Pork in Penang Curry Sauce

Ingredients

• 14-ounce can of coconut milk, left undisturbed for several hours
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5 to 6 tablespoons Penang curry paste
• 8 fresh kaffir lime leaves, cut into fine slivers, optional
• 1 pound pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes with the fat and skin left intact
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar, or to taste

Directions

1. Open the coconut milk and lift off the thick cream from the surface, about 4 tablespoons. Mix the remaining coconut milk until smooth again. Add the oil to a large nonstick pan with a lid and warm it over medium heat. Once the oil is hot but not smoking, spoon in the coconut cream and curry paste. Cook, stirring, until the paste takes on a little color and the oil begins to separate from the coconut cream. Stir in 6 lime leaves.
2. Pour in the stirred coconut milk, about 1/2 cup of water to loosen the sauce, the fish sauce, and the sugar. Use a little more or less water if you want the sauce thinner or thicker. Stir everything together and bring it to a simmer.
3. Add the pork cubes and keep the sauce at a gentle simmer for 40 to 50 minutes, until the pork is tender and the sauce has cooked down to two-third to one-half of its starting volume. Finish with the remaining kaffir lime leaves. Serve right away with rice. Leftovers can be warmed again by simmering gently for a few minutes, just until the pork is heated through.