How to make it: Kay Plunkett-Hogge’s green chicken curry
Food writer Kay Plunkett-Hogge has spent more than half her life in Thailand, cooking and collecting recipes. According to her, this is the one curry paste you should always make from scratch.
Serves: 4
Takes: 40 mins
INGREDIENTS
For the paste
½ tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp white peppercorns
1 tbsp galangal, finely chopped
1 tbsp lemongrass, finely chopped
2 Thai shallots or 1 regular shallot, peeled and finely chopped
12 green Thai bird’s eye chillies, de-stemmed and chopped
2 long green chillies, de-stemmed and finely chopped
4 tbsp fresh coriander root (with some stem attached), finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2cm piece fresh turmeric, finely chopped zest of 1 kaffir lime
1 tsp kapi (shrimp paste)
For the curry
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 x 400ml can coconut milk
350g chicken thighs, cut into 2cm chunks
1-2 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce), plus extra to serve
pinch of caster sugar (optional)
65g pea aubergines
2 Thai round aubergines, quartered
100g bamboo shoots, chopped
2 long red chillies, cut diagonally into thirds
large handful of Thai sweet basil
1 long orange chilli (optional)
jasmine rice, to serve
METHOD
1 For the paste, grind all the ingredients in a pestle and mortar (starting with the hardest ingredients, as listed, and working down to the softest), until you have a uniform paste. Alternatively, blitz the ingredients in a food processor or a blender, adding around 1 tbsp water to bring it together.
2 To make the curry, heat the oil in a wok or saucepan and fry the paste for around 1 min until it smells fragrant. Add half the coconut milk and slowly bring to the boil, stirring gently. Once the paste has dissolved, let the coconut milk simmer a little until you see oil appearing on the surface, then add 200ml water and bring to the boil.
3 Add the chicken and bring back to the boil, then pour in the remaining coconut milk. Bring to the boil again and simmer for around 6 mins. Add the nam pla and the sugar, if using, and some seasoning. If it’s a little thick, add more water — you want a soup consistency rather than a thick gravy.
4 Tip in the aubergines, bamboo shoots and one of the long red chillies and simmer for another 3 mins or so. Add the basil, remaining red chilli and the orange chilli, if using, and serve with the jasmine rice and more nam pla.
An edited excerpt from Baan: Recipes and Stories from My Thai Home (£20, Pavilion)
Read our feature on Thai green curry.
Published in issue 8 of National Geographic Traveller Food
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