Green Chicken Curry

A wonderfully fragrant herby curry with a little kick. Some call it a "Thai" curry but, having never been to Thailand, i couldn't say. For a less fiery number just add less chillies, if you want more heat leave the seeds in.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

8 large boneless chicken thighs
4 small finger green chillies – deseed and roughly chop
2 shallots – peel and roughly chop
2 thumbs of root ginger – peel and roughly chop
4 cloves of garlic – peel and roughly chop
2 sticks of lemon grass – finely chopped
4 kaffir lime leaves
1 x 400ml tin of coconut cream
¼ pint of chicken stock
¼ pint of double cream
A small handful each of mint, basil and corriander
salt to taste

Method:

1. Place the chillies, shallots, ginger, garlic, lemon grass and lime leaves in a food processor and blitz to a paste.

2. Cut the chicken into thick strips, place in a large bowl and add the paste. Stir to coat then refridgerate for 1 hour.

3. Place a saucepan over a high heat and add the oil. Pick the chicken from the bowl, scrape off any exces marinade but reserve. Add the chicken to the pan and cook until sealed on all sides then add the reserved marinade (if you add it too early it will burn) and cook for one minute.

4. Add the stock and bring to the boil, scraping up any crusty bits from the pan. Add the coconut cream and double cream, bring to the the boil and simmer for 5-6 minutes.

5. Chop the herbs and add to the sauce. Serve with Pilau Rice.

If you are in a rush simply replace the first step with shop-bought green curry paste, there are some decent ones available. Two to three tablspoons should do the trick but brands tend to vary in strength and heat so there will be a bit of trial and error.