How to Make Thai Green Curry

That was a long wait for Part II, wasn't it? Any Thai curry, pungent in aroma and a cacophony of flavours, is usually worth it. Besides, that recipe for the curry paste was hanging about with no closure and I need to get it out of the way before the holiday items make their appearance. Accept my apologies please and don't be shy about licking that pan clean. That sounds ludicrous but it's exactly what one of our friends did during an infamous dinner party some years ago :)

• Garlic, 6 cloves, sliced
• Lime leaves, about 6
• Lemon grass, 2 sticks each cut in half (no ends)
• Thai holy basil, several stalks of
• Galangal, four or five thick slices of
• Fish sauce, 2 tbsp
• Brown sugar, 1-2 tsp
• Coconut cream, 1/2 cup
• Canola oil, 2 tbsp
• Chicken, fish or beef, diced, about 200g (2 fillets)
• Green curry paste (click on the title for details) - 1 tbsp
• Stock or water, 1/2 cup
• Green aubergines, small ones - three of them, cubed
• Lemon juice of about 1/3 lemon
• Optional - for added heat, add 2 chopped chillies

1. In a pan, saute the garlic till fragrant and add the curry paste
2. In a separate pan, warm up the coconut cream. Do not boil
3. Add the coconut cream to the curry paste mixture, stir till it thickens
4. Add fish sauce, galangal, lemon grass, sugar and allow to simmer
5. Throw in the diced chicken, fish or beef
6. Add lime leaves, basil, stock and aubergines
7. Take off the heat when the meat is cooked. If you're using fish, this will take just a few minutes.
8. For added richness, add a few tablespoons of cream!
9. Remove solid bits of lemon grass, galangal and unwieldy bits of herbs if necessary before serving
10. Further vegetables may be added when the meat goes in - try courgette/zucchinni, peas, pea aubergines, red or green peppers, sweet potatoes
11. This amount will feed 2-4 people
    

(All text and photos or images are copyright protected. Please do not reprint any stories, recipes or photographs without the author's permission.)