Nigel's Green Chicken Curry

Sometimes I feel as though I am truly cursed. I love G with all my heart, but he is a ridiculously fussy eater. The foods that top his “no” list are those same foods that make my mouth water. Goat cheese, crème fraiche, coriander, shrimp, eggplant, red peppers. The list goes on. Since I started this blog I have posted recipes with all of these ingredients. But here’s the catch: he has been travelling on business non-stop and for the last 2 or 3 months I have seen him only on weekends, save for a few days here and there. So, most of my blog-worthy creations have been made while he is away, with no one to consider but me when selecting a recipe and the ingredients, and just me to eat it all up.

It can at times be difficult to find recipes that serve 2 people, but let me tell you that it is especially difficult when you are but one. I hate leftovers, only because my mind tells me that there is something new and exciting to create the next night. Why would I want to eat the same thing again? G, on the other hand, could have the same sandwich for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and be perfectly content. Yes, he has a favourite sandwich consisting of a particular baguette from the local market, blobs of mayonnaise, pepper salami and havarti cheese. Notice the lack of any sort of vegetable on this sandwich? So do I, but I’m not about to tell a grown man how to eat.

Much to our delight, G is working from home this week. On the weekend, I was entirely enthused about the upcoming week, as having him home is a bit of a rarity these days. And, with my 2 new cookbooks, I was happy to have another mouth to feed (even a fussy one). As we lounged in bed on Monday night I flipped through the pages of Real Food by Nigel Slater, which I just picked up last week on our trip to Scotland. If G's fussiness hadn't been on my mind I might not have bought this book at all. It's recipes emphasize comfort foods, and for me that generally means they are going to be so good that I'll just eat too much. Compare that to Thomas Keller's French Laundry Cookbook, where everything seems to be made in bite sized bits, perfect for a girl who often has trouble regulating her portion sizes.

"How about the Pork with Cashews, Lime and Mint?” I asked him as he was about to drift off to sleep.
My question was met with a shrug and a bit of a grimace.
“Oh right” I said. “You don’t like pork.”
Before getting entirely deflated I thought perhaps I could just make it with chicken. Good idea, I thought. Easy substitution. But then that other part of me started to sulk: "I really don't want to substitute on the first recipe I'm making from the book."
Please note: I did not say this out loud. End result: I felt deflated.
“Alright, fine, I’ll just make a Thai curry again.”

Keep in mind that this is about the only sure thing I can make that even when I make it bad he still gobbles it up. And to prove the point, his sleepy eyes lit up and he was happy.

But I kept flipping through the pages, nursing a big pout, and came across Nigel’s Green Chicken Curry. Perfect solution. I’ll make something with a name that G likes, but I’ll use someone else’s recipe this time. It will be different than our usual, and this way, he's happy with something relatively familiar and I'm happy to be exploring a new recipe.




I had but a few ingredients to pick up to make this recipe and when dinner hour neared the following day, I readied myself in the kitchen. I hadn't realized I'd be making my own curry paste. I'd never done that before. The result was phenomenal, the curry was extremely fragrant and tasted so fresh. If this is any indication of the rest of the recipes inside, we're in for some good eating.

My variations: The recipe calls for some fresh coriander to be added to the simmering coconut milk near the end of cooking time. Since G is not a fan of coriander, I left this out and only added it to my own serving afterwards. I did however use the coriander called for in the curry paste, and he did not even notice it, much to my delight.
The original recipe calls for chestnut mushrooms which I did not use, and bottled green peppercorns, which I did use, but neither of us really liked biting into these little things. I wouldn't use them again.

Green Chicken Curry, Adapted from Nigel Slater's Real Food
750g chicken breast
3 tablespoons peanut oil
400ml tin of coconut milk
400ml of chicken stock
8 kaffir lime leaves
1 tablespoon nam pla (fish sauce)
the leaves from a large bunch of basil, shredded (about 20g)
15g of coriander, roughly chopped

For the Curry Paste
the tender heart leaves of 4 lemongrass stalks ( I used 4 tsps of jarred chopped lemongrass)
6 medium-hot green chilies, seeded and chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
5 cm piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
4 tablespoons of chopped coriander
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of grated lime zest
1 tablespoon of lime juice
1 tablespoon of nam pla (fish sauce)
1/2 teaspoon of freshly cracked pepper

For the curry paste, first slice the lemongrass finely if using stalks. Place lemongrass and all the other curry paste ingredients in a food processor until it makes a thick paste. Push down from the sides occassionally if necessary. Refrigerate until needed, but cover tightly as the smell will permeate everything in your fridge.
For the curry, cut the chicken into finger-thick strips. Warm the oil in a casserole and, when hot and sizzling, add the chicken and let the strips colour slightly on all sides. Do it in batches if necessary. Remove from pan.

Pour in the coconut milk and the stock, then add the lime leaves, 4 heaped tablespoons of the curry paste, the fish sauce and half of the chopped herbs. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.Return the chicken to the pan with a further tablespoon of the paste and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the last of the herbs and serve.