Passport & Plate - Green Chicken Curry (Gaeng Kiaow Wan Gai)
Thailand | Monday, March 2, 2015 | 5 photos
Ingredients
- 2-3 tbsp of Green Curry Paste
- 3/4 cup of sliced Chicken Breast, 1/2" thick
- 2 cans of Coconut Milk
- 2 Kaffir Lime Leaves, shredded
- 1/3 cup of shredded Sweet Basil Leaves
- 1/2 cup of chopped Eggplant (or cherry tomatoes)
- 1 chili, sliced (optional for those who want a little more heat)
- 2-3 tbsp of Fish Sauce
- 1-2 tbsp of Sugar
How to prepare this recipe1. Heat a wok or heavy bottom pan with some cooking oil on medium heat. Add in the green curry paste and fry for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Add in coconut milk and the chopped chicken breasts and turn the heat up to high until boiling.
3. Once boiling, bring the heat down to medium-low before adding the fish sauce and sugar. Taste and adjust the curry with more fish sauce and sugar as needed.
4. Add in the chopped eggplant and cook for a few more minutes.
5. Add in the kaffir lime leaves, sweet basil leaves, and chili (if you chose to add the chili for a spicier curry). Cook for one more minute before turning off the heat and serving over freshly cooked jasmine rice.
The story behind this recipeOne of the things I fell wildly in love with after my initial visit to Thailand in 2010 was the food there. A vivid treat for the senses in every way, I was enraptured by the wickedly flavorful and unforgettable food there yet sad to find Thai cuisine in Korea was but a pale comparison. So, on my most recent visit to Thailand last year, I enrolled in a Thai cooking class. I toured the local market with a Thai chef as he carefully explained the unique and fascinating spices and ingredients acting as the foundation of Thai cuisine. After my familiarization with them, I got to cooking and recreating these dishes for the first time. Though the kitchen was outdoors and in the hot, humid Thailand climate, I completely enjoyed myself as I was lost in chopping, stir frying, and serving my way through a number of beloved Thai dishes.
Before I returned to Korea, I stopped by the local market to pick up some of these spices and ingredients which I eagerly brought back to my home kitchen in Seoul. The first dish I made after my return was the fiery yet creamy and delicious green curry with chicken. As soon as the spicy curry paste made contact with the heated wok in my home, and later when the creamy coconut milk and sharp spices were added, the wonderful aroma and myriad of cooking sounds immediately transported me back to Thailand. I had the pressure of having a couple of other Thailand-loving friends over for our Thai dinner so I was understandably a little nervous. Yet as soon as our spoons scooped up our first bite of the curry with rice, we marveled at the taste and scents- as though we were greeting an old friend- and our conversation over our delicious dinner was a merry one as we shared our Thailand stories (and all this despite it being freezing winter in Korea!)
While we immediately think of photographs and videos as the best ways to capture our memories abroad, the recipes I learned and recreated from Thailand in Korea taught me food works just as well!
