Easy Thai Green Chicken Curry

SERVERS: 6 | PREP: 10 mins | COOK: 30 mins

GENERAL INGREDIENTS: 

1. 225g new potatoes, cut into chunks 
2. 100g green beans, trimmed and halved
3. 1 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
4. 1 rounded tbsp or 4 tsp homemade Thai green curry 
5. 400ml can coconut milk
6. 2 tsp Thai fish sauce (can use standard fish sauce or worcestershire sauce)
7. 1 tsp caster sugar (can use standard or brown sugar)
8. 450g boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs), cut into bite-size pieces
9. 2 fresh kaffir lime leaves finely shredded, or 3 wide strips lime zest, plus extra to garnish
10. good handful of basil leaves
11. boiled rice, to serve

HOMEMADE THAI GREEN CURRY INGREDIENTS: 

1. 40g of green chilli
2. 20-30g of fresh ginger (also galangal should be added if you have)
3. 12g garlic
4. 60g of shallot
5. 7g of lemon peel (ideally lemon grass if you have)
6. 5g of coriander stems (ideally coriander root if you have)
7. 1 tsp coriander grain
8. 1 tsp of cumin seeds
9. 1 tsp of black peppercorns
10. 1 tbsp of shrimp paste or fish sauce
11. pinch of salt (optional).

GENERAL METHOD:

• Put 225g new potatoes, cut into chunks, in a pan of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add 100g trimmed and halved green beans and cook for a further 3 minutes, by which time both should be just tender but not too soft. Drain and put to one side.
• In a wok or large frying pan, heat 1 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil until very hot, then drop in 1 chopped garlic clove and cook until golden, this should take only a few seconds. Don’t let it go very dark or it will spoil the taste.
• Spoon in 1 rounded tbsp homemade Thai green curry paste and stir it around for a few seconds to begin to cook the spices and release all the flavours.
• Next, pour in a 400ml can of coconut milk and let it come to a bubble.
• Stir in 2 tsp Thai fish sauce and 1 tsp caster sugar, then 450g bite-size chicken pieces. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 8 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
• Tip in the potatoes and beans and let them warm through in the hot coconut milk, then add 2 finely shredded kaffir lime leaves (or 3 wide strips lime zest).
• Add a good handful basil leaves, but only leave them briefly on the heat or they will quickly lose their brightness.
• Scatter with lime to garnish and serve immediately with boiled rice.

GREEN CURRY METHOD:

• Put all the ingredients in a grinding robot and process until you get a paste, reserve for use.