JUNGLE CURRY WITH PORK AND THAI EGGPLANT

Jungle Curry with Pork and Thai Eggplant image

Yield Makes 8 servings (as part of larger meal)

Number Of Ingredients 16

1 lb Thai apple eggplants (see cooks' note, below)
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 to 1/2 cup Thai red curry paste
1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin, halved lengthwise, then sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
1/3 cup julienne strips peeled fresh or frozen grachai (lesser galangal or wild ginger; thawed if frozen) or drained bottled grachai, rinsed, or ginger
3 oz Chinese long beans or green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 canned baby corn, rinsed, drained, and halved lengthwise
1 1/2 cups Thai chicken stock
3 tablespoons nam pla (Asian fish sauce; preferably Thai)
5 (4-inch-long) fresh or frozen Kaffir lime leaves (sometimes called bai makroot)
1 fresh chee fah chile or 2 red jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced crosswise and seeds discarded
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup loosely packed bai grapao (holy basil leaves)
Accompaniment: Thai pickled garlic (gratiam dong)
Special Equipment
a large (6-qt) wok

Steps:

Trim eggplants and cut into 1-inch wedges (do this just before heating oil to avoid discoloration).
Heat oil (see above) in wok over moderate heat until warm, about 30 seconds. Add curry paste (to taste) and cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant and a shade darker, 2 to 3 minutes. Add pork and stir-fry over high heat until no longer pink on outside, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggplant, grachai, beans, baby corn, and stock and simmer, stirring, until eggplant is crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add fish sauce, lime leaves, chile, and salt and bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Stir in half of basil.
Serve topped with remaining basil.