Tuesday 2 February 2016

Thai Green Chicken Curry



Delicious, serves 2 but being a lover of Thai food I could eat both portions myself or save one for later!

Ingredients for the Curry Paste

Lime Juice - 30 ml
Lime zest - 2 tbsps grated finely
4-6 whole green chillies (depending on your own taste, perhaps 2-4 to start you off)
Lemongrass - 1 stalk, sliced thinly
Ginger or Galangal - 3 thin slices
Coriander stalks - 1 heaped tsp, chopped
Roasted ground cumin - 1/2 level tsp
Roasted ground coriander - 1/2 level tsp
Garlic cloves - 2, chopped finely
Shallots - 2, peeled and chopped (Thai if you can get them)
Shrimp paste - 1/2 level tsp



Ingredients for the Curry

Chicken breast or thigh (thigh is tastier) - 250g (9ozs), chunks
Green pepper - 1, small chunks
Courgette - 1, small chunks
Coconut milk - 300ml (10fl oz)
Thai fish sauce - 15ml (1tbsp)
Palm sugar - 5ml (1tspn)
White peppercorns - ground, good pinch
Kaffir lime leaves - 4 fresh (hydrated if dried for a least 1/2 hour)
Red chilli - 1 shredded and deseeded
Veg oil - 2 tbsps


Method

Soak the sliced lemongrass in the lime juice.
Put the ingredients for the curry paste into a food processor, add the soaked lemongrass and blitz to a paste, it will be coarse. Make sure it is well mixed, incorporate the bits left around the side.

Heat the oil gently in a wok or frying pan, add the chicken and cook for 6-7 minutes stirring . 
Add the pepper and courgette and cook for a further 4-5 minutes until the chicken is just cooked.
Take out the chicken and set aside.

The can of coconut milk will consist of a hard cream and a watery milk, separate the 2 into 2 bowls or jugs.

Heat the wok or frying pan on a medium heat and add the coconut cream and stir all the time so it loosens and so that it does not burn. It will begin to separate but this is okay, it will look as though it has curdled but don't worry.

Add 1/2 to 2/3 of the curry paste - the more you add the hotter it will be so TASTE it.
Add 3/4 of the coconut milk from your bowl or jug a little at a time and cook, keep stirring on a medium heat. Let the sauce reduce a little but KEEP stirring or it will stick.

Add more curry paste if you want it hotter - keep TASTING it.
If the sauce gets too thick add more coconut milk little by little. If you do add more give it 2-3 minutes more cooking, keep stirring.

Add the chicken, courgette and the pepper and stir thoroughly. Cook for 4-5 more minutes, stir to stop it sticking.

Stir in the Thai fish sauce and palm sugar. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Just before serving add the shredded kaffir leaves and the red chilli.

Serve with rice, good company and a little fruity white wine or very cold beer.






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