Chicken Curry

If a less spicy dish is preferred, remove the seeds from the dried chillies before using.

serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp Cooking oil
• 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) Chicken, cut into 8-10 pieces Chicken
• 1 litre (32 fl oz / 4 cups) Coconut milk
• 200 g (7 oz) Pickled bamboo shoots
• 3 Kaffir lime leaves
• 2 Tbsp Fish sauce
• Salt, to taste
• Sugar, to taste
• 50 g (2 oz) Thai sweet basil, chopped

Paste

• 10 Shallots, peeled
• 4 cloves Garlic, peeled
• 4 stalks Lemon grass, tough outer leaves removed, ends trimmed and sliced
• 6 Coriander roots (cilantro)
• 1-cm (½-in) Galangal knob, peeled
• 1 Tbsp Coriander seeds
• 2 Tsp Ground black pepper
• 1 Kaffir lime, grated for zest
• 2 Kaffir lime leaves
• 15-20 Dried chillies, seeded, if preferred
• 2 Tsp Dried prawn (shrimp) paste, crushed

( Metric Cooking Conversion )

Procedures:

1. Combine ingredients for paste in a blender and process until fine.
2. Heat cooking oil in a wok and sauté paste until fragrant. Add chicken and coconut milk, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
3. When chicken is cooked and tender, add bamboo shoots, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, salt, sugar and basil leaves. Simmer for another 10 minutes, then remove from heat and serve hot with plain rice.