Thai red chicken curry with lime and basil

This has been a real “go-to” family favourite in our home for so many years. The curry has a nice “zing” to it with the lime and lime leaves. Sugar snap peas and capsicums are in the curry and it is completed with some fresh basil and served with rice. You won’t be disappointed!

As with most curries, the end product should be guided by your own taste buds and preferences, so please taste when halfway through the cooking and adjust/add as you like – this is a classic Thai dish with hot, sour, sweet and salty so perfect opportunity for you to “cook to taste”!

When I cook a curry, I like to cook in “bulk” so the meal is sufficient for 6-8 or two dinners. If you want to cook this dish for a smaller number, just halve the main ingredients

Ingredients

 3 tablespoons peanut oil

1- 1.2 kgs of skinless, boneless chicken thighs sliced longways, approx. 2 cms wide

4 tablespoons of Valcom Thai Red Curry paste – you can get this from most good supermarkets or Asian stores. You could make your own paste but why bother??!!

3 packets snow peas or sugar snap peas

3 red capsicums – I like the long ones. Slice them into rounds and then halve

1 packet lime leaves (from supermarket) – chopped as fine/ into very small bits as you can!

3 tablespoons lime juice (fresh is best but you can use from the small plastic containers)

6 tablespoons fish sauce

1 litre of coconut milk – you can buy 1 litre tetra packs (or 2.5 x 400 ml cans)

3 tablespoons basil paste – get from supermarket, generally where you find packets of salad

3 tablespoons soft brown sugar (you can use palm sugar if you prefer)

750 gms rice – I sometimes “cheat” and use 3 packets of “boil in a bag”!

Sweet basil leaves

Cooking instructions

1. Blanch or steam snow peas (or sugar snap peas) for I minute and refresh with cold water – put aside
2. Heat oil in a wok (or non-stick frypan) on a low heat, add the curry paste and gently fry on low heat, stirring until fragrant – about 3-4 minutes
3. Add chicken, increasing heat to “high” and fry until the chicken pieces are coated with the paste and starting to brown
4. Slowly add lime leaves, fish sauce, lime juice, coconut milk, sugar and basil paste, bring to boil and then simmer for 10 minutes
5. Cook rice as you would normally cook it!
6. Increase temperature back to high and add the capsicum, cooking for approx. 2 minutes and then add the snow peas and cook for another 2 minutes
7. Remove from heat and if you have some fresh basil leaves, add them now
8. Serve the curry with rice

Serves 8