This was quite possibly the first dish I learned to cook when I moved out of my parents home. I adore kaffir lime leaves and as a result this curry is top tier for me. I could not cope not having easy access to it and so learning to make it myself was a priority! Kaffir lime leaves are so easy to find fresh in bigger regular supermarkets now! We used to pick them from our garden in Thailand the day we were flying back to Scotland and immediately store them in the freezer when we got back!
Luckily, it's very easy to make - especially the way that mum taught me! You can make it using anything, I normally use chicken but once mum tried using oxtail and it became a family favourite!
For this curry you need:
-1 tbsp vegetable oil
-2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
-about 800 g oxtail
-about 2 litres water
-about 9 tbsp fish sauce
-3 whole kaffir lime leaves
Fry the curry paste in the oil until fragrant.
Add the meat and brown to seal.
Add about half of the water and bring to the boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. Add about 3 tbsp of the fish sauce and gently cook on a low heat. For oxtail, you need to do this for at least 3 hours.
Keep an eye on the water level so it doesn't dry out. I have a habit of leaving it simmering and forgetting about it so needed a total of 2 litres of water.
Season with fish sauce to taste.
Optional: currys generally taste better cooked a day in advance as the flavour has a chance to settle by day 2 so I turn off the heat and leave it overnight. Also, oxtail produces a lot of fat so I had the opportunity to spoon off the fat to save for something else (most likely fried rice).
Just before serving, remove the middle stalk of the kaffir lime leaves and slice and add to the curry. Simmer for about 5 mins and enjoy!
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