Thai Green Chicken Curry With Garlic Infused Rice & Spring Onions.

I've eaten thai green curry a few times but this was the first time making it myself & yes it was delicious, well that's what the family said. I didn't realize how simple it was until I gave it a go. To get maximum flavor I thought I'd go the extra mile by making my own green curry paste & coriander pesto, I know I like being extra but Omy it certainly did make a difference, the flavors were so intense. If you haven't got the time then don't panic, shop brought is perfectly okay, I just seem to have so much time in my hands, so here it is.

Ingredients for the green curry (serves 6)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 small onions finely chopped

1 1/2 tbsp salt 

4 small garlic cloves minced

1 1/2 pound chicken cut into cubes

2 1/2 tbsp thai green curry paste 

3 tbsp coriander pesto (instructions below)

350 ml chicken stock

400ml coconut milk with 200ml coconut cream

4 small potatoes chopped into cubes skin off

1 lime zest and juice

Handful of chopped spring onions and extra for garnish

Ingredients for coriander pesto

Handful of roasted unsalted peanuts

3/4 cup of chopped coriander

50g crumbled goats cheese

1 garlic clove

Splash of lemon juice 

Salt & pepper to season

Blitz all the pesto ingredients together & set aside.

Method for the Curry 

In a large saucepan heat up the olive oil and add the onions,  braise them for a few minutes until they are translucent and slightly browning, add in the garlic and continue cooking. Add in 2 1/2 tbsp of your home made/shop bought green curry paste and mix well,  add your chicken and coat well with the sauce. Add in 3 tbsp of your coriander pesto and stir again until all the chicken is coated. Add your stock and let it simmer. After a few minutes add in the coconut milk and cream, lime zest, juice, salt and stir once more. Lastly add in the chopped potatoes and leave it on low until the potatoes are cooked,  add in the spring onions and set aside whilst you make the rice.

Ingredients for the garlic infused rice

2 cups of rice

2 cups boiling water

3 garlic cloves minced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp salt

2 tbsp butter

Method

Heat up the olive oil in a heavy based pan,  add in the garlic. Mix and once they are browned add in the rice, salt and boiling water & stir on high heat.  Let more than half the water cook down, stir the rice & leave it on very low heat and cover, keep stirring every few minutes so the rice don't stick to the bottom of the pan. It'll take about 15 minutes for the rice to cook, once its soft add the 2 tbsp of butter and fluff the rice up using a fork, serve immediately with the thai green curry & garnish with spring onions.

Cilantro Lime Salsa Chicken With Goats Cheese Accompanied With Garlic infused Brown Rice. An Explosion of Flavours.

Everyone loves my cilantro and lime baked fish, this time I used Chicken and put a slight twist on it by Adding deliciously tangy goats cheese, my mouth is salivating at the thought. This is a easy simple dish & you'll never guess it, it's actually quite healthy, a bonus right? I served the chicken with garlic brown rice with spring onions but you can always dish it up with anything you like, fries, baked potatoes or even a salad, you're the cook, you decide!

Actual quote from the brother, "I'd pay good money if I was served this in a restaurant" kinda boosted, but then again he says that about pretty much all my dishes :)

Ingredients for the chicken (serves 6)

2 whole baby chickens & 1 chicken fillet

5 garlic cloves minced

2 tbsp salt

1 tbsp pepper

1 1/2 tbsp paprika

3/4 tbsp red chilly powder

1/2 tbsp cumin powder

1/4 cup olive oil

Zest & juice of 1 large lemon & lime

100g crumbled goats cheese

1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

1 cup diced sweet peppers

1 cup thinly sliced spring onions

3/4 cup chopped coriander

Ingredients for the roux (sauce thickener)

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

1 1/2 cup milk

Method

Prepare the chicken, put slits In each peice, this allows the marinades flavour to infuse throughout the whole chicken. Set aside for later. 

In a seperate bowl add all the marinade ingredients together and set aside. 

Get a small saucepan and make the roux. Heat the butter until it's melted then add in the flour, whisk vigorously untill all the flour is cooked out, add in the milk and continue whisking until it has thickened, leave it to cool for about 20 minutes.

Once the roux has cooled down, add it to the marinade, combine well then add in all the chicken & coat well. Let the chicken marinade for a few hours for maximum flavor.

Before baking the chicken, to get a more crisp skin, pan fry only the chicken pieces on both sides for about a minute (use tongs to place the chicken in the pan, this stops you from scooping up any of the sauces in the marinade bowl), transfer the chicken to a roasting dish, pour over the remaining marinade sauce on top of the chicken & bake for about 20 minutes on high, just before taking the chicken out put it under the grill for a further 10-15 minutes on high to brown and crisp up the chicken.

Serve immediately with whatever you prefer.

Bon Appetit!