danny6114: Cuury Chicken (can use pork)

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Cuury Chicken (can use pork)

Maybe not the prettiest . . .

. . . but it is the best tasting I've made so far! This is my latest green curry:

Please remember, as you look at it, that it is, you know, green. And that it is steaming hot so the steam is making it look blurry. I think.

Let's try again. Here's another one:

Wow. Not even better.

I'm not defending my photos so much as I just think you shouldn't be put off by them. I just think you should, if you like green curry and you've been following my green-curry odyssey, make it immediately.

I used the recipe from the October 2008 issue of the British edition ofCountry Living magazine as my base, tweaking it with American measurements and to reflect what I had on hand. I know that lots of people suggested that I use coconut cream instead of coconut milk when I wastalking about green curry a few weeks ago, but I have never seen coconut cream available in any of the grocery stores I shop at? (Not to be confused with cream of coconut, which is what you put in your pina colada). Only coconut milk. Maybe I need to go to the Asian market. But I think the brand I used last night was A Taste of Thai, and it seemed like it was all cream, and very little watery stuff at the bottom. Sometimes you open the can and there's this thin little layer of cream on top, with a big can of water below it. But I think I'm going to stick with Taste of Thai from now on, because whatever the reason, this was as creamy and thick as I could want. I'll shut up now and give you the recipe.

Thai Green Curry Chicken
Kosher salt, black pepper
6 free-range boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 large shallots, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon green curry paste (I used A Taste of Thai brand for this as well)
14 oz. can of coconut milk
1/2 c. chicken stock
Small squirt of lemongrass paste (can't remember where I got this, but I just keep the tube in the freezer — if you don't have it, don't sweat it)
2 medium-hot red chiles
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 heaped teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 c. chopped fresh basil
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Season the tops of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper; turn them over and season the other side. Place in a 9" x 13" baking dish along with the lime wedges. Drizzle with oil and and bake for 25 minutes, turning over halfway through.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan and saute the shallots and garlic until they soften. Stir in the curry paste and cook for a few minutes longer. Add the coconut milk, chicken stock, lemongrass paste, and whole chiles. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. When chicken is cooked, remove the pan from the oven and shred the chicken into big chunks. Add the chicken chunks and the roasted lime wedges to the sauce. Add the fish sauce, sugar, and herbs and simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve over hot jasmine rice.

I'm still really worried about that photo. Perhaps you'd just like to see the (vintage — sorry, no info!) bowl instead, and use your imagination. . . .