©2021 Reporters Post24. All Rights Reserved.
Instant Homemade Thai Green Curry Paste
This recipe is a slightly simplified version of my authentic Thai Green Curry Paste. It has eliminated some key components like belachan (shrimp paste) and galangal which are quite hard to find on a whim. Simplifying the recipe to include easily sourced everyday ingredients makes this curry more approachable and a regular in the cooking roster rather than only reserved for special occasions. The ingredients you see in the picture below are easily available year-round in Australia – fresh garlic, ginger, turmeric, coriander root and stalk, eschalot, lemongrass and kaffir lime (makrut) leaves. And they are essential to that authentic Thai green curry taste.
I love making curries from the entire South-East Asia region and to remedy the easy availability of herbs and spices, I have planted a lot of very useful trees in my garden. Kaffir lime (makrut), Thai Basil, Vietnamese Mint, Lemongrass (that grows in giant clumps), Bay leaf, fresh root ginger and turmeric, curry leaf and of course chillies. But I also keep a well-stocked spice drawer and shelf that houses more than 100 varieties of spice and mixes. And my most prized are the Kaffir Lime Powder, Galangal Powder, Lemongrass Cuts and Organic Ground Turmeric. These will make your curries sing and are great to have in your pantry if you don’t have easy access to the fresh counterparts.
My Instant Homemade Thai Green Curry Paste can be blitzed in a food processor in just a couple of minutes and keeps well in the fridge for up to three days. You can make a double or triple batch and portion it in ziplock bags to be frozen for up to a month. Super handy when all you want to do is add some protein and coconut milk and have some time off while dinner cooks by itself.
The Right Pan For An Oven Baked Chicken Curry
This is a favourite of my boys and preserving the recipe here on the blog makes me feel like it will always be there for them when they want to cook it in their own homes. An oven-baked Chicken Curry is the easiest thing you will make. Brown the chicken in a pan on high heat, add the homemade curry paste and coconut milk. Mix and bake in the oven until golden and caramelized and supremely aromatic. Jazz it up with fresh herbs and serve with steamed rice. It really couldn’t be simpler than that.
I have made several batches of this beautiful Thai Green Chicken Curry in foil BBQ trays for friends to be dropped at their doorstep. If making in foil BBQ trays, skip the cooktop step of browning the chicken. Instead add chicken, potato, oil, salt and pepper to the tray and roast in the oven for 25 minutes until golden, then follow the rest of the steps of adding the paste/coconut milk and baking further until done.
I make this curry in a wide (30-36cm) chef’s pan/sauté pan that allows me to brown 8 pieces of chicken and 10 potatoes easily without overcrowding. Just like my Oven Baked Mushroom Curry, a wider pan provides even caramelization and thickens the sauce to perfection. A deeper pan with a smaller diameter will cook the curry well too, it will just be more liquid and less roasted.
This Oven Baked Chicken Curry keeps in the fridge for up to three days and freezes well for up to a month. When re-heating/thawing, you can add a quarter cup stock to loosen the curry.
