Forty years ago I visited Thailand and was entertained by a member of the Thai royal family. She ran her own cooking school and was one of the first people to can the spicy curry sauces and pastes that can be so time-consuming to make. I brought back some of her canned goods, which were quite a novelty at the time.
The advent of bottled exotic pastes, sauces and coconut milk, plus fresh South-East Asian ingredients, has since delighted us all, and opened our minds and tastebuds to new flavour combinations.
The salmon is a bit of a surprise in this recipe, but it goes very well with the strong Thai spices. It is rich, though, so if you prefer use coconut milk in place of the coconut cream for a lighter result. If you can’t find baby eggplants use one medium eggplant, cut into long, thin strips.