Simple Green Chicken Curry

After my trip I felt I had to give you all a touch of Thai. This is a dish I am sure you have all tried in some form or another . I have cooked Green Curry so many times with a variety of ingredients , but this recipe is just so quick and easy you will do it again and again.
Of course you must have the curry paste on hand and a couple of other ingredients are a staple part of Thai cooking, Fish sauce and Palm sugar. You cannot skimp or compromise on these two ingredients. Well at a pinch if you are really stuck you can use brown sugar instead, but it is sweeter than palm sugar I feel, so use less. The other essential is kaffir lime leaves, even those can be bought in a jar on the shelves if you are finding them hard to get.
The secret to the meal is Spicy Sweet and Sour or Salty. There is really no excuse for not having the makings of a great curry in your pantry. They do not have to be purchased at an Asian store either everything is readily available in Australia at the supermarket. Once you have the staples you can make many curries, and this one is made in no time!! Just know your paste ! If using a bought paste they vary greatly in heat so maybe use caution initially if you are not sure.

1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large can coconut cream
2 tablespoon green curry paste
200 gram sliced chicken breast
2 teaspoons palm sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
250 grams small white and red eggplant  or a little less with the tiny pea eggplant as well ( if you can't get these do not use normal eggplant it is too strong ) substitute, kumera or pumpkin chopped into small pieces and some snow peas, or broccoli pieces.
2 kaffir lime leaves torn into small pieces
Extra fresh chilli finely sliced optional


Heat the oil in a large pot or wok. Add the paste and stir until fragrant a minute or two.
Add 1 cup of coconut cream and bring to a simmer. When the oil appears at the edges or surface is shiny, add the chicken and when coloured add the rest of the can of coconut cream, which will be milky or thinner in appearance.
Bring to a boil and add the vegetables of choice with the lime leaves. When the vegetables are cooked add the palm sugar and fish sauce. Garnish with the fresh chilli. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Beef Braised in Coconut Milk

Oh the weather is so cold and miserable at the moment, it is winter after all. The season to stay in doors and cook steaming pots of tasty warming meals. For me these days are perfect for  a slow cooked dish , filling the house with beautiful cooking aromas. So many to choose from, but today I have chosen a dish that is a curry, a beef rendang  it is a relatively dry curry, Indonesian in origin.  Don't let the list of ingredients put you off. Once prepared, sit down and snuggle under a rug, read a book, watch a movie or do some sewing, bliss! Oh you do have to get up and give it a stir every so often !


1 Kilo Beef shoulder, blade or gravy beef

Spice Mix

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 large  french shallots peeled and finely sliced ( you can use onion if you wish )

8 large garlic cloves peeled and chopped

30 grams turmeric fresh if available otherwise a tablespoon of turmeric powder

35 grams of ginger peeled and chopped

35 grams of galangal (this looks a bit like ginger and is available at any good fruit and vegetable shops

35 grams of candlenut ( substitute Brazil nuts if unavailable ) roasted and chopped

3-4 fresh large red  chillies  halved sliced  and seeded ( the dish does require chillies you can use approx 100 gram less or more depending on your tastes)

3/4 teaspoons crushed black pepper

2 lemongrass stalks peeled and finely chopped
3 kaffir lime leaves bruised
3 curry leaves bruised
800 mls  of coconut milk or  2 large tins
800 mls of beef or chicken stock
Note you can use all coconut milk if you wish which is more the tradition but I do find it a little too rich so use half and half. If using all coconut milk it will evaporate faster than half milk and half stock, so you may want to reduce the amount of stock. You can also cook on the stove top for a little longer to reduce the liquid.

Chop the beef into 2-5 approx cm cubes and set aside.
Prepare the spice mix. You can use a mortar and pestle or a food processor, if you have one, otherwise just chop all the ingredients, don't have to be too fine, leaving lemongrass, lime leaves and curry leaves out.
Use a heavy braising or casserole pot, and fry off the spice mix until fragrant and darker in colour. Add half the coconut milk and slowly bring to a simmer. Add the chopped lemongrass, and bruised lime and curry leaves, then your beef cubes to the pot . Simmer gently for a couple of minutes before adding the stock and remaining coconut milk. Cover with lid and place in a slow oven 160 for approx 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender and most of the liquid absorbed.
If the meat is not tender enough but the liquid is absorbed you can continue to cook adding small amounts of coconut milk, on the stove top.
Serve in bowls with steamed rice, yoghurt, a beautiful chutney like Baxters Mango maybe some lime pickle and garnish with some shredded lime leaves or fresh chilli.