Thai Green Chicken Curry

My favourite shop bought soup is a Thai Green Chicken Soup, so today I decided I wanted to recreate the flavour and ingredients in the form of a Thai Green Chickn Curry.  There was not one recipe that matched what I was looking for so armed with about 6 different recipes from my cook books and the internet I took inspiration from everywhere.  Delia taught me that if I couldn’t find fresh Kaffir Lime leaves then I could revive dried ones with hot water.  I decided it would be fun to make my own green curry paste but if you don’t have time then just use a shop bought jar.  I must say though that the freshness of flavour was well worth the extra effort especially if you make extra and freeze it for another time.

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Thai Green Chicken Curry

Fresh and fragrant, spicy and lemony this curry is more delicate than its Indian cousins.

Servings 4

Author Camilla

Ingredients

• For Paste:
• 5 Small green chillies
• 1 Shallot
• 2.5 cm/1in Piece of ginger peeled and grated
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• Small handful of fresh coriander stalks attached
• 1 Lemongrass stalk chopped
• ½ Lime grated zest and juice
• 4 Kaffir lime leaves torn if dried soak in hot water to rehydrate for ½ hr
• ½ tsp Ground coriander
• ½ tsp Ground cumin
• ½ tsp Ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Fish sauce
• 1 ½ tbsp of olive oil
• For curry:
• 4 Chicken breasts chopped into bite size pieces
• 1 400 ml Tin coconut milk
• 1 dsp Liquid chicken stock neat, not made up
• 1 tbsp Soft brown sugar
• 1 tsp Fish sauce
• 1 Lemon grass stalk cut in three (fat end bashed with a rolling pin)
• 3 Kaffir lime leaves soaked if dried cut into thin strips
• 1 Green pepper sliced
• 1 220 g Tin water chestnuts sliced
• 1 225 g Tin sliced bamboo shoots
• Handful chopped coriander leaves
• Juice of ½ lime
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil

Instructions

1. For the paste (if you’re making it) put all the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth.
2. Saute 2 heaped tbsp of green curry paste with the lemon grass for about 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Add half the coconut milk and stir until the oil surfaces.
4. Add the chicken and kaffir lime leaves and cook until the chicken looks cooked.
5. Add the remaining coconut milk, fish sauce, chicken stock and brown sugar.
6. Bring to the boil.
7. Add the green pepper, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots.
8. Simmer for 15 minutes.
9. Add lime juice and coriander leaves.
10. Check seasoning, adding more fish sauce if necessary or more sugar.
11. Serve with fragrant jasmine rice.

Recipe Notes

Why not double up the paste recipe – it will keep for 3 weeks in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer. I keep ginger in the freezer and peel and grate off what I need. Chillies also keep well whole in the freezer.