many Thai chefs will fry the curry paste until it starts to split from the oil.
Add the coconut cream, saving a small amount to drizzle over the final dish. Stir well then remove from heat and set aside.
Cook rice as per packet instructions.
Heat oil (approx 3cm deep) in a large flat frying pan. Place the lemon grass sticks in the oil as it heats so it flavours the oil. Heat over a high heat until the oil is sizzling hot and keep hob on high throughout the cooking.
Add the pork schnitzle to the oil (lay it away from you to avoid oil splashes) and fry on each side for approx 3 minutes until the panko is golden brown and crispy. Remove the pork from the oil and drain on absorbent paper.
Heat the curry sauce through. Place a bed of rice on the plate, the schnitzle on top then pour some sauce over the top. Serve with a wedge of lime and enjoy!