Thai Green Curry with Basil

I had a chicken breast sitting in the fridge which had to be used, and my basil plants are looking healthy, so I decided to make a Thai-style green curry (as always, my recipes are authentically-based, but not truly authentic because I can’t resist fiddling with things).

My first dish cooked with one of my plants this year! I haven’t cooked with homegrown anything since I was a child. This is also the first time I’ve cooked with Ceylon cinnamon (”true” cinnamon; what we call cinnamon is really cassia), and I cannot rave about it enough. It has an amazing, delicate, slightly citrusy scent and flavor. Unfortunately, it has a short shelf life when ground (so we’ll be looking for cinnamon recipes, since I bought two ounces of it).

I used chicken because it had to be used and we’re basically out of vegetables (and most other food items: grocery shopping must be done), so this is very basic. You could of course use other meats and/or vegetables, and even chiles if you want it to be spicier. I based the recipe on Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce at Abstract Gourmet, but I messed with the spices quite a bit.

This is a mildly spicy curry. For more heat, add chiles or use extra curry paste. For less, cut the amount of curry paste.

Thai Green Curry with Basil

Serves 3 or so

Ingredients:

3 skinless boneless chicken breasts or 4 thighs, cut into pieces
Oil for frying (use oil with a neutral flavor and high smoke point, such as safflower)

1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground Ceylon (”true”) cinnamon (you can use cassia if you don’t have any)
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
pinch of turmeric
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 tsp lemongrass paste or finely chopped fresh lemongrass
1 tsp Thai green curry paste (Mae Ploy is very good, but I use Thai Kitchen’s since I don’t cook it often)*

6 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 inches fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1/2 – 1 can coconut milk, depending on how much chicken you have and how watery you want the sauce
Fish sauce to taste
Juice of one lime (~2 tbl)

A few leaves of fresh basil (preferably Thai basil)

Instructions:

1. Mix together coriander, cloves, Ceylon cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, salt, pepper, lemongrass paste, and green curry paste in a bowl large enough for the chicken.

2. Cut the chicken into bite sizes chunks and add to bowl with spice paste, mushing the paste around on the chicken (yes, this requires touching the raw chicken).

3. Heat a little oil in a wok. Fry the ginger and garlic on medium heat until fragrant but not brown.

4. Add the chicken and brown.

5. Add coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and coconut milk somewhat reduced.

6. Add a dash or two of fish sauce (1-3 tbl) and the lime juice. Add the basil and cook another minute or two.

7. Remove from heat and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

*Authentic Thai curry paste brands like Mae Ploy have shrimp paste in them. Thai Kitchen’s pastes are vegan, if that’s a concern. On that note, if you don’t eat fish sauce, you could substitute a little soy sauce, or just leave it out.