Thai Green Curry with Chicken and Coconut Rice

Thai Green Curry is definitely one of my favorite dishes to order out, and this is the first time that I've successfully made it at home. Today was cold and windy in Pacifica, so it seemed like the perfect day to make it. I consulted the curry paste section of a vegetarian cookbook, and the author recommended Thai Kitchen curry paste. I followed the instructions printed on the jar of curry paste, but deviated slightly by adding more coconut milk and vegetable stock (because I think the sauce is the best part and you can never have too much of it), and I used bell peppers, zucchini, and carrots in lieu of frozen peas. I think you can add just about any vegetable you like, I was trying to recreate the curry from my favorite Thai restaurant(s), Osha, and those are the vegetables they use.

Some of the ingredients I used: Unsweetened coconut milk, fish sauce, and green curry paste. 

This recipe requires quite a bit of chopping. I julienned two bell peppers, and sliced the carrot and zucchini on a bias to get long, thin slices. 

To accompany my Green Curry, I made coconut rice using Long Grain Jasmine Rice. 

I followed a recipe that I found on about.com which yields four servings of rice (or, in my opinion, closer to six). All you need to do is combine the following in a deep saucepan which you have coated with 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil. 

• 2 cups of Jasmine rice
• 2 cups of Unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 3/4 cups of water
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Bring the ingredients to a low bubble, stirring often to prevent the rice from sticking to the saucepan or burning. Then, reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan, and leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes. You'll know the rice has finished cooking when almost all of the liquid has been absorbed. Then, turn off the heat, but leave the saucepan covered on the stove for an additional 5-10 minutes before serving.

The rice and the curry take roughly the same amount of time to cook. The recipe on the jar of curry paste recommends simmering the chicken and vegetables in the sauce for just 10 minutes before serving, but I let mine cook on a low heat for closer to 20 minutes to allow the carrots and zucchini to cook through. If you have any Thai basil leaves or cilantro, they would make a fantastic garnish for the dish. It was delicious, and the perfect remedy to a Winter's day.