Thai Rabbit Curry Image Used Under Creative Commons License From twitter.com
Citizens! In Thailand, a once-in-a-generation event has captivated the nation and the world – the 3-day inauguration of the new Thai King!
Vajiralongkorn (Thai: วชิราลงกรณ), reigning title Phrabat Somdet Phra Vajira Klao Chao Yu Hua[b] (Thai: พระบาทสมเด็จพระวชิรเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว; born 28 July 1952) is the King of Thailand since 2016,
He is the only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. In 1972, at the age of 20, he was made crown prince by his father. After his father’s death on 13 October 2016, he was expected to accede to the throne of Thailand but asked for time to mourn before taking the throne.
He accepted the throne on the night of 1 December 2016. His father was cremated on 26 October 2017. His coronation just took place from May 4-6, 2019.
The Thai government retroactively declared his reign to have begun on 13 October 2016, upon his father’s death. As the tenth monarch of the Chakri dynasty, he is also styled as Rama X. Aged 64 at that time, Vajiralongkorn became the oldest Thai monarch to ascend to the throne.
Congratulations to all the Thai people on this momentous occasion – let’s celebrate with a classic Thai recipe!
There are few things that bring a brighter smile to the face of the mighty TFD more than finding recipes using game meats. I have always been flabbergasted that more people refuse to eat rabbit – an incredibly tasty white meat that is sustainable, delicious and deserving of a far more prominent place in kitchens worldwide!
Rabbi meat is also incredibly lean – it has 50–100 g dissectable fat per 2 kg (live weight). Based on a carcass yield of 60%, rabbit meat is around 8.3% fat, while beef and pork are 32% fat and lamb 28%.
As noted on livestrong.com:
Rabbit is considered to be a specialty meat in the United States, but it was commonly consumed during the mid-20th century as a wartime food. It is eaten in various other countries as well, including Malta, France, Italy and China. This meat is rich in nutrients and is a healthy source of animal protein.
They can easily be farmed, given their small size. However, they are also an often consumed type of wild game. Both wild and domesticated rabbit have some substantial nutritional differences and are also considered to be fairly different in terms of depth of flavor.
In every 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of domesticated rabbit, you will find:
20.1 grams of protein, which is 40 percent of the daily value (DV) 9 percent of the DV for iron 7 percent of the DV for potassium 5 percent of the DV for magnesium 17 percent of the DV for phosphorus 14 percent of the DV for zinc 43 percent of the DV for selenium 298 percent of the DV for vitamin B12 8 percent of the DV for thiamin (vitamin B1) 12 percent of the DV for riboflavin (vitamin B2) 45 percent of the DV for niacin (vitamin B3) 16 percent of the DV for vitamin B5 29 percent of the DV for vitamin B6
According to a 2016 article in the Journal of Livestock Science, herbs, spices and botanicals are often added to rabbit feed to improve digestion, prevent illness and provide antioxidants. When they are fed these additives, it increases the amount of antioxidants in their meat, thereby enhancing its nutrition.
The fat content is fairly low in comparison to other proteins, making it a lean meat. In fact, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, rabbit meat has one of the lowest fat amounts and highest protein amounts of many typically consumed meats.
Although it is low in fat, rabbit meat is rich in healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, like omega fatty acids. There are 220 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids and 860 milligrams of omega-6 fatty acids in every 100 grams of domesticated rabbit. There is a bit less than half of the amount of these fatty acids in wild rabbit meat, but this number is still fairly high, considering how little fat wild rabbit has in comparison.
Although meat from wild rabbits has less fat, it has more cholesterol. There are 81 milligrams of cholesterol in every 100 grams of wild rabbit compared to 57 milligrams in domesticated rabbit. This is still less cholesterol than that contained in other commonly consumed meats.
Based on the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans, there is not any limitation on how much dietary cholesterol you can consume. This is because dietary cholesterol is no longer considered to be bad for your health.
According to the American Heart Association, it’s actually saturated fat and trans fat, rather than dietary cholesterol, that influences the cholesterol levels in your blood. If you’re concerned about your cholesterol and you eat this meat often, you may want to consume more wild rabbit. This is because wild rabbit has less saturated fat, despite its higher cholesterol levels.
It is a game meat that can be easily cooked in a variety of ways. It tastes similar to birds like turkey, pheasant, guinea fowl or chicken. It’s also very similar to chicken from a macronutrient perspective.
You can cook rabbit meat just as you would cook any other type of lean meat and use its bones to create flavorful stocks. However, be aware that it’s a bit easier to cook domesticated rabbit meat than wild rabbit meat. The meat of domesticated rabbit is typically more tender and fatty.
It’s easiest to cook rabbit meat in wet heat, as part of a pie, stew or casserole. Alternatively, cooking it on low heat over a longer period can also provide you with tender meat, which is particularly suitable if you’re planning on roasting.
You can find rabbit dishes all over the world. It’s also used to make a variation of traditional Portuguese sausages known as Alheira as well as Maltese stews, like Stuffat tal-Fenek. Rabbit meat and offal are also regularly consumed in spicy street food dishes throughout northern China.
Thailand, especially Northern Thailand, has a long history of enjoying rabbit and few preparations of this delicious meat are more tasty than this rabbit curry recipe from the region.
It is by no means a difficult recipe, just be sure and use my recommended ingredient brands and you’ll be guaranteed of a superb meal for you and yours! You can buy my favorite fish sauce brand here.
1 tsp. Chinese fine shrimp paste – TFD likes Lee Kum Kee brand
***
For the curry:
1 ½ cups rabbit stock (preferred) or just use top-quality chicken stock
1 ½ cups Thai coconut milk
3 kaffir lime leaves (optional but recommended)
large pinch of soft brown sugar or to taste
¼ fresh pineapple, cored and diced
2 tbsp. fish sauce – TFD endorses Red Boat Fish Sauce 40°N brand
1 bunch Chinese broccoli, cut into small pieces (preferred) or use broccolini or regular broccoli
1 sliced onion
3 ½ ounces green beans, tips removed
¾ – 1 lb. thinly sliced rabbit loin meat
***
boiled or steamed jasmine rice
deep-fried holy basil and coriander or finely chopped coriander
shredded deep fried leeks (optional but recommended)
Instructions
Make the paste in the usual way by pounding all the ingredients together in a mortar and pestle (or use a blender…). Start with the hardest, driest ingredient and a little salt, pound until it is broken down, then add the next hardest ingredient, etc., ending with the softest one. This can be a long process.
Bring the stock and coconut milk to the boil, then season with the sugar and most of the fish sauce plus the kaffir lime leaves. Dissolve 3 tablespoons of the paste into the liquid.
In a wok, add some lard (preferred) or oil and add the broccoli until partially cooked. Add the onion, beans and pineapple, stir-fry until just barely cooked.
Add the meat and cook until it has just changed color. Add the stock and coconut milk mixture. Taste and season with the rest of the fish sauce or curry more curry paste if necessary, then leave to stand for five minutes before serving. Serve with rice and apropos garnishes.
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