Thai Green Curry with Chicken

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a heavy pan or deep frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the curry paste, garlic, ginger and lemongrass paste for 2 to 3 minutes until the paste is almost dry; ventilate the kitchen, as the fumes irritate the airways.
2. Pour in the stock and coconut milk and dissolve the paste in it. Add the fish sauce, sugar and lime leaves and bring to the boil.
3. Stir in the chicken, turn the heat down to medium so it bubbles gently, and cook for 7 minutes.
4. Add the aubergine slices and cook for about 5 minutes until tender. Taste the sauce and season with fish sauce or salt if needed, adjusting the sweetness with sugar.
5. Cook the sugar snap peas for about 2 minutes until slightly soft, then stir in the Thai basil and lime juice. Do not reduce further, or the sauce will darken; it should stay rather thin.
6. Serve the curry with jasmine rice and sprinkle with crispy onions, chilli and fresh herbs if you like.

Drink with it

• White wine · excellent match

  Riesling feinherb or Gewürztraminer, well chilled

  Residual sweetness tames the chilli in the paste, acidity cuts through the coconut milk, and the Gewürztraminer bouquet meets the lemongrass and basil.

  Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing ↗

• Pale lager · excellent match

  Thai lager or Pils, ice cold

  Cold and carbonation wash coconut fat and heat from the palate, and the slim malt leaves the herbs standing.

  Pils or Helles: What's the Difference? ↗

• Wheat beer · good match

  Hefeweizen, cold

  Fruity yeast notes suit coconut and spices, and carbonation and cold dampen the heat.

  Wheat Beer: Where Do Banana and Clove Come From? ↗

• Rosé · good match

  Fruity rosé with a touch of residual sweetness, well chilled

  Red fruit and freshness carry the creamy coconut sauce, and the residual sweetness absorbs the chilli.

• Floral gin · good match

  Floral gin as a long highball with tonic and plenty of ice

  Lemongrass, lime leaves and basil share aroma compounds with the gin; ice and carbonation keep the drink long, as neat the alcohol would amplify the chilli.

  Gin styles: London Dry, Old Tom, Navy Strength, and more ↗