Thai Green Curry 

with Lime Leaves and Green Peppercorns 

On Friday, my parents had organised to go out for the evening to a 'music venue' with their friends to celebrate a birthday, and they'd offered to be the ones to arrange dinner beforehand. The idea of ordering a Chinese takeaway had been entertained, which seemed the logical, easy thing to do, but my parents being my parents they felt that just wouldn't do. And hence it turned into a sort of dinner party, with me cooking both courses. Yes, both dinner and dessert... Which was tarte tatin, by the way. 

Now, given that this evening had evolved into an impromptu dinner party of sorts, the issue of the meal of choice was suddenly raised. Do an old favourite, like the Moroccan fish they'd done before? Something quick and tasty, like a chilli or a bolognese? - Well, in the end they went with both of those things - a quick, tasty favourite of ours, but instead of the perhaps unimaginative choices proposed, we went with Thai green curry. Everyone likes chicken, they said, whereas fish is risky, and Thai green curry is a bit different, a bit special, while having a certain comforting familiarity. 

Wonderfully aromatic, with a light, citrusy flavour and subtle heat, this curry is easy and quick to cook, and is perfect with a pile of steaming, sticky rice to soak up all the deliciousness. And making your own curry paste, while perhaps a bit of a faff for some, really is worth it, giving such an authentic, fresh flavour. 

I really hope you give this a go, because it might just be one of my favourite meals ever -and that's not something I would say lightly... 

Thai Green Curry 

with Lime Leaves and Green Peppercorns

Serves: 4 

• 30 mins prep 
• 15 mins cooking 

Ingredients:

FOR THE CURRY PASTE:

• 4 lemongrass stalks, tougher outer leaves discarded
• 6 medium-hot green chillies, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 5cm/2in piece of galangal or ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chopped lime zest
• 1 tbsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
• ½ tsp ground black peppercorns

FOR THE CURRY:

• 750g/1lb 10oz free-range chicken breasts or thighs, bones removed
• 1 tbsp groundnut oil
• 200g/7oz chestnut mushrooms, quartered
• 400ml/14fl oz tin coconut milk
• 400ml/14 fl oz homemade or ready-made chicken stock
• 8 lime leaves
• 1 tbsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
• 1 tbsp bottled green peppercorns, drained
• leaves from a large bunch (about 20g/0.7oz) basil, shredded

Method:

1. For the curry paste, slice the lemongrass finely. Put it in a food processor with all the remaining curry paste ingredients and blitz to a thick paste, pushing the mixture down from time to time with a spatula. Transfer to a glass or china dish, cover tightly (otherwise it will taint everything in the fridge) and refrigerate. 
2. For the curry, quarter the mushrooms, then set aside. Cut the chicken into finger-thick strips and mix in a bowl with a tablespoon of the curry paste. 
3. Warm the oil in a casserole and, when hot and sizzling, add the chicken strips and let them colour slightly on all sides briefly. You may need to do this in batches to avoid crowding the pan. 
4. Remove the cooked chicken pieces from the casserole with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen roll. Add the quartered mushrooms to the casserole and fry until golden-brown, adding more oil if needed. 
5. Pour in the coconut milk and stock, then add the lime leaves, four heaped tablespoons of the curry paste, the fish sauce, peppercorns and half of the chopped herbs. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.
6. Meanwhile, slice the green pepper and trim the mangetout before slicing lengthways, then add them as soon as they are prepared. 
7. Return the chicken to the casserole with a further spoonful of the paste, if any is left, and simmer for four minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the last of the herbs and serve in bowls, with rice, a few slices of green chilli and a wedge of lime. 

Recipe adapted from Nigel Slater's Thai Green Curry