food for fall: green thai curry

Sun’s out but the chill is palpable – fall's here and winter’s around the corner. Trading bikinis and skirts for scarves, boots and ear muffs. Goodbye salads and light bites; hello warm soup, hearty stews and hot curries.

Mmm. Curry - possibly the best fall/winter warmer ever (hey you can't eat cuddles can you?). I like Thai-style curries best; Chinese curry tends to go on the sweet side, Indian goes on same-ish. The Thai version, I find, is a great balance of sweet and savoury so it's more fragrant and more exciting to eat. The packed heat from the chilis is a direct invite for more spoonfuls and the aromatic fusion of galangal, lemongrass and coconut cream is just so refreshing. Yum.

Recipe under the cut

Here's a quick recipe for a quick green thai curry. I'm cheating by using curry paste (hey it works for the working masses). If you have more time on your hands and fancied making your own paste there's a whole lot of recipes on the net like this trusty one from the BBC Food website.

Here's what you'll need:

• 450g mini chicken breast fillets
• 200ml carton coconut cream
• 3 tbsp Thai green curry paste
• 50g diced semi-boiled potatoes
• 1/4 aubergine, diced
• 1 red onion
• 1 Tbsp groundnut oil
• red chillies, thinly sliced
• Thai basil
• lime juice
• fish sauce
• Handful chopped fresh coriander, plus extra leaves to garnish

Here's what you have to do:

 

1. Heat the oil in a wok. Add the curry paste and stir for just over a minute.
2. Add the coconut milk slowly, and keep stirring until a thin film of oil appears on the surface.
3. Reduce the heat and stir in the chicken and other ingredients except the aubergine. Bring to a boil and cook until the chicken begins to change colour.
4. When it is at a boil again add the eggplant and continue until the chicken is cooked through.
5. Let the curry simmer for a few minutes so the sauce gets slightly thick. When it's done, let it cool for a bit.
6. Garnish with chopped Thai basil andred chili. Serve with lots of fragrant jasmine rice and whatever veg you want. I like green Thai curry with string beans. Yum.

I'd love to have this for dindin tonight. Shame it's Meatless Monday!