Thai Chicken Curry

Thai curry is a dish that can be made in about thirty minutes with a few key ingredients; unsweetened coconut milk, lemongrass, fish sauce, ginger and Thai red or green curry paste. Most vegetable can be tossed into the base sauce as well as cut up chicken, pork or seafood. I like to garnish my curries with chopped cilantro and or Thai basil if I have it.

Thai Curry Chicken with Coconut Milk

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 Tb. vegetable oil

3 Tb. red curry paste

1 can coconut milk

2 Tb. light brown sugar

2 tsp. fish sauce

1 -1 inch piece of ginger, sliced very thin

2 cloves garlic, minced 

2 stalks lemongrass, white parts only, cut into 3 inch pieces and smashed with the flat side of a chefs knife

6 Kaffir lime leaves

1 red pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 cup shitake mushrooms, stems removed and halved

1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, sliced thinly

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

1/4 cup Thai basil leaves

2 Thai chilies, sliced into thin rounds, optional

1 1/2 cups cooked jasmine rice

Procedure

1. Heat the oil in a wok or large high sided skillet and add the curry paste, stir fry about 2 minutes, stirring, then add the ginger, garlic, lemongrass and lime leaves, stir fry for 30 seconds and add coconut milk, sugar and fish sauce. Simmer, covered for about 8 minutes until slightly thickened. 
2. Add the pepper, mushrooms and chicken and cook through, about 8 minutes.

3. Taste the sauce and adjust the fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Remove from the heat and add the herbs and chilies. Serve over rice.