Green Curry Chicken แกงเขียวหวาน (gaeng keow waan)

• servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

1¾ cups (420 ml) coconut milk, divided

3 ½ Tablespoons (50 g) green curry paste, store bought or homemade (recipe below, see note 1).

1 cup (240 ml) chicken stock, unsalted

1 lb (450 g) chicken thigh, boneless, skinless, 1-inch pieces (see note 2)

2 Tablespoons (24 g) finely chopped palm sugar or light brown sugar

1 ½ - 2 Tablespoons (22.5-30 ml) fish sauce

4 makrut lime leaves (aka kaffir lime leaves)

1 550ml-can bamboo shoots strips, drained and rinsed (see note 3)

1 cup (22 g) Thai basil leaves

¼ red bell pepper, or another mild red pepper, julienned

Jasmine rice for serving

Directions

Reduce ¾ cup coconut milk until thick and coconut oil starts to separate from the coconut milk (if the oil doesn’t separate after it has reduced until very thick, it's okay, just proceed with the recipe).

Add curry paste and sauté, stirring constantly over medium heat for about 2 minutes until aromatic. If paste sticks to the bottom of the pan, you can deglaze with a little bit of the remaining coconut milk.

Add chicken thigh and stir to mix with the paste. (See below if using chicken breast).

Add the chicken stock, remaining 1 cup of coconut milk, palm sugar and 1 Tablespoon of the fish sauce. Grab the makrut lime leaves and twist them to bruise and release aroma, then tear them into chunks and add them to the pot, discarding the center stems. Bring to a simmer and let simmer gently for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is fork tender.

Once the curry is done simmering, add bamboo shoots and bring to a boil. If you prefer your peppers to be more cooked, add them at this stage. Once boiling, remove from heat.

Taste and add more fish sauce and/or sugar as needed. *If you feel that the curry is weak and needs more curry paste, saute the additional curry paste in some oil in a small pot for a few minutes until aromatic, then add about a cup of the curry sauce to dissolve the paste and let it simmer for a few minutes, then stir it back into the curry.

Stir in Thai basil and spur chilies or bell peppers.

Serve with jasmine rice

If using chicken breast, you’ve failed and the recipe will not taste as good.