THAI GREEN CURRY WITH CHICKEN

YIELDS: 2 Servings PREP TIME: 15 mins COOK TIME: 15 mins TOTAL TIME: 30 mins

Making your own curry paste is extremely rewarding! The flavor is unlike anything you can buy in the store. And this recipe makes a big batch that you can keep in the fridge and use over and over again!

Green Thai curry is more or less similar to the red Thai curry, except that it gets its signature color from the green chillies. Thai green curries also have basil, coriander and lime leaf added to them, to enhance the flavor and green tinge.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp vegetable oil 
5 ½ oz boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh, sliced 
1 small eggplant, peeled and diced
1 Thai green chili, diced 
2 kaffir lime leaves, roughly chopped 
1 ½ cups coconut milk 
1 cup chicken broth 
Fresh basil leaves for garnish 

Curry Paste 
1-3 Thai green chilis or jalapeño peppers 
Pinch of salt 
1” piece of galangal or ginger, thinly sliced 
1 stalk lemongrass or 3 tbsp lemongrass paste
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped 
½ cup fresh basil 
4-5 cloves garlic, minced 
1 shallot minced 
½ tsp ground white pepper 
½ tsp ground coriander 
½ tsp cumin 
3  tbsp fish sauce
½ tsp shrimp paste
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp brown sugar 
3-4 tbsp coconut milk 


Tools 
Mortar and pestle or food processor 
Cutting board 
Knife
Large skillet 

DIRECTIONS:

  1. To make the curry paste, start by pounding/blending the green chili/jalapeños with the salt. Add the galangal, lemongrass, cilantro, and basil. Blend well. 
  2. Add the garlic, shallot, white pepper, coriander, cumin, fish sauce, shrimp paste, brown sugar, and coconut milk and continue pounding/blending until a smooth paste is formed. 
  3. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. 
  4. To make the curry, heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 
  5. Add 1 tbsp of the green curry paste and sauté until fragrant. Gradually stir in the coconut milk and chicken broth and bring to a simmer. 
  6. Stir in the sliced chicken and eggplant and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and eggplant has softened. 
  7. Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with fresh basil leaves.