Unless you shop in a well-stocked grocery store, making a curry usually means a special trip to a Thai or Chinese market. Luckily, most of the aromatic ingredients used in Southeast Asian cooking – lemongrass, chilies, ginger, kaffir lime leaves – can be purchased fresh, sealed in plastic bags and frozen. That way, one trip every few months, means you always have the essential ingredients on hand.
The highly fragrant kaffir lime and lime leaves used in Cambodian, Thai and Laotian cuisine have a unique flavor that is both floral and citrusy. The green, bumpy fruit is almost juiceless but, has an intensely flavorful rind that can be grated and added to dishes. The strongly perfumed, hourglass-shaped leaves are thrown whole into soups and stews or shredded and used in fishcakes or salads. Whole leaves are generally added in the last few minutes of cooking and are not eaten.
Green Chicken Curry with Butternut Squash and Dill
Ingredients
- 3 large lemongrass stalks, tender inner bulb only, chopped
- 6 shallots, peeled and cut into quarters
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 red birds eye chilies, stem removed
- 2 inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- ½ cup (10 g) fresh cilantro plus a handful for garnish
- ¼ cup (60 mls) plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 8 chicken pieces, preferably thighs, bone in and skin on
- 8.5 ounces (250 ml) can of coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons Asian Fish Sauce
- 2 ½ cups of water
- One 1 ¼ pound (600 g) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1½ inch cubes
- ¼ cup (60 mls) limejuice
- Handful fresh dill, chopped
- Handful shredded basil or whole Thai basil leaves
- 4 kaffir lime leaves
- Steamed rice and lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Combine the lemongrass, shallots, garlic, chilies, ginger and cilantro in a food processor and pulse several times to combine. With the machine running add ¼ cup (60 mls) of canola oil and process to a paste. Set aside.
- Pat the chicken pieces dry, season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, enameled, cast-iron casserole or Dutch oven over moderately high heat. Add the chicken pieces skin side down and cook until golden brown, turn and brown the other side. This is an important step and can take 10 to 15 minutes. Do not crowd the pan, brown in several batches if necessary. Remove the chicken pieces to a platter.
- Lower the heat under the casserole, add the paste and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and just beginning to brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir the coconut milk and fish sauce and simmer several minutes, then return the chicken to the pot. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook partially covered until the chicken is tender, about 40-45 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken pieces to a bowl and add the butternut squash to the pot. Cook over moderate heat until the squash is tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes. Return the chicken to the pot and stir in the limejuice, herbs and lime leaves. Cook just until the chicken is heated through. Serve with rice and lime wedges.
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