I cooked a lot of Thai food simply because it was my other half favourite cuisine.

He was endearingly known as the "hot-stuff" for his love for spice and high tolerance of heat. He has often been told he looks a decade younger than his actual age and he credits it to his love of the red hot chillies. (which is why we have a steady supply of fresh chillies in the fridge at all time)
We would scour the streets of his favourite holiday destination- Thailand, for authentic Thai food.
Those were happy and "spicy" days.

If you have been to Thailand or eaten Thai food, you most likely have had this dish. It is sort of a national dish along with the tangy mango and papaya salad and Tom Yum soup.

When I host a Thai dinner, this dish is a must-have for its authenticity and smooth execution in a home kitchen.

There are some recipes where I will stubbornly insist making the paste from scratch, but I am all for store bought green curry paste.
They are delicious. I recently cooked a batch using store-bought paste, and my co-volunteers were surprised at the authentic taste it delivered.


Do not panicked if you find the store-bought curry salty; just add in some Thai palm sugar. This crucial ingredient helps balance the flavours and at the same time lend some sweetness to the curry.

My co-volunteers were also introduced to some fresh Thai vegetables.

The fresh peppercorns are beautiful - like a miniature bunch of grapes.
I love biting into these tiny green peppercorns, not just the berries but the whole sprig. I like the refreshing burst of flavour and the mild heat that follow.



The Thai eggplant - green, white round ones are essential ingredients for Thai curry, they become softer as they absorb the flavour of the curry. Add them only at the last 5 mins of cooking.


Pea eggplant - cooked in curry or eaten fresh with chilli sauce looks like a cluster of green peas with short stems. I like that they burst in my mouth when eaten with curry.


I often think these fresh, authentic ingredients is the main reason that allows me to cook this dish with such confidence.

Cheers to your "spicy" weekends!


You will need:
3-4 chicken legs (deboned and sliced)
1-2 tablespoon of green curry chillies paste
1 cup coconut milk
1-2 tablespoon palm sugar
Thai eggplants
1/4 cup of pea eggplant
2-3 sprigs of fresh peppercorns (optional)
1/4 cup of Thai basil
1 cup water
5 kaffir lime leaves
1 fresh red chillies (sliced) for garnish


Methods:

1. Heat up a pot and pour in half of the coconut milk and stir for a couple of minutes. Add in the curry paste and mix well. Keep stirring till you see a layer of greenish oil forming.



2. Add in the chicken pieces and stir to coat until it is partially cooked. Add in the rest of the coconut milk and water. Let it simmer till chicken is cooked.

3. Toss in the eggplants, peppercorns, season to taste with palm sugar. Tear and add in the lightly crushed kaffir leaves and let boil.


4. Mix in the basil leaves when ready to serve and turn off heat.




Cooks' Notes:

1. The store-bought paste can be salty, add in palm sugar to balance the flavours and the heat.
2. Instead of chicken, try pork or beef
3. I use chicken leg as they are more tender than the breast meat which appears dry
4. Fish sauce is optional, if using Mae Ploy brand, no fish sauce is needed
5. If you can't find Thai eggplants, use the long purple ones
6. Mix in the basil leaves only when ready to serve to preserve the green colour
7. Add more coconut cream if you like your curry thick
8. Soak the eggplants in lightly salted water to prevent it turning brown