1
StepCut the chicken thigh into 3 cm pieces. Quarter the Thai eggplants and hold them in water so they do not brown. Tear the lime leaves from their central stems and slice the red chillies on the diagonal.
Main Dishes
Green Curry with Chicken
Coconut cream cracked in the pan until the oil separates, then the curry paste fried in that oil until it smells sweet and sharp. Chicken thigh, Thai eggplant and makrut lime leaf simmer in the thinned coconut milk, and Thai basil goes in off the heat. It is fragrant rather than blunt-hot, and it takes under half an hour.
45 min
Prep: 20 / Cook: 25
4
servings
Medium
Difficulty
4.6
8 Ratings
Ingredients
- 250 ml coconut cream
- 60 g green curry paste
- 600 g chicken thigh
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 200 g thai eggplant
- 5 pieces makrut lime leaf
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 20 g palm sugar
- 2 pieces red chilli
- 1 bunch thai basil
To serve
- 300 g jasmine rice
Preparation
7 Steps
2
StepPut the coconut cream in a wide pan over medium heat and simmer for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until it thickens, separates and you can see clear oil pooling at the edges.
3
StepAdd the curry paste to the cracked cream and fry for 3 minutes, pressing and stirring, until the paste darkens slightly and the raw smell of lemongrass and garlic turns rounded and fragrant.
4
StepAdd the chicken and turn it in the paste for 2 minutes until every piece is coated and the outside has turned opaque.
5
StepPour in the coconut milk, add the drained eggplant and half the lime leaves, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the eggplant is soft but still holding its shape.
6
StepSeason with the fish sauce and palm sugar, then taste and adjust. The curry should be salty and slightly sweet with the sugar rounding off the heat, not sugary.
7
StepTake the pan off the heat, stir through the Thai basil, the remaining lime leaves and the sliced chilli, and cover for 2 minutes. Serve with jasmine rice.
Chef's Tip
Frying the paste in cracked coconut cream is what separates a real green curry from paste stirred into milk; give it a full 3 minutes. Use chicken thigh rather than breast, it stays tender through the simmer.
Comments (4)
added the basil off the heat like you said and it kept its colour
nobody here sells thai eggplant. what do i use instead?
frozen ones are fine, or quarter a normal eggplant and add it five minutes earlier so it softens in time.
made it with a shop bought paste and doubled the lime leaf, still excellent
cracking the coconut cream first makes such a difference to the smell