Thai Green Chicken Curry

Don't call the local takeaway – impress friends and family by cooking this fragrant and creamy Thai green chicken curry. It's easy and quick to make

40 minutes

Ingredients

225 g new potatoes (cut into chunks)
100 g green beans (trimmed and halved)
1 tbsp vegetable oil (or sunflower)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1 rounded tbsp thai green curry paste
400 ml coconut milk (can)
2 tsp Thai fish sauce
1 tsp caster sugar
450 g boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size pieces)
2 fresh kaffir lime leaves (finely shredded, plus extra to garnish)
handful basil leaves
Rice (boiled, to serve)

Put 225g new potatoes, cut into chunks, in a pan of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.
Add 100g trimmed and halved green beans and cook for a further 3 minutes, by which time both should be just tender but not too soft. Drain and put to one side.
In a wok or large frying pan, heat 1 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil until very hot, then drop in 1 chopped garlic clove and cook until golden, this should take only a few seconds. Don’t let it go very dark or it will spoil the taste.
Spoon in 1 rounded tbsp Thai green curry paste and stir it around for a few seconds to begin to cook the spices and release all the flavours.
Next, pour in a 400ml can of coconut milk and let it come to a bubble.
Stir in 2 tsp Thai fish sauce and 1 tsp caster sugar, then 450g bite-size chicken pieces. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 8 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
Tip in the potatoes and beans and let them warm through in the hot coconut milk, then add 2 finely shredded kaffir lime leaves (or 3 wide strips lime zest).
Add a good handful basil leaves, but only leave them briefly on the heat or they will quickly lose their brightness.
Scatter with lime to garnish and serve immediately with boiled rice.