Recipe: Poached Burmese Python Curry

Ever wonder how to prepare python meat? Have you ever cared to know? Well. the big story coming from the Everglades in Southern Florida these days is the problems the locals are having with the influx of Burmese pythons that have made the Everglades their home. The problem is so bad that Florida has opened up hunting of these reptiles to try to cull their rapidly growing numbers. From Jan. 12 through Feb. 10 1,000 people have been granted permission to hunt the pythons on public land.

We felt that the quickest way to get more of these foreign invaders caught, would be to provide a recipe to use once the snakes are captured, so the python recipe we are sharing today is a poached Burmese python curry.

Poached Burmese Python Curry

Ingredients:

1 pound Python steak
4 -5 Shallots – peeled and sliced
1 Tablespoon Turmeric powder
5-7 Garlic cloves – peeled and pounded
Ginger – 2-3 inches long, peeled and pounded
Lime wedges
Kaffir lime leaves – finely chopped
Lemon peel/skin
10 stems Lemon grass – peeled; finely chopped and pounded
2 Teaspoons Paprika
White rice wine
2 Teaspoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Peanut oil
Chilies or black pepper seeds – pounded
Water

Directions:

First, boil/poach the python steak with lemon peel, rough lemon-grass stems, skins of shallots, garlic and ginger in several ounces of water. When the flesh is soft, take the steak out and leave it to cool. Separate the bones from the flesh.

Fry shallots on low heat until slightly brown.

Add the ginger, garlic and all other spices.

Turn the heat up and keep on stirring for 3 minutes. Add flaked and diced python flesh. Add rice wine, a cup of water and salt. Reduce heat and simmer until lean.

Serve this with a plate of hot steamed rice and boiled seasonal greens.