Name: Palisa Anderson’s gaeng keow wan gai (Thai green chicken curry)
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 140 min
Yield: 6 - 8
Ingredients: 40 gm lard or sunflower oil; 425 ml canned coconut cream, unshaken; 250 ml (1 cup) coconut milk; 1 whole chicken (1-1.5kg), cut into 12 pieces; 250 ml (1 cup) chicken stock; 75 ml fish sauce (or to taste); 2 tbsp soft palm sugar; 10 apple eggplant (see note), quartered and placed in acidulated water; 3 long green silken Thai eggplant (see note), cut into 4cm chunks and placed in acidulated water; 1½ cups pea eggplant (see note), trimmed and placed in acidulated water; 15 makrut lime leaves, deveined and torn; 4 long red chillies, whole or thinly sliced (optional); 2½ cups (loosely packed) Thai basil, with flowering tops; Steamed jasmine rice or fermented rice noodles (see note), to serve; Green curry paste; 10 white peppercorns, dry-roasted; 2 tsp coriander seeds, dry-roasted; 1 tsp cumin seeds, dry-roasted; 6 gm (1cm piece) galangal, thinly sliced; Peeled zest of 1 makrut lime, coarsely chopped; 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, thinly sliced; 4 red shallots, coarsely chopped; 10 long green chillies, coarsely chopped; 15 green birdseye chillies, coarsely chopped; 1 head of garlic, cloves coarsely chopped; 5 coriander roots, coarsely chopped; 1 tsp shrimp paste; ½ cup birdseye chilli leaves (optional; see note)

Palisa Anderson’s gaeng keow wan gai (Thai green chicken curry)

Drop that takeaway menu. Once you've tried making curry paste from scratch, you'll never look back.

Serves 6 - 8

Prep

Cook

1H 20M

Total

2H 20M

“We make this a lot at home when there’s any feasting or celebrating to be done,” says Palisa Anderson of Sydney’s Chat Thai. “It’s still one of the most popular curries at the restaurant, for good reason – it’s as comforting and soothing as any chicken soup, but with a kick and warmth that really invigorates. Always make a big pot, it can be portioned and frozen. For most of these recipes, as in most Thai cooking, you will need a mortar and pestle; it’s probably my most used piece of equipment at home. It’s worth investing in a stone one that can fit at least a litre.”

Ingredients

40 gm lard or sunflower oil

425 ml canned coconut cream, unshaken

250 ml (1 cup) coconut milk

1 whole chicken (1-1.5kg), cut into 12 pieces

250 ml (1 cup) chicken stock

75 ml fish sauce (or to taste)

2 tbsp soft palm sugar

10 apple eggplant (see note), quartered and placed in acidulated water

3 long green silken Thai eggplant (see note), cut into 4cm chunks and placed in acidulated water

1½ cups pea eggplant (see note), trimmed and placed in acidulated water

15 makrut lime leaves, deveined and torn

4 long red chillies, whole or thinly sliced (optional)

2½ cups (loosely packed) Thai basil, with flowering tops

Steamed jasmine rice or fermented rice noodles (see note), to serve

Green curry paste

10 white peppercorns, dry-roasted

2 tsp coriander seeds, dry-roasted

1 tsp cumin seeds, dry-roasted

6 gm (1cm piece) galangal, thinly sliced

Peeled zest of 1 makrut lime, coarsely chopped

1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, thinly sliced

4 red shallots, coarsely chopped

10 long green chillies, coarsely chopped

15 green birdseye chillies, coarsely chopped

1 head of garlic, cloves coarsely chopped

5 coriander roots, coarsely chopped

1 tsp shrimp paste

½ cup birdseye chilli leaves (optional; see note)

Method

1.For curry paste, finely grind spices with a mortar and pestle. Add remaining ingredients in order of toughness with ½ tsp salt, pounding them to a paste (alternatively, blend in a food processor until smooth, but the mortar and pestle will give you better colour and fragrance).

2.Heat lard in a large wok or saucepan over medium heat. Add curry paste and the head of coconut cream skimmed from top of can, and stir until fragrant and oil separates (12-15 minutes). Add coconut milk and simmer over low heat until thickened (30 minutes). Increase heat to high, add chicken and stock, cover with a lid and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked and flavour deepens (30 minutes). Add fish sauce, seasoning to taste, and stir in palm sugar and remaining coconut cream.

3.Increase heat to medium, then drain eggplant, add to wok, and simmer until tender (5 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in lime leaf, chilli and basil, and serve with rice.

Apple, green and pea eggplant are available from select Asian and Thai grocers. Substitute purple Japanese eggplant. Fermented rice noodles, or kanom jeen, are available from select Asian grocers. Substitute rice or somen noodles. If you have a chilli plant, add some leaves to the curry paste.
Drink suggestion: Rich, textural orange wine. Drink suggestion by Max Allen.
Notes

Profile Palisa Anderson

Styling by Lisa Featherby