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PADT CHA BPLA

Stir-fried fish with holy basil, wild ginger and green peppercorns

SERVES 4 AS PART OF A BANQUET // PREP TIME 45 MINS // COOK 40 MINS

“I think this stir-fry would be my mum’s desert island dish,” says Palisa Anderson. “Green peppercorns, grachai (wild ginger) and apple eggplants were among the first crops I planted when we started Boon Luck Farm six years ago.”

Plain flour, for dusting
4 skinless king mackerel fillets (250gm each), pin-boned, cut into thick slices
60 ml (¼ cup) grapeseed oil, plus extra for shallow-frying
4 apple eggplant, quartered
40 gm (½ cup) pea eggplant
2 tbsp grachai, cut into julienne (see note)
3 sprigs fresh young green peppercorns, plus extra to serve
150 gm small king brown mushrooms, sliced lengthways
100 gm canned palm hearts, drained, sliced (see note)
1½ tbsp each fish sauce and oyster sauce
1 tsp finely grated palm sugar
60 ml (½ cup) chicken stock
4 makrut lime leaves, cut into julienne, plus extra to serve
1 long red chilli, cut into julienne, plus extra to serve
1 cup firmly packed holy basil leaves

CURRY PASTE

2 long yellow chillies, chopped
5 red birdseye chillies, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp each finely chopped galangal, lemongrass and grachai
10 whole white peppercorns

For curry paste, pound ingredients with 1 tsp salt to a smooth paste with a large mortar