This is one of my favourite dishes, compliments of a cooking course through the local public school board. I have rated it “normal-to-hard” for the level of difficulty but that is a bit misleading. The individual steps are not particularly difficult, nor is the sequencing, but there are a significant number of detailed steps (including sous-chef preparations) and it takes a long time to prep and cook; it is definitely not a “quick weeknight meal”. I have also rated it “mild” for spice, and I do not have a particularly high threshold.

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant, chopped into bite-sized pieces (or egg pea plant)
• 4 tbsp vegetable cooking oil
• 3 shallots, chopped into small pieces (or small onions)
• 3 kaffir leaves, diced, including stems
• 50g / 2 tbsp green curry paste, about half of a small jar (or about 250ml of green curry sauce)
• 2 tbsp coriander root
• 1 tsp galangal powder
• 1 tbsp ground lemongrass
• 1 clove garlic, chopped into small pieces
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 1 tsp red curry powder
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 5 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 3 white potatoes, medium-sized, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 2 lb / 1 kg boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1-1.5 cups of rice (preferably long-grain, white jasmine)
• 800 ml coconut milk, thick (2 medium cans)
• Handful of green beans, sliced into 4cm lengths
• Green leaf basil (for garnish, as desired)

Sous-Chef Preparations

1. Chop the eggplant (1) into bite-sized pieces.
2. Chop the shallots / small onions (3) into small pieces.
3. Dice the kaffir leaves (3).
4. Chop the garlic clove (1) into small pieces.
5. Peel and chop the white potatoes (3) into bite-sized pieces.
6. Cut the chicken breasts (2 lb/1 kg, boneless + skinless) into bite-sized pieces.
7. Slice the green beans (handful) into 4 cm lengths.

Main preparations

8. Stir-fry the chopped eggplant (with salt) in vegetable oil (2 tbsp) over medium heat for 5 minutes or until it turns green. Set aside.
9. Bring a non-stick pot to hot, add 2 tbsp oil. Add the chopped shallots/onions and diced kaffir leaves. Stir until fragrant.
10. Make a well in the centre of the mixture. Add the green curry paste (2tbsp), coriander root (2 tbsp), galangal powder (1 tsp), ground lemongrass (1 tbsp), chopped garlic (1 clove), cumin seed (1 tsp), red curry powder (1 tsp), salt and pepper (to taste), fish sauce (5 tbsp), and palm/brown sugar (1 tbsp). Mix it together.
11. Add the partially-cooked eggplant (previously set aside), chopped potatoes, and chopped chicken. Stir well for 3 minutes.
12. Optional: Start cooking the jasmine rice, if desired.
13. Add the coconut milk (800 ml), let it boil. Simmer until the sauce thickens and the chicken and vegetables are cooked.
14. Stir in the sliced green beans. Let it boil for 3 minutes.
15. Garnish with the green leaf basil, as desired.
16. Serve hot with jasmine rice.

Variations/Notes

• Alternate ingredients/steps are shown above in italics.
• If you want a thicker sauce: Add more potatoes.
• If you want to use bone-in chicken legs: Remove the fat, sprinkle some salt on the skin, and rub it in. Rinse and dry it, and then cut into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken at step 9 with the kaffir leaves and shallots, and cook for 6 minutes or until brown. Remove any fat in the bottom of the pan by draining it with the lid. Then continue with step 10 (“make a well…”).