Spicy Thai green curry

I cooked my first Thai green curry the other day and it was a resounding success, despite not having all the ingredients, so imagine how good it would have been if I had had a mango!

This is how I did it, and I would say that a wok is definitely the best pan to use:

1 cup coconut milk
1Tbsp chopped fresh ginger (must be fresh, not ground)
1Tbsp soy sauce
1Tbsp brown sugar
1Tbsp fish sauce (if you don’t have this, mash an anchovy!)
1Tbsp cornflour
1Tbsp lime juice
1 teasp chopped fresh garlic (don’t buy it ready chopped – that stuff is dreadful)
2 teasp oil (peanut, sunflower, grapeseed…)
2 teasp green curry paste (less if you don’t want it too hot or more if you do)
750g of cut up chicken, no bones (I use thigh meat because I like it to have flavour)
1 red pepper cut into strips
2 or 3 large spring onions, chopped coarsely
Handful of chopped fresh basil
Handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped
1 ripe mango, peeled and sliced, if you like

Mix first 9 ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Heat oil in wok and cook chicken until just done (you will have to check this yourself – timing depends entirely on the heat source), then remove and add onion and pepper to the wok, stirring for a few minutes to soften. Add sauce, basil and coriander and chicken and warm through. If you boil it to thicken the sauce, you may well find that it separates as happens with coconut milk, but if you don’t mind the unattractive appearance, the enjoyment of this dish will outweigh its aesthetics. You can add the mango and warm it slightly if you like it.

I unfortunately enjoyed this so much that I had two helpings, so make sure that you only cook enough for one serving each!