World Cuisine (Thailand): Chicken in Thai Green Curry
As nature is painting fresh hues outside, I too decided to go green in my kitchen. Good news for both salad haters and my vegan friends, you can switch the ingredients in this dish according to your preferences. However, you have to keep the base intact, that is, the Thai green curry. Thai cuisine strives for balance. It will surprise you with its inviting aroma, excellent texture and perfect harmony of tastes. The authentic recipe for the green curry includes things like galangal (Thai ginger), fresh Thai sweet basil, pea eggplants. But I tried to bring out the flavours even with the substitutes. Having said that, there in one ingredient you cannot really do without and that is lemongrass.
The recipe has three simple parts: preparing the stock, making the green curry paste, and cooking them together with coconut milk, chicken and vegetables.
Chicken in Thai Green Curry
INGREDIENTS:
Chicken (boneless): 500gms/ 1lb
Coconut milk: 1 1/2 cup
Red and green bell peppers (medium sized, cut into slices): 1 + 1
Snow peas: 10 to 15
Salt: To taste
Sugar: 2 tsp
Basil (dry): 2 tsp
For green curry paste:
Lemongrass: 2 stems
Onions (diced): 1 1/2 (medium sized)
Ginger: 2 inches
Garlic: 4 cloves
Green chillies: 5
Coriander roots, leaves, stem (chopped): 1 cup
Cumin seeds: 2 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds: 2 1/2 tsp
Lime juice: 3 tsp
PROCEDURE:
Peel the top skins of the lemongrass to reach the softer stem inside. Keep the skins aside.
Grind all the ingredients for green curry paste with the soft part of the lemongrass in a mixer to from a smooth paste.
Heat 3 cups of water in a pan. Add the skins of the lemongrass, chicken and some salt and let it cook till the chicken is half done. Remove from heat and discard the skins of lemon grass. Strain out the stock and keep it aside.
Heat a pan and add 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Let it reduce till the oil separates from the coconut milk.
Add the green curry paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the chicken stock and let it come to a boil. Then add the vegetables and the chicken. Add salt to taste. Cook it for 4 to 5 minutes.
Add rest of the coconut milk and sugar and let it cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
Finally add the dried basil leaves and cook for about a minute.
It is traditionally served hot with steamed jasmine rice but you can enjoy it with any steamed rice.
Photographs by Swakshar Ghosh
The recipe has three simple parts: preparing the stock, making the green curry paste, and cooking them together with coconut milk, chicken and vegetables.
Chicken in Thai Green Curry
INGREDIENTS:
Chicken (boneless): 500gms/ 1lb
Coconut milk: 1 1/2 cup
Red and green bell peppers (medium sized, cut into slices): 1 + 1
Snow peas: 10 to 15
Salt: To taste
Sugar: 2 tsp
Basil (dry): 2 tsp
For green curry paste:
Lemongrass: 2 stems
Onions (diced): 1 1/2 (medium sized)
Ginger: 2 inches
Garlic: 4 cloves
Green chillies: 5
Coriander roots, leaves, stem (chopped): 1 cup
Cumin seeds: 2 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds: 2 1/2 tsp
Lime juice: 3 tsp
PROCEDURE:
Peel the top skins of the lemongrass to reach the softer stem inside. Keep the skins aside.
Grind all the ingredients for green curry paste with the soft part of the lemongrass in a mixer to from a smooth paste.
Heat 3 cups of water in a pan. Add the skins of the lemongrass, chicken and some salt and let it cook till the chicken is half done. Remove from heat and discard the skins of lemon grass. Strain out the stock and keep it aside.
Heat a pan and add 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Let it reduce till the oil separates from the coconut milk.
Add the green curry paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the chicken stock and let it come to a boil. Then add the vegetables and the chicken. Add salt to taste. Cook it for 4 to 5 minutes.
Add rest of the coconut milk and sugar and let it cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
Finally add the dried basil leaves and cook for about a minute.
It is traditionally served hot with steamed jasmine rice but you can enjoy it with any steamed rice.
Photographs by Swakshar Ghosh
Comments
Post a Comment