Thai Jungle Curry with Lion’s Mane

Because I am almost always craving Thai food and there aren’t many places to find a good curry in the Lewis County area, I decided to try crafting my own simplified version of a jungle curry featuring Lion’s Mane mushrooms in place of chicken with ingredients that aren’t terribly difficult to come by. While this is a paired down version from a truly authentic Thai dish, it still hits all the right flavor notes, and the spice level is high! Don’t worry if you can’t find all of the vegetables to add in, while the addition of ingredients like the makrut lime leaves and Thai eggplant will add to the authentic nature of the dish, it is still delicious without them, and will be sure to transport you to the food stalls of Chiang Mai, even if you have never visited in person. This meal comes together relatively quickly, and I highly recommend it if you are a curry lover like I am. You can grab your Lion’s Mane for this recipe right here.

Ingredients

4-5 Tablespoons red curry paste – vegan or regular

2 Tablespoons neutral oil

12 oz. Lion’s Mane mushrooms

2 1/2 cups vegetable stock

1-2 Tablespoons fish sauce – vegan or regular

2 teaspoons brown sugar

5-6 oz. green beans

8 baby corn (if you can find, still good without)

4 Thai eggplant, cut into 4-6 wedges (if you can find, still good without)

4 markrut lime leaves (if you can find, still good without)

1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, sliced thin

1 cup Thai basil, Holy basil, or Italian basil

Prepare dish

Tear the Lion’s Mane into bite sized pieces and set aside.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the Lion’s Mane making sure not to crowd the mushrooms in the pan too much, and sprinkle very lightly with salt- no more than 1/2 teaspoon. Cook until the mushrooms begin to release their liquid and begin to brown. Stir/ flip, then take a second skillet and place over top of the mushrooms in the pan, pressing down. This cooking method will give the mushrooms a chewy, almost meaty texture. Flip the mushrooms and press down with the skillet again. Cook until browned all over, then remove from the pan and set aside.

In a medium to large heavy-bottomed pot, add the oil and the curry paste (I recommend starting with 4T your first time, it is plenty spicy!) and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add the sugar, and 1 Tablespoon of fish sauce stirring to mix. Add the green beans, baby corn, eggplant, lime leaves, and Lion’s Mane to the pot. Simmer a couple minutes until the vegetables are done to your liking. Turn the heat down to low and add the bell peppers, and Thai basil, cooking until just wilted. Taste and add more fish sauce if desired! Serve with a side of Jasmine rice.

Looking for more Lion’s Mane recipes to try? Check out our recipe library!