Thai Green Chicken Curry with Green Beans and Basil

I know, I know I’m using jarred curry paste here and some may think this is cheating but they are so good and it means that you can have dinner on the table in no time. Jarred curry pastes vary enormously from mild in flavour and heat to fiery, generally the ones made in Thailand are hotter. You can usually tell how hot the paste is depending on where chilli’s appear on the list of ingredients. Thai flavours really are a balance of salty, sweet, sour and heat and I like to adjust the flavour at the very end with some fish sauce, lime or lemon juice and sugar. The paste I’m using here is quite mild and a good choice for families with small children or for those that can’t “handle the heat”!

Ingredients

• 1 tsp neutral oil
• 700gm chicken thigh fillets, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
• Jarred green curry paste
• 1 tin coconut milk
• 2 tsp fish sauce, additional for finishing
• 1 tsp brown sugar, additional for finishing
• 200gm green beans, topped and halved if long
• 1/2 bunch basil, washed, leaves picked (about 1 cup)
• 1 lime
• Coriander to serve (optional)
• Steamed jasmine rice to serve

Method

Heat a wok over a high heat, add the oil and cook the diced chicken for 3 to 4 minutes to seal.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the curry paste a cook for 1 minute until fragrant. (How much you add depends on the brand of jarred paste. Use the direction on the jar as a guide. Here I added 2/3 of the jar).

Add the tin of coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the beans and cook 5 – 8 minutes further or until cooked to your liking.

Add the basil and cook until wilted.

Taste for seasoning and balance. Adding fish sauce, sugar etc to taste and a good squeeze of lime for brightness.

Serve with steamed jasmine rice and coriander with extra lime on the side. Enjoy. Sheryl x