Thai-Style Stuffed Banana Peppers

Serves 4.

Ingredients

6-8 medium sized banana peppers
250 g/8 oz minced pork
125 g/4 oz raw prawn meat, chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons Thai green or red curry paste
375 ml/12 fl oz/1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1-2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons palm sugar or brown sugar
20 fresh basil leaves
sliced red chilies (optional)

Directions

Slit the capsicums lengthways and scrape out the seeds and membrane. Mix pork and chopped prawns in a bowl. Crush the garlic with the salt to a smooth paste. Add pepper and coriander, mix into the pork and prawns. With a teaspoon, fill the capsicums with the mixture.

Heat the oil and fry the curry paste over gentle heat, stirring, until it is fragrant. Add coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar and stir while bringing to simmering point. Lay the capsicums in the sauce and simmer for 15 minutes, adding a little extra coconut milk or water if necessary. Turn them over and cook for a further 10 minutes, then scatter with basil leaves and chili slices and serve with steamed rice.


Recipe excerpted from Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)