30 Minute Green Curry

After two weeks of craziness, life has settled back down and I had time to try another 30 minute meal today.  This morning I watched the Green Curry episode to refresh my memory.  When I went to the grocery store this afternoon they had really nice looking radishes (with leaves) and Chinese cabbages.  Sold!  I decided to skip all the little garnishes that Jamie includes because it was just for me - no one to impress.  ;)

JamieOliver.com recipe link

254. Kimchee Slaw (Jamie Oliver's Meals In Minutes, page 88)

I wasn't trying for a quick cooking time, since it is a lazy weekend, so I decided to get my slaw done earlier in the afternoon.  I put the finest slicing attachment on the food processor, and added half my small head of cabbage, half my bunch of radishes along with their leaves, one red chile, a small piece of ginger, half a small bunch of cilantro, and half a red onion.  I tipped this all into a bowl and went through it to be sure there weren't any large pieces.  I found I had to pull the slices of ginger out and dice them up, but otherwise the processor did a good enough job.  Closer to dinner, I added the juice of a lime, a pinch of salt, and a bit of sesame oil.  I had to substitute lemon for lime because I couldn't get any limes today.  I got my hands into it and scrunched everything up, draining most of the liquid into the sink.

This was actually really good!  I thought the chile might be overwhelming but it wasn't at all.  I am a coleslaw lover anyways so this was a nice twist.

255. Green Curry with Crispy Chicken (Jamie Oliver's Meals In Minutes, page 88)

The first step is to make your curry paste by combining ginger, cilantro, garlic, chile, kaffir lime leaves, and scallions in a blender or food processor.  I omitted lemongrass because I couldn't get it.  Drizzle in some sesame oil and some olive oil while it's running, and the juice of a lime (or lemon). 

In a hot, non stick pan, place your chicken thighs skin side down.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a little olive oil.  Put another, smaller pan on a high heat for a few minutes.  Then cover your chicken with a piece of parchment paper and put the smaller pan on top, to help the chicken cook from both sides.  Weight it down with something heavy.  I used my pestle and mortar.  At some point you need to flip it over to be sure it cooks evenly on both sides.

In a small pot over a medium heat, add most of your curry paste, reserving a couple of tablespoons for the chicken.   Add a can of coconut milk and 1 1/4 cups of chicken broth.  Throw in some green beans and let this simmer while your chicken cooks.   To season, you can use a bit of soy sauce and lime juice.

Once your chicken is done and is crispy and golden brown, spoon over the reserved curry paste and let it cook for a few more minutes.  To serve, quickly cook some rice noodles and drain.  Layer with curry sauce, beans & chicken.

I enjoyed this meal but I probably could have been more aggressive with my use of chile.  Next time I'll remember!