====== Thai Green Chicken Curry (Gaeng Khiao Wan Gai) =====

Copyright © 2005 Geoffrey Alan Washburn

Using the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 License

=== Ingredients ===

  * 3 cups coconut milk \\ (approximately 2 cans)
  * 4-6 teaspoons of green curry paste \\ (4 teaspoons for milder flavor, more if you are looking for a spicier dish. I generally use 5 teaspoons. I do not have recipe for the paste yet, can generally be procured in the Thai ethnic food section of a decent grocery store)
  * 1 large green pepper \\ (or alternately two smaller, quantity is not really exact and depends on what sort of content you are aiming for in you dish)
  * 1/4-1/2 pound of green beans \\ (optional, once again quantity need not be precise)
  * 2 small cans of bamboo shoots \\ (optional, may use less if one prefers)
  * 1 pound of chicken \\(I generally use about two half pound breasts. May be replaced with any number of other protein substances -- tofu, duck, pork. I also freeze it beforehand to make it easier to cut.)
  * 5 sprigs of fresh sweet basil
  * 1 cup of frozen petite peas
  * 4-5 teaspoons sugar \\(I generally use 5 because I prefer a sweeter curry)
  * 4 tablespoons fish sauce \\ (Once again, available in the Thai ethnic section of a decent grocery store)

=== Directions ===

  - Clean and cut the green peppers and green beans. Wash and cut off the leaves of the basil. Begin defrosting frozen peas.
  - Cut the chicken (or protein substitute) into desired size portions. I generally cut it into 5 mm slices lengthwise.
  - Obtain a large pot (greater than 2 quarts)
  - Open up cans of coconut milk, and scoop out the thicker congealed milk into the pot. If you haven't worked with coconut milk before there is usually a layer of this near the top before you hit the more fluid liquid milk.
  - Begin heating the pot at medium temperature, and stirring.
  - Add the green curry paste, sugar, and fish sauce. Continue stirring until medium heat until the mixture is mostly liquid and uniform.
  - Increase heat to high, and add the chicken, stir-frying until it is mostly cooked.
  - Reduce heat to medium again, stir in the bamboo shoots and the remainder of the coconut milk. Let it simmer for a few minutes.
  - Add the green peppers and green beans. Again let it simmer and stir occasionally for a few minutes.
  - Now add the peas. Let it simmer until the vegetables have softened to preference. I generally let it cook for another five minutes or so.
  - Turn off the heat, stir in the basil and let it cool for a few minutes.
  - Serve with rice. I find that it goes really well with jasmine rice.