Thai chicken curry recipe

When my friend and colleague Marie Nightingale wrote Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens in 1970, I am quite sure she would never have considered including a Thai green curry recipe as a featured entree. But the one thing that always impressed me about Marie — my Nova Scotia culinary idol — was her love of all the wonderful new dishes and flavours introduced to the province. Honestly, can you even imagine our cities and towns without sushi restaurants? I certainly can’t. I don’t know if Marie ever made any curry, but I do know that she was immensely proud of every hardworking young chef and cook who enriched Nova Scotia’s culinary landscape. In Halifax, Thai restaurants are incredibly popular — the food is full of bright, balanced flavours and endless variety. Like Marie, I’m grateful to live in a city that embraces so many different types of cuisine.

Ingredients

Two 8 fl oz cans (500 mL) coconut milk

Green Curry Paste (recipe follows)

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 8 oz/250 g each), thinly sliced

2 carrots, thinly sliced on diagonal

1 red onion, coarsely chopped

1 sweet red pepper, coarsely chopped

1 small 6 fl oz can (200 mL) bamboo shoots

Big handful fresh snow peas

1 cup (250 mL) sliced shiitake mushrooms

4 green onions, cut in 1-inch (2.5 cm) lengths

Green Curry Paste

1 stalk lemongrass, tough outer leaves removed

8 green chili peppers, halved and seeded

5 cloves garlic

2 shallots, coarsely chopped

1 bunch cilantro, thoroughly washed and coarsely chopped

1 piece gingerroot (about 2-in/5 cm long), coarsely chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp (30 mL) fish sauce

2 tbsp (30 mL) soy sauce

2 tbsp (30 mL) liquid honey

2 tsp (10 mL) sesame oil

2 tsp (10 mL) cumin seeds

2 tsp (10 mL) coriander seeds

1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) salt

Finely chop lemongrass; transfer to large glass measure. Toss in chili peppers, garlic, shallots, cilantro, gingerroot, lime zest and juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, honey, oil, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and salt to thoroughly mix. Transfer to food processor; process on high, scraping down sides once or twice, until blended and smooth. If not using immediately, transfer to airtight container and refrigerate for up to 7 days.
Makes 1¼ cups (310 mL)

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Thai chicken curry recipe