Green chicken curry

When I first started cooking for myself, I used to make curries quite frequently using Mr Lee (Kum Kee's) Portugese curry sauce that came in a glass jar.  I learnt it from my mum, who'd been making it from the days before we came to Australia and I absolutely loved it.  When production stopped in Australia (for whatever reason, I don't know, and can't see why), I also stopped making curries as frequently -- LKK's Portugese curry sauce was the curry sauce I had literally grown up with and had to find other ways to satsify curry cravings.  This is a green curry that I now make relatively regularly, using a Thai green curry paste.  It's flavoursome and has become my standard recipe for a quick midweek curry and usually makes enough to last me for 3-4 meals.  Like all curries and foods packed with a myriad of flavours, with each day, the dish becomes more flavoursome.  The photo doesn't do it justice to the intensity of flavour this dish has -- when I go around to making it again, I might take another photograph of it.

The purpose of frying off the curry paste is so that the fat from the paste is separated and floats to the top (which I learnt off watching too many episodes of Ready, Steady, Cook), thereby allowing the spices that are in the paste to get cooked and therefore to really come out with a punch.  As with the sugar, I've always been told by my mum that sugar enhances and complements a curry, I've never asked why ... maybe I'll find out one day

Green chicken curry

Serves 2-4



Ingredients

• 400g chicken thigh, cut into roughly 2cm pieces
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, optional
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium brown onion, sliced
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1.5 cm pieces
• 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoon green curry paste
• 300 mL coconut milk
• 100 mL chicken stock
• bit of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of chilli oil or chilli flakes (as I like a bit more kick in my curries)

Method

1. Marinade chicken in soy sauce, salt and pepper for about 15-20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with cold water and place potatoes and carrots into the pot.  Bring the pot to a boil and turn the heat down so that it is just simmering.  Stir occasionally to ensure even cooking.  Simmer for 15 minutes, drain and set aside.
3. Heat a non-stick frying pan on med-high heat, add the oil and swirl around to coat the pan.
4. (Add the cornstarch, if using, to the chicken)
5. Add the curry paste, being careful as it can splatter, and cook for about 30 seconds.  Add the chicken and let it seal on both sides.
6. Add the onions, and once the onions have softened slightly, add the coconut milk and stock.
7. Add the drained potatoes and carrots, and bring to a simmer.  Add about a teaspoon of sugar and the chilli oil or chilli flakes.
8. Cooking for another 10-15 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.  Serve with steamed rice.