Instructions: This took a bit of research, and violates a primary rule of mine: This recipe was dictated over the phone by my wifes sister who lives in Lampang in Northern Thailand. Unfortunately jackfruit is not in season at the moment so I couldnt make it to try it, therefore please use this as a guide.

According to my sister-inlaw, who has this on her menu when in season it is a Karen (hill-tribe) recipe. Like many Northern recipes it is generally eaten fiendishly hot, but I have toned it down a little, mainly because the high heat is to mask the strong taste of the local ingredients.

It is made with "game", to which the answer to the obvious question is probably that it is best not to ask! However in western terms it should be reasonable to make it with pheasant, venison, or wild boar. If you have access to alligator meat then that is close to one of the local ingredients!

The recipe calls for coconut shoots: these are softer, whiter, and a little sweeter than the more usual bamboo shoots, but may well be unobtainable in the west, in which case please substitute bamboo shoots.

The original recipe called for plumping the raisons and sultanas in a local

"white spirit" made from fermented rice - this is not bottled commercially and so I would suggest substituting Thai whiskey if available, or sake or bourbon to taste.

As always bear in mind that you can add heat at the table, but cant remove it. The sweet jackfruit and coconut shoots make this less hot than it might seem, but I still advise caution if you are unsure of the heat.

If using tinned coconut milk, allow it to stand and seperate then decant off a little of the thin milk to leave the thicker cream

method: The jackfruit is blanched for about a minute in boiling water, then dropped into ice water to stop the cooking process, peeled and pitted, and cut into bite sized pieces.

The sultanas and raisins are covered with liquor and left to plump for about an hour.

The meat is sprinkled with fish sauce and freshly ground black pepper and left to marinade for an hour.

The whiskey or sake is then discarded (in the best Keith Floyd "chigalug"

tradition I actually drink it, but to each their own...)

Heat a little oil in a wok, and saute the garlic, then remove it with a slotted spoon and reserve. Saute the red curry paste until the aroma is brought out, then add the coconut cream and stir to combine and warm until the oil just separates. Skim off any excess oil, then add the meat and stir fry until it just begins to change colour and cook, then stir in all the other ingredients except the jack fruit, and cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. (Longer if the meat is unusally tough).

Remove the lid, stir in the fruit and stir until the fruit is heated through, and the meat and coconut shoots are fully cooked.

Serves 4.

Note : if jackfruit is not available this can be prepared with other fruit such as lyches or rambutan.

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