Nice n spicy!

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
1Tblsp 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!

More tips from my kitchen

What I put into chicken curry:  Onion (lots - it makes the gravy); fresh ginger  (1cm), garlic (2 cloves); bay leaves;  2tsp ground cumin, 2tsp ground coriander, 6 cardamoms (split - very important otherwise if you bite them they ruin the taste of the curry, but if opened will enhance it); 1tsp ground turmeric (not too much or it will be bitter); cloves - not in the picture (forgot to put them on the plate!); star anise (one star is enough); 1tsp salt; as much chilli as you like (the hot part is the bit that joins the pips to the outside - so take that out if you just want the flavour, but DO NOT touch your face and particularly your eyes after touching chilli - wash your hands extremely well. You can cheat by buying it in a jar - high quality pure chilli only.  The fresh coriander is chopped and added to the curry just before serving.

These spices will be enough for a curry for 4. If you are making more, add proportionally.

For lamb curry, leave out the cloves and add a nice blob of tamarind paste or if you do not have any, some apricot jam will do!

Here is a guaranteed way to never cry over your onions again:

No more tears! Fold back skin to root end. Hold as shown and slice down only to about 1.5cm from fold. This will ensure that you do not cut into the section where the root and the bulb are joined. I have not cried since I discovered this!