Thai Jungle Curry with Chicken

A water-based curry bursting with so many veggies and herbs it's like a "jungle" in a bowl. With no coconut milk this curry is light and healthy, but still satisfying because of the bold flavours. Oh and it's HOT.

Ingredients

Quick-Fix Jungle Curry Paste

▢ 4-5 tablespoon red curry paste
▢ 3-5 green Thai chilies, or as many as you can take
▢ 2 tablespoon fingerroot (grachai), chopped
▢ 2 tablespoon lemongrass, thinly sliced

Notes

Spur chilies or prik chee fa are large mild red peppers which we use to add colour to many dishes. You can substitute red bell pepper or any other medium-to-mild red peppers.
To make toasted rice powder, simply toast 1 ½ tablespoon uncooked jasmine or sticky rice in a dry saute pan over high heat, stirring constantly, until it has a deep brown colour. Then grind in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.

Instructions

For the quick-fix jungle curry paste:

If you don't want to make it too spicy, remove the seeds and pith from the green chilies, then pound them in a mortar and pestle until fine. Add grachai and lemongrass and pound into a fine paste.
3-5 green Thai chilies, 2 tablespoon fingerroot (grachai), 2 tablespoon lemongrass
Add the red curry paste and pound to mix. The curry paste will last in the fridge for a few days and can be frozen for a few months.
4-5 tablespoon red curry paste

For the curry:

In a heavy-bottomed pot, add the oil and the curry paste and saute over medium heat for about 2 minutes.
2 tablespoon neutral oil
Add the chicken and toss with the curry paste, then add the stock and simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the chicken is fork tender.
12 oz boneless skinless chicken thigh, 2½ cups unsalted chicken stock
Once the chicken is done, add the sugar and 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce and stir to mix. Add the long beans, baby corn, eggplant, young peppercorns, grachai, and makrut lime leaves and simmer for a few more minutes until the vegetables are done to your liking.
1-2 tablespoon fish sauce, 2 teaspoon finely chopped palm sugar, 4.2 oz long beans, 8 baby corn, 4 Thai eggplant, 2 stems young green peppercorns, ¼ cup julienned fingerroot (grachai), 4-5 makrut lime leaves
Turn off the heat and stir in the spur chilies or bell pepper, holy basil, and toasted rice powder, using just the residual heat to gently wilt the basil. Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce as needed.
2 spur chilies, 1 cup holy basil leaves, 1 ½ tablespoon toasted rice powder
Serve with jasmine rice, enjoy!

For from-scratch jungle curry paste:

Grind the dried chilies into a powder using a coffee grinder.
0.7 oz mild dried chilies
In a heavy-duty mortar and pestle, add the green chilies, salt, and white peppercorns; pound into a fine paste.
3-5 green Thai chilies, 1 teaspoon coarse grain salt, ¼ teaspoon white peppercorns
Add the lemongrass, galangal, grachai, makrut lime zest, and cilantro roots; pound into a fine paste.
1 stalk lemongrass, bottom half only, 1 tablespoon galangal, 2 tablespoon fingerroot (grachai), 1 teaspoon makrut lime zest, 1 teaspoon cilantro roots or stems
Add the ground chilies and pound to mix.
Add the shallots and garlic and pound into a fine paste. Add the shrimp paste and pound to mix.
3 tablespoon shallots, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 teaspoon fermented shrimp paste (gapi)

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