Ok, so it may be time to quieten down on the Thai curry off-shoot repertoire as I am beginning to feel that I may be overdoing it slightly…. however, my Wife introduced me to this and I have to say, if you are after a recipe that is fresh, but with a little fire in it’s belly, then this may be the answer for you.

It takes the red curry base (well, most of it, there is a subtle difference!) and adds another dimension and provides a really great alternative from a neighbouring nation. Please see my previous article regarding red curry for the base recipe.

The base is similar to the red curry, however, rather than ,galangal just add the same quantity of ginger as a substitute and, do not add any coriander root or seeds, black peppercorns or cumin seeds. Also, add a teaspoon of tumeric, which will give it great orange/yellow colour once it is all blitzed together. For the best tasting curry, I have found that doubling the amount of paste from my previous post gives more flavour and adds a little more heat. As with any curry, increase or reduce the number of chillies to suit your own taste/tolerance or guests taste/tolerance. It’s amazing how quickly you can build up your tolerance to chilli heat and I have fallen foul in the past of making paste that I thought was fairly tame, only to see steam pouring from friends’ ears and their faces turn a shocking state of red, whilst politely asking for a drink or two…!

For the rest of the ingredients, use the following:

• Chicken thighs (skinned and boned, quantity to your choosing, I used about 1/2 kg) cut into bite-sized pieces
• A couple of good-sized onions
• 3 or 4 kaffir lime leaves (you can either get these fresh from your local supplier or, dried from most supermarkets)
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 2 or 3 star anise
• 1 Can of coconut milk
• 100 to 200ml of chicken stock
• 1 Tablespoon of palm sugar
• 2 Tablespoons of light soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons of fish sauce (don’t use any more as it can turn the sauce too salty)
• Green beans

And the fun bit….

• Make up the curry paste, in a similar vein to the red curry paste.
• Heat some oil in a pan and add the curry paste until it becomes fragrant
• Add the onion until it softens
• Add the chicken and cook until browned
• Add the coconut milk, chicken stock, palm sugar, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves, soy sauce, cinnamon and star anise and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour (depending on how much stock you have added). I have found that the longer you leave this, the better it tastes, however, don’t over-do it otherwise you will end up with dry, stringy chicken….
• Season to your taste and add the green beans for a few minutes – they add a great crunch to the dish
• Serve!

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do; it’s a firm favourite with our friends and family