Nana's Thai Green Curry

Several people asked me recently for my mother’s Thai Green Curry recipe. 

We love making this, especially when the weather gets cooler.

But I got a craving for it the other day, so we cooked up a big pot. 

We polished off the entire thing within three days. I think Sim even had it for breakfast once.

Here’s the basic recipe, though I have to admit that we alter it slightly almost every time we make it:

1 pound dark meat chicken

1 tbls sesame oil

Mae Ploy (or other good) coconut milk (1 lg can, 19 oz) [We use two 15 oz cans.]

Green curry paste 2 or more tbls

Chicken stock  (about a quart of double stock) [We use about 5-6 cups of homemade chicken, turkey or vegetable stock.]

Red bell pepper, julienned

Large can (15 oz) bamboo shoots [Two smaller cans do the trick too.]

2 tbls brown sugar

3 tbls fish sauce 

Zucchini or Japanese eggplant, cut in chunks [2 large or 3-4 small zukes.]

3-4 Lemon leaves

Jalapeno peppers [Two for a medium heat. More for extra spicy.]

Fresh basil, one package, stemmed [Thai basil is the best.]

1 tbls lime juice

2 tbls cilantro, stemmed

Rice

Broil chicken (bone in) undercook, cool chicken and add bones to stock. Use everything, including drippings from broiler in stock.

Remove meat from chicken and cut in bite sized pieces. Set aside. [Sometimes we shortcut by using frozen stock and broiled boneless dark meat. We strain and skip the drippings to reduce the fat.]

In large pot, add sesame oil, one-fourth can coconut milk and green curry paste cook for a few minutes. Add stock, red pepper, bamboo shoots, brown sugar, fish sauce and zucchini. Simmer until zucchini and meat are completely cooked.

Add lemon leaves and jalapeno. Simmer a few minutes. Add basil and lime juice at the last minute.