Thai Green Chicken Curry

Ryan and I vacationed in Thailand while living in China and during one of our stays, a friend and I took a Thai cooking class (it was supposed to flame up like that - I promise!). It was one of the most fun things I've ever done! I've hung on to the recipe book they gave us and this is one of my favorites to make that almost tastes like what we had in Chiang Mai. Mmmm . . . I love Thai food!


2 cups thick coconut cream
1 Tbsp green curry paste
2 Tbsp oil
1-2 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
5-6 Thai eggplants, cut into large chunks
1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 Kaffir lime leaves, remove stems
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1/2 Tbsp sugar
15-20 sweet basil leaves (also called Thai basil in Asian markets)
3 red chilies, chopped coarsely (if you can stand the heat!)

Heat the oil in a wok on medium high. Add green curry paste, turn heat down to medium, and cook while stirring for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the chicken and cook through. Add the coconut cream and bring to a boil. Add eggplants, green beans, fish sauce and sugar and boil until vegetables are tender - about 5 minutes.

Turn off heat. Add basil and kaffir lime leaves. Mix well. Serve over rice (we like Jasmine the best) and top with chilies.