Easy Thai Green Chicken Curry

I’m starting quite a few posts with ‘easy’ recently. What can I say? I like simple, home-cooked meals and if it’s as fuss-free as possible and yielding good results, I’m not saying no!

This particular dish is one of my regulars. It’s not only easy to prepare, it’s delicious, comforting and hubby usually has a look that says ‘oh yes please!’ when I even mention it. There are loads of different green curry recipes out there, some more complicated than others with the preparation of the actual curry pastes from scratch and gathering of exotic ingredients etc.

This one’s just a matter of putting together chicken pieces, vegetables and just the few vital ingredients below. You’ll need fish sauce, palm sugar (or regular sugar is fine), coconut milk and green curry paste. That’s  it! I like the Mae Ploy brand of Thai curry pastes, and my Thai friends highly recommend them too, so I know I’ve got the right stuff.

First you brown the chicken pieces in batches, I’ve got about 8 chicken thigh pieces in this recipe. Once lightly browned on both sides, plate it and leave it aside.

You can use most typical ‘curry-friendly’ vegetables. For a thai green curry, I recommend onions, aubergines, carrots and basil.

Once the chicken is browned and set aside,  in the same pot / wok gently fry up the onions. When they are lightly cooked (not browned) and translucent, add in the curry paste. Make sure not to skip this step. By pre-frying the paste, the oils from the paste is released and you get a more robust release of flavours.

After frying the paste and onions for about 2 minutes, return the chicken back to the wok, stir and coat it with the paste which would have been loosened up and creamy.

Once evenly coated and smelling wonderful, add the can of coconut milk. The whole can, that’s all the liquid the dish gets, and it’s going to make some lip-smacking curry sauce. So pour it all in.

Mix well and let it simmer for about 5 – 10 minutes, then add in all the vegetables except the basil leaves. Add the sugar now if you’re using. I recommend it as it gives the dish a slight sweetness and it evens out the spice hit a little.

Once the vegetables are cooked through (should take about another 10 minutes or less), throw in the basil.

Mix well and voila! Serve with a bowl of steaming jasmine rice. Yum yum!

EASY THAI GREEN CHICKEN CURRY

8 pieces of chicken thighs with bone
2 tbsp Mae Ploy Thai Green Curry Paste
1 x 400ml can of coconut milk
1 tsp palm sugar (or if you’re using regular sugar, just add to taste)
a few dashes of fish sauce, to taste
1 large aubergine, cut into medium chunks
1 carrot, sliced
1 small red onion
a handful of basil leaves

1. Brown chicken pieces on both sides in heated pot or work with a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Plate up and leave aside.

2. Add onions to the wok and cook till translucent (about a minute or so) and then add the curry paste. Fry the paste and onions for another minute or so till the paste is loosened up and fragrant.

3. Return chicken pieces to the wok. Stir to coat the chicken in the curry paste, then add the coconut milk. Mix well and let it simmer on medium heat for 5 – 10 minutes or until chicken is about 3/4 cooked.

4. Add the vegetables, palm sugar and fish sauce to taste,  stir through and simmer for another 6-8 minutes.  Or until veggies are cooked through. By now, the chicken should be done. To check, pierce the chicken to make sure the juices are clear.

5. Stir through the basil leaves right before serving.

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