Some of my favourite dishes are Thai: Satay, Pad Thai, green curry, … you name it. While I’m still experimenting with pad thais (pads thai?), I’m getting pretty close to perfecting my green curry… Even the Northerner prefers it to restaurant curries. If you are lusting after a delicious dish of hot, sweet, sour and salty, this may be for you.

Ingredients

Curry paste

• 2-3 chillies (depending on hot you like it)
• 4-5 kaffir lime leaves
• 4 spring onions (only the green parts)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp lemongrass paste
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• Juice of a lime
• Good pinch of salt
• 20ml water

Curry

• 8-10 chicken thighs, chopped
• Handful of chopped courgette, aubergine green beans, mangetout (as tolerated), broccoli, red pepper, bamboo shoots, water chestnut, carrots… really any other vegetable you like and tolerate
• 2 cans of coconut milk
• Extra salt, fish sauce, sugar if needed

Instructions

1. Blitz all curry paste ingredients in a food processor and adjust seasoning. In Thai cuisine you are looking to balance between sweet, salty, sour and hot. Depending on your own palate, you might want to add sweetness or spice.
2. Heat coconut oil, ghee or garlic-infused oil in a wok or large pan and add the paste. Let it simmer for a few minutes before adding the protein. Coat nicely and let the protein get some colour.
3. Add coconut milk and vegetables according to their cooking times, e.g. green beans may take a bit longer than broccoli (especially when, like us, you like your broccoli to have some bite). Let it all come up to simmer and turn down the heat. At this stage you are looking to infuse the flavours into your chicken and vegetables, not boil them to death (with the unfortunate by-product of split coconut milk). Adjust seasoning if needed.
4. Serve with rice and a slice of lime.

I usually cook my Thai curries in a large pot and freeze portions for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.