Thai Chicken Curry!

I am in love with Thai Food. Even more so now since I could manage to source out some of the key ingredients like lemon grass, galangal and lime leaves. There's no looking back for me. Gone are the days when Thai food was prepared in my kitchen with a canned paste of thai spices and a can of coconut milk. It tasted good but now its heavenly. The aroma of freshly crushed galangal and lemon grass transports you into another world.

Thai cuisine has similarities with Indian food with its complex flavors- the sweet, spicy, tangy and bitter elements complimenting each other in perfect union. And yet its so refreshing different. Every cuisine has many regional alterations but the base flavors of Thai food are the lemon grass, galangal, lime leaves and thai fish sauce.

Thai Restaurants serve popular options which are usually meat, seafood or vegetables served in a choice of green, red or yellow sauce . Each of these sauces have a common base with added ingredients to create signature flavors.The green of the green curry is because of the fragrant Thai basil. The red hue is contributed by the thai red chilies and yellow is the curry paste/powder added.

My recipe may not be 100 % authentic as I didn't have access to the Thai fish sauce or the Thai red chilies but it was the closest and most flavorful Thai curry that I have made to date. The biggest advantage was that I could load up the chicken curry with as many vegetables without the carnivores in my family complaining. I served the Thai Chicken curry with Coconut rice for a lovely Sunday Feast.

Thai Chicken Curry

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken pieces on bones
• 1 lemon grass stalk, finely chopped
• 1/2 inch galangal, finely chopped
• 2 lime leaves, finely chopped
• 2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 2 tablespoons tamari/ fish sauce (I used tamari- Gluten free soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon curry paste
• 2 teaspoons thai red chili paste/ sriracha (I used Sriracha)
• salt to taste
• 1 small head of broccoli, florets seperated
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped into large chunks
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks of spring onions, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup coconut milk (60 %) 
• oil

Directions:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan to medium.
2. Add in the lemongrass and galangal and saute for about 5 minutes till they are nicely fragrant.
3. Now add the garlic and shallots and cook till they soften.
4. Stir in the curry paste and 1/4 cup of coconut milk and let this paste cook for 2 minutes more.
5. Pour in the tamari, vinegar, sriracha with the brown sugar and turmeric powder.
6. Add the carrots, chicken pieces with salt and mix well to coat the pieces with the gravy.
7. Pour in the remaining coconut milk and cover and cook till the chicken is almost done.
8. You can add about 1/2 cup of water to thin out the gravy, if needed.
9. Now add in the broccoli, bell pepper, spring onions and lime leaves and cook for 5 more minutes till vegetables are tender.
10. Taste to balance all the flavors. It should be spicy, sweet and tangy.
11. Serve this steaming thai chicken curry with coconut rice.

Coconut rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Basmati rice
• 3/4 cup coconut milk (60%)
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Lower the heat, cover and cook till all the water has got absorbed and the rice  is cooked.
3. Fluff up with a fork and serve.

Other Thai recipes

Thai Pumpkin Sweet Potato Curry