Pork Curry from Northern Thailand

Sometimes cooking Thai food can be a challenge when you can't always get the ingredients you need when you want to make something from scratch.  That's when we reach for the ready-made sauces on the supermarket shelf.  But there is no need for that, sometimes we can substitute or add in other ingredients which will create similar flavours to the original you loved on a visit to Thailand or a Thai Restaurant.
In the traditional recipe I needed tamarind paste, fish sauce, bean paste, turmeric and lemongrass.  I can't find any of those where I stay so this recipe is my take on this classic Northern Thailand dish using ingredients I can find easily.  For those who don't eat pork you can use chicken instead.

4 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 onion sliced thinly
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons cooking oil
500g pork cut into thin slices
1/3 red chili seeded and sliced
1/3 green chili seeded and sliced
2 eggplant cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 handful chopped fresh coriander
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped kaffir lime leaves
2 teaspoons chutney
1/4 each of a green, red and yellow capsicum
1 can coconut milk.
salt and pepper to taste
Put the cooking oil in the pot or wok.  Add in the onion, garlic, ginger and chili and cook until soft.  Add the pork and brown it a little.  Add all the ingredients except the coconut milk.  Once it starts to boil let it simmer for about 20 minutes.  Add the coconut milk and simmer for another 10 minutes.  Season to taste.  Serve with rice.
Cindy Vine is a South African teacher currently living in Kyiv Ukraine.  She is the author of Hush Baby, Defective, C U @ 8, Not Telling and The Colorful Art of Pain.  All her books are available on Amazon in both Kindle and Paperback format.