a better chicken curry

I've never found "indian" spices appeal much.

Chop an onion. Set it frying in a pan with not too little oil.

Dollop in quantitiy of Thai Red Curry Paste - more for hotter obviously. (Make this ahead of time or buy pre-made, in which case Sainsbury's is actually rather good, Bart's not as good but not bad.) Note - once the paste starts to fry the fumes are quite acrid suggest not inhaling deeply of them.

Lob in a couple of chiken breasts diced up to "bite size".

Stir to seal off the chicken, then pour in a can of coconut milk.

Reduce heat.

Simmer for half an hour. During which time add a red pepper cut to
large matchsticks, perhaps some mushrooms if you like (if you want a
veggie version, skip the chicken, and add a wider range of veg at this
point - mushrooms, courgettes, aubergine, small corn cobblets, mange-tout peas, green beans, it's all good).

Taste. Adjust. You can add more paste if you want it hotter, or just add some cayenne or crushed chilli. You can add more coconut milk if you want it milder.

When you're almost ready to serve, sling in a couple of good handfuls of frozen peas. Let it come back to the simmer and give it 30 seconds to thaw and warm the peas then serve. (UNLESS you can get hold of pea-aubergines. In which case, don't add peas, add pea-aubergines, which will need about five minutes. But note that these take quite a while to pick off the stalks they are normally supplied still stuck to so don't leave THAT to the last minute.)

4 comments to this

sasha said on 24 Feb 2006 at 16:14:23:

Can you provide instructions as to how to make your own red thai curry paste?

hem said on 27 Feb 2006 at 10:58:40:

nice one chris; now how about you posting your chocolate tart recipe before I do and claim the accolades for it ;)

ccomley said on 27 Feb 2006 at 11:25:59:

I'm sure you wouldn't wish to incur the wrath of the taloned one! :-)

I'll do it in due course, but, it has to be said, it's *mainly* a Rhodes recipe with a couple of tweaks - one has to wonder where to draw the line.

The Xmas pud recipe now, that's all mine, handed down etc... so I will post that - esp as it's just about time to start making the puds for Xmas 2007.

hem said on 01 Mar 2006 at 10:11:06:

I say publish and be damned! (just attribute it)