Thai green chicken curry with roti bread and side of jasmine rice

I spent minutes, hours and days thinking about which meal to cook first for my exciting new blog. I realised I was over thinking and decided just to make one of my favourite meals. A curry!

Who doesn't love a good curry?! Now, I'm no expert but I do know when I stumble upon a good recipe and this one is a definite keeper. I always like to change things up a bit though and put my own signature on it. Most of you will already have some of these ingredients in your pantry. If you don’t, not to worry once you buy them you will end up using them all the time. My pantry is filled to the brim with all sorts of ingredients and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s great to have staple ingredients in your kitchen because they do make for a great quick dish when you come home and don’t know what to cook. I usually just look in my cupboards at what I have and the magic starts to happen inside my head. It’s almost like you are letting the ingredients speak to you. Always remember, sometimes the simplest meals are the best.

On the menu today we have a Thai green chicken curry. This recipe is great to make after work as it gives you an opportunity to multitask. I usually prepare my curry paste a day in advance and just put it in the fridge. Even if you make it Sunday and use it on Tuesday its still fine. When cooking always see what else you can be doing. For example, while my chicken is sizzling away, I like to use that opportunity to cut my carrot and capsicum. It will save you time. After I do step 5 I like to put the rice on. I use the absorption method and find that it works best for me.

 

 



 

 

It is important to have a good set of knives. I can’t even tell you how much that will help you in your kitchen. I remember I used to cut with just a set of knives I bought from the big chain stores and when I bought my Global knives, it was like cutting through soft butter. It made the cutting process quicker and easier. Everything was more precise. You also have to take care of your knives and sharpen them. Never let them go dull. As you can see, I do have a bit of a knife obsessions.

Next in line is a good food processor. I really can’t live without my Magi Mix! I bought it brand new from Ebay. It was an unwanted wedding present. Like they say, someone else’s trash is someone else’s treasure. It’s the best investment I ever made!!

 

 



 

 

Ok, enough babbling now and let’s get down to cooking!

  

Thai green chicken curry with roti bread and side of jasmine rice

Prep: aprox. 45 mins
Cooking time: aprox. 30 mins
Serves: 4 (if you are very hungry then 3)
 
INGREDIENTS:
 
500g chicken thigh fillet, trimmed of fat, cut into 2cm pieces
400ml coconut milk
1 medium carrot, cut into julienne
1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
120g green beans, cut ends off, halved
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable stock
1 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
Pepper to season
 
For the Roti:
280g pack of roti bread
1tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp vegetable oil
 
Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
 
CURRY PASTE
 
2 long green chillies, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small brown onion
1 stick lemongrass, white part only, chopped
3/4 tsp ground cumin ( if you have seeds, just ground them with mortar and pestle)
1/2 tsp shrimp paste
1 tsp dry coriander leaves (if you have fresh, even better)
 
METHOD
 
1. I usually start off with preparing and chopping everything for the curry paste then chuck it all in the food processor and whizz until you have a fine paste

2. While its whizzing, put a large pan and when it's hot add in the curry paste. Stir it for 2-3 minutes until you can smell the fragrance.
3. Add chicken and cook until brown and coated in paste.
4. Pour in the coconut milk, add the carrot and bring to boil. Summer for 5 mins.
5. Add capsicum, fish sauce, green beans, stock, turmeric, sugar and season with pepper. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until beans are tender.
6. For the roti bread, mix butter and oil, rub each side of roti and cook in a frying until golden and crisp.
 
All you have to do now is serve it up and enjoy :)


 

 

A little piece of me...

Hello there, I’m Natasa, the food loving, pug crazy Interior Designer. My food love affair began 5 years ago when I moved out of home and had to fend for myself and for my partner. I’m a 9-5 working girl and as anyone will tell you it’s a struggle to get inspired to make food every night, when all you want to do is be a couch potato. I started off making food in large quantities that would last me 2, possibly 3 days but soon enough realised I was craving a variety and discovered I actually loved cooking. It was my outlet to unwind every night and put my creativity into food. Cooking process is exhilarating, from finding that perfect recipe, going grocery shopping to cutting the ingredient and making magic happen. There is nothing more fulfilling then when you sit down to share a meal with your loved one and you see a smiling face. That smiling face is my partner Davor, who also serves as my guinea pig and as he likes to call himself the ‘dishwasher’!

 

Food to me opens up all 5 senses, hearing it sizzling in the pan, touching it, smelling it, tasting it and visually appreciating it. The smell always takes me back and reminds me of events from travels or childhood. Food should be appreciated and always be eaten mindfully. Too often do we sit down with a plate of food on our lap and turn the telly on. If your vision and hearing is focused onto something else, you are not enjoying the food fully. It defeats the purpose of eating a meal that helps nourish you in return. Everyone should apply a bit of mindfulness when eating a meal and in return your mind will clear of any distractions and you will enjoy it much more. Give it a go, turn the telly off, put the phone away and see the difference. I dare you!

I wish to start this blog to inspire other people, to share recipes I discovered and to let you know it’s not that hard. A glass of wine along the way always helps the process and don’t forget to put on your favourite music too. Turn cooking into a fun event that you will look forward to doing after work. And with this, let our journey begin.

Natasa. xx