Sunday, January 31, 2016

Thai Green Curry Chicken

This is the best green curry chicken that I've ever made, and the recipe comes from GBC's Thai Cooking Class.

We made the green curry paste from scratch - a bit of an ordeal and requires some special ingredients,  One definite advantage of making the paste is that you can control the heat.

Green Curry Paste
Ingredients:
  • 1 tsp Ground Coriander
  • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
  • 1 tsp White Peppercorns
  • 1 pc Lemongrass, tender parts sliced
  • 4 cloves Garlic
  • 1 1/2 tsp Cilantro Root*
  • 1 tsp Galangal, chopped*
  • 2 Tbsp Shallots, chopped
  • 1 to 6 Green Thai Chiles ("Bird's Eye Chiles")*
  • 1 Green Spur Chile*
  • 1 Tbsp Kaffir lime zest
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp Shrimp Paste (alt: Miso Paste)
Directions:
1)  Lightly toast the Coriander, Cumin, and Peppercorns in a pan for 1 minute.  Transfer to a mortar and pestle and grind to a fine powder.  Set aside.
2)  Pound the Lemongrass in the mortar and pestle.
3)  Add the Garlic, Cilantro Root, Galangal, Shallots, Thai and Spur Chiles, Lime Zest, and Salt and pound to a paste.
4)  Mix in the Shrimp Paste.
5)  Mix in the spices from Step 1.

*Notes:
1)  "Cilantro Root" is the root and first 2 inches of the cilantro stem.  Break off each piece of step to check that there is no sand/ grit trapped inside.  
2)  Galangal is a root that looks like ginger and is available in Asian supermarkets.
3)  Chiles - use as many chiles as you want.  The spur chile is there for substance and colour, and the Thai chiles add heat.  Cutting out the seeds and veins will reduce the heat.
4)  Colour - Green Curry gets its name from the chiles that are used.  To get the very green colour that's typical in restaurants, you can add green food colouring, kale juice, or a bit of kale leaf.

Green Curry Chicken:
Ingredients:
  • 2 Cups Coconut Milk - boxed AROY D brand recommended
  • Green Curry Paste (1 recipe, or about 4 Tbsp)
  • 6 to 8 Boneless Chicken Thighs, cut into 6's (skin on)
  • 1 Cup Eggplant, cut in 3/4" chunks (round Thai eggplants recommended)
  • 1 Tbsp Palm or Brown Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
  • 1 Cup Thai Basil Leaves
  • 2 Kaffir Lime Leaves
1)  Use the fat from the coconut milk to fry the curry paste, 1 to 2 minutes.
2)  Add the chicken and cook 1-2 minutes.
3)  Add the eggplant and cook 1 minute.
4)  Add the coconut milk and cook 1 to 2 minutes until chicken and eggplant is cooked
5)  Add sugar and fish sauce to taste, being cautious that the fish sauce is salty.
6)  Add the basil, and mix thoroughly into the curry to wilt.  (This will also prevent the basil from turning brown.)
7)  Add the kaffir lime leaves:  roll them in your finger, then pull out the stem.  
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