Pork & Vegetable Curry

This is more Thai stir-fry than traditional Indian curry. Red curry paste bloomed in hot oil for a minute creates the aromatic base, and fish sauce provides the salty, umami backbone instead of a coconut milk simmer. The result is a lighter, drier curry that’s all about the seared pork and crisp vegetables.

Thin-sliced pork loin goes in first and cooks fast over high heat, just 3 minutes. You want color on the meat before the vegetables crowd the pan. Green beans and onion wedges get the next 5 minutes, enough to soften the beans while keeping some snap. Mushrooms, red bell pepper, and corn finish the last 2 minutes, staying barely cooked and vibrant.

Fresh basil stirred in at the very end, along with a teaspoon of sugar to balance the fish sauce, gives each serving a fragrant, herbaceous lift. Thai basil is ideal here if you can find it, though Italian basil works fine.

Pro Tips

• Cook the curry paste in oil for a full minute before adding anything else. This fries out the raw taste and unlocks the aromatics.
• Cut the pork as thin as possible, no more than ¼ inch thick. Thick slices won’t cook through in 3 minutes and you’ll lose the stir-fry texture.
• Keep the heat on high the entire time. Stir-frying at medium heat steams the vegetables instead of searing them.
• Add the basil off the heat if you want the flavor without the wilt.

Variations

• Add a can of coconut milk with the vegetables for a saucier, richer curry.
• Swap pork for chicken breast or extra-firm tofu for a lighter protein.
• Use Thai eggplant instead of corn for a more authentic Thai flavor profile.