- 1 lb chicken
- 1 thinly sliced chili pepper
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 to 2 tablespoons green curry paste
- 6 to 7 quartered eggplants
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 4 to 5 kaffir lime leaves
- 1/4 cup pea eggplant
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 sprigs Thai basil
- 1 cup water
- I choose 1/2 breast and 1 leg to get the balance of flavor and convenience. It’s easier and sometimes preferred to serve chicken breast, however, it’s the bones that give the curry the full flavor. Cut the breast meat into bite size. You can cut chicken leg into smaller pieces, but it is not necessary.
- Quarter the eggplants. Wash and pick pea eggplants from stems. Wash and pick kaffir lime leaves by ripping the center stems from the leaves. In Thailand you'd use a slightly hot pepper called prig chee fah, but in the US, I substitute a sweet chili pepper (similar to a red bell pepper). Slice the chili thin, lengthwise. Wash and pick Thai basil.
- Into a pot over medium heat, pour half of the coconut milk and green curry paste. If your coconut milk separates and has cream on the top, use the cream. Mix the paste with coconut milk well. Keep stirring to prevent bottom from sticking and burning. You may need to lower the heat if it splatters too much. Keep stirring until you see greenish oil form. The coconut oil is pulling the color and fragrance out from the spices. This green oil will be floating beautifully in your curry, like in picture 5 (click it to make it bigger).
- Add chicken into the curry mixture. Stir to coat the chicken for a couple minutes, until it is partially cooked. Add the eggplants, but hold off on the pea eggplants. Stir more. Add the rest of coconut milk and 1 cup of water. Let it simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Add the pea eggplants. Add the seasonings; fish sauce and sugar. Taste for the balance flavors, salty with a hint of sweet. Add the slivers of red chili pepper and kaffir lime leaves. Let it boil one more time. When you are ready to serve, add the Thai basil. Stir to mix the basil in and immediately turn off the heat to keep the basil green. Quickly pour onto serving bowl.
- Serve with rice or thin rice noodles (ขนมจีน).
