Sour Pineapple Curry – Mamapen x IBIS Rice
Credit: IBIS Rice
This Mamapen x IBIS Rice collab is a flavour-filled vegan twist on a traditional Cambodian dish which is built around kroueng, a lemongrass-based curry paste, creating ‘a delicate balance’ of sour, spicy and sweet. Mamapen head chef Kaneda Pen devised the recipe to be paired with IBIS Rice White Long Grain Jasmine Rice, which the brand describes as ‘aromatic, fluffy and slightly sticky’.
Ingredients — kroueng paste
100g peeled garlic
150g galangal
100g peeled ginger
100g peeled fresh turmeric (or 2 tbsp ground turmeric)
8 lemongrass stalks (sliced into fine rings)
18g lime leaf (finely sliced)
100ml vegetable oil
15g fine salt
Ingredients — Sour Pineapple Curry
150g kroeung paste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 small onions (finely sliced)
2 red chillies (finely chopped)
40ml light soy sauce
50g golden caster sugar
40g white miso
800ml coconut milk (2 x 400ml tins)
4 tbsp tamarind paste
1 pineapple (skinned, cored and cut into large chunks)
1 medium sweet potato (peeled and cut into large pieces)
Mamapen’s method
“For practicality and speed I prefer blending all ingredients in a blender/food processor [for the kroueng] until a smooth paste is achieved,” says Kaneda Pen. “You are welcome to use a mortar and pestle (as is the traditional way) if you desire.”
Method
Heat the oil in a saucepan or deep sauté pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion, kroeung paste, red chilli and star anise; sauté until the paste is cooked through and the onion is soft and translucent.
Add the sugar, soy sauce and miso. Stir thoroughly. Increase to a medium heat and cook down the mixture for a further three minutes. Add the sweet potato and cook for two minutes.
Pour in the coconut milk and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked through. Finally, add in the pineapple pieces and stir in the tamarind paste. Simmer for a minute or two, allowing the fruit to warm through.
Serve in bowls, on a bed of IBIS Rice White Long Grain Jasmine Rice and garnish with fresh coriander and sliced red chilli.
By Kaneda Pen, chef