Green Curry with Chicken - Gang Kiew Wan Gai แกงเขียวหวานไก่

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I love Google Translations, both because it's servicable, but also because it can be simply hilarious. After seeing so many Thai green curry recipes on the net with ingredients or methods that seem to have gone through an equivalent of a translation machine, let me offer how we do it. More important, this is the most requested recipe by you, our readers.

Thai green curry with chicken was a classic take-me-to-the-temple curry. Patrons would bring green curry with chicken (chicken with bones, chicken blood and gizzard) and eggplants to offer to the monks at temples. My family was not a big fan on chicken blood and gizzard, so I'll leave those out.

Thai green curry is fiery hot with a hint of sweetness. The curry paste is made with fresh green Thai chili peppers. Some people even add additional whole fresh pepper to the curry before serving. I'll stick with mild green curry, so I made my own curry paste.

2-3 Servings, Prep Time: 25 Minutes, Total Time: 25 Minutes

1 lb chicken
1 thinly sliced chili pepper
1 cup coconut milk
1-2 tablespoons green curry paste
6-7 quartered eggplants
2 tablespoons fish sauce
4-5 kaffir lime leaves
1/4 cup pea eggplant
1 tablespoon sugar
3 sprigs Thai basil
1 cup water

Tips and Techniques

Some brands of green curry paste can be very spicy hot. Start with one tablespoon first before increasing the amount.
Green curry should not be sweet like dessert but should have a hint of sweet.
If you curry paste is old or not quite green, add a few ground fresh pepper leaves in. If fresh pepper leaves are not available, use mild leafy green instead. This will give you beautiful fresh green without the heat like chili pepper would.

Method

Prepping: I choose ½ breast and 1 leg to get the balance of flavor and convenience. It’s easier and sometimes preferred to serve chicken breast, however, it’s the bones that give the curry the full flavor. Cut the breast meat into bite size. You can cut chicken leg into smaller pieces, but it is not necessary.

Quarter the eggplants. Wash and pick pea eggplants from stems. Wash and pick kaffir lime leaves by ripping the center stems from the leaves. In Thailand you'd use a slightly hot pepper called prig chee fah, but in the US, I substitute a sweet chili pepper (similar to a red bell pepper). Slice the chili thin, lengthwise. Wash and pick Thai basil.

Cooking: Into a pot over medium heat, pour half of the coconut milk and green curry paste. If your coconut milk separates and has cream on the top, use the cream. Mix the paste with coconut milk well. Keep stirring to prevent bottom from sticking and burning. You may need to lower the heat if it splatters too much. Keep stirring until you see greenish oil form. The coconut oil is pulling the color and fragrance out from the spices. This green oil will be floating beautifully in your curry, like in picture 5 (click it to make it bigger).

Add chicken into the curry mixture. Stir to coat the chicken for a couple minutes, until it is partially cooked. Add the eggplants, but hold off on the pea eggplants. Stir more. Add the rest of coconut milk and 1 cup of water. Let it simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Add the pea eggplants. Add the seasonings; fish sauce and sugar. Taste for the balance flavors, salty with a hint of sweet. Add the slivers of red chili pepper and kaffir lime leaves. Let it boil one more time. When you are ready to serve, add the Thai basil. Stir to mix the basil in and immediately turn off the heat to keep the basil green. Quickly pour onto serving bowl.