Chicken in Thai Green Curry

I have always eaten at Thai joints in Mumbai but never attempted making this delicious dish till yesterday. It was good fun experimenting but I was nervous as we had a couple of our friends over for dinner. It turns out that the I managed making this dish quiet well. The secret I guess is the Thai green curry paste which I made from scratch. Hope you like it... :)

Thai Green Curry Paste ingredients:
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tsp salt
3 inch ginger OR 6 thin strips of galangal, chopped
2 stalks of lemon grass, white part only, peeled and chopped
2 tsp chopped kafir lime zest
1/4th cup finely chopped coriander OR you can also use about 15 cilantro roots, chopped
1/4th cup finely chopped pink shallots (small onions)
2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric powder OR you may use 2 tsp of peeled and coarsely chopped fresh turmeric for enhanced flavor.
20 fresh, small green chillies
2 cups of fresh sweet Thai basil leaves

In a small frying pan on a medium heat toast the coriander, cummin seeds and peppercorn separately, stirring constantly, until fragrant, no more than 90 seconds. Immediately grind the toasted spice with salt into fine powder. Add all the other ingredients and grind into a fine paste.
You should have approximately 250 gms of Green Curry Paste which you can use over 3 times. We will need 1/3rd the portion for our curry. You can refrigerate the remaining for future use.

Green Curry Ingredients:
2 cups (500ml) of thick coconut milk
1-2 tbsp of vegetable oil (optional)
1/3rd portion (60gms) of the Green Curry Paste
375 gms boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped egg plant
1/4th cup pea egg plant (optional)
1/2 cup button mushroom, halved
2 tbsp palm sugar
2 kaffir lime leaves
1/2 cup fresh sweet basil leaves
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 long green chilli split from the center for garnishing

In a large heavy wok heat 2 1/3 parts of the coconut milk over medium high heat for about 4-5 minutes till you see the milk separate. If you find that the milk's not separating add the oil. Add the green curry paste and stir. Cook till you can smell the fragrance of the paste, should be about 2-3 minutes.

Add chicken and cook until meat is opaque on all sides, about 2-3 minutes more. Keep aside about 2 tbsp coconut milk and add the remaining coconut milk to the wok. Bring to a boil. Now add the palm sugar, eggplant & mushroom and simmer until the vegetables are soft, approximately 5-6 minutes. Tear the kaffir lime leaves and the basil leaves into pieces. Add to the curry. Stir in the fish sauce. Cook for about a minute.

Remove curry from heat. Pour into serving dish. add the 2 tbsp of coconut milk, a handful of fresh basil leaves and the green chilli. Serve with steamed rice.