Kua kling (southern Thai dry pork stir-fry with curry paste)

Cut the dried chilies and shake out the seeds so the paste is not too hot. Grind them in a spice grinder, then grind in black pepper.

Transfer to a mortar and pestle. Pound in half the lemongrass (keep the other half for the stir-fry) and the roughly chopped galangal.

Pound in about two inches of fresh turmeric, unpeeled. Once the paste is wet, add the ground dry spices back in to absorb the liquid.

Pound in the shallots and garlic until there are no big chunks; it need not be very fine.

Add a little salt for friction and the fermented shrimp paste (kapi), and pound to finish the paste.

Remove the centre stem of the kaffir lime leaves and julienne them as finely as possible. Chop fresh chilies, leaving them whole.

Heat a little oil in a wok and add all the curry paste. Saute it, adding a splash of water or unsalted chicken stock if it gets dry.

When it smells strongly of chili, add the ground pork and toss quickly. Deglaze with a splash of water if it sticks, but keep the dish dry.

Season with sugar and fish sauce.

Turn the heat up to evaporate the remaining liquid until nothing pools in the pan.

Add the kaffir lime leaves and chilies, turn off the heat, and toss in the residual heat. Add the reserved lemongrass.

Garnish with a pinch of julienned kaffir lime leaves and serve with jasmine rice.