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18 July 2009
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Take on the Takeaway

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Take on the Takeaway

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Prep time
10 mins

Cooking time 15 mins

Ingredients

For the rice
100g/3½oz Thai jasmine rice
1 lime, cut in half
250ml/8¾fl oz boiling water

For the chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 lime, juice only
1 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 red chillies, seeds removed, finely sliced
2.5cm/1in piece fresh lemongrass
small bunch coriander, leaves only, chopped

For the sauce
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
small bunch fresh coriander, stalks only, finely chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 x 400ml/14fl oz can reduced-fat coconut milk, contents stirred

Step -by-step

1. For the rice, place the rice and the lime halves into a large pan and pour in the boiling water. Leave to soak for 4-5 minutes so the rice softens.

2. Place the pan over a medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes, until most of the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and keep the pan covered to allow the rice to steam.

3.For the chicken, place the chicken pieces into a bowl. Add the lime juice and the sugar and mix together well. Leave to marinate for at least 2-3 minutes, longer if you can.

4. Add the cumin seeds, turmeric, vegetable oil, fish sauce and one of the sliced chillies. Grate in the lemongrass and mix well.

5. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chicken mixture. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring regularly until the chicken is completely cooked (no pink should remain in the chicken when it's cut into. If it's still pink, cook for longer).

Mixing the ginger, onion, garlic and coriander stalks

6. For the sauce, place the ginger, onion, garlic and coriander stalks into a clean bowl and mix well.

7. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onion, ginger, garlic and coriander mixture. Fry until the onions are softened but not coloured.

8. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and the teaspoon of sugar. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes.

Adding the coconut sauce mixture to the chicken

9. Return the chicken pan to the heat. Add a ladleful of the coconut sauce mixture to the chicken mixture and cook to reheat the chicken.

Adding the coriander and chilli to the chicken

10. Add the chopped coriander leaves and the remaining sliced red chilli to the chicken.

11. If you want a smooth sauce, strain the sauce through a sieve into a clean bowl and discard the solid ingredients. Otherwise, you can leave the unstrained sauce as it is.

12.To serve, divide the rice between two plates and place half of the chicken alongside. Spoon some of the sauce over each pile of rice, spoon extra sauce over the chicken and serve.


		Chef Jamousri Rougchitprapat (known as Yee Yee) has the following advice to give your Thai curry an authentic aroma: 1. The most important herb in Thai cookery is Thai holy basil. Tear up the leaves and use to garnish your finished curry for an authentic flavour. You can substitute ordinary sweet basil if you can't get the Thai variety. 2. To give your curry extra flavour try using full cream coconut milk. If the sauce is too thick just add a splash of chicken or vegetable stock or water to thin it out. 3. If you can find fresh lime leaves add them to your curry to give it a distinctive Thai flavour. Freeze any leaves that you don't use straight away and take them out of the freezer as you need them.

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