Green Curry Chicken

By BobD

Nigel Slater, a host of PBS's Great Food, says, "The first recipe I cooked on television was this green curry. I presented it in a beautiful brass bowl I bought in Thailand. And I was so pleased with it. But my dishwasher, who is Thai, looked at it and said, 'Why did you put the food in that brass bowl? That's a bowl we use for bathing.'"

Ingredients

• 4 stalks of fresh lemongrass, bottom 4 inches thinly sliced
• 6 jalapeños, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• One 2-inch piece of peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon minced lime zest
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
• 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps quartered
• One 14-ounce can coconut milk
• 2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 8 lime leaves or one-inch-wide strips of lime zest
• 1 tablespoon brined green peppercorns, drained
• 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup shredded basil
• Steamed rice and lime wedges, for serving

Details

Servings 6
Cooking time 75mins
Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and pulse to a paste.

In a large, heavy casserole, heat the peanut oil. Add half of the chicken and cook over high heat until browned all over, about 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken and cook over high heat until browned all over, about 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Add the mushrooms to the casserole and cook over moderately high heat until softened and just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the coconut milk, stock, lime leaves, peppercorns, 2 tablespoon of the fish sauce, 1/2 cup of the cilantro, 1/4 cup of the basil and a heaping 1/4 cup of the curry paste. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the casserole. Add 1 tablespoon of the curry paste and simmer for 5 minutes. (Reserve the remaining curry paste for another use.)

Just before serving, add the remaining 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1/2 cup cilantro and 1/4 cup basil. Serve the chicken curry in deep bowls , with rice and lime wedges.