Chef's Apprentice: Monsoon Poon-inspired Thai yellow chicken curry

Monsoon Poon-inspired Thai yellow chicken curry. Photo / Supplied

Kelly Young turns up the heat with two different styles of dishes.

Paste

3 shallots, roughly chopped
1 red chilli, roughly chopped
2cm fresh ginger, roughly chopped
2 tsp powdered turmeric
3 NZ garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 stalk fresh lemon grass or
1 tsbp of lemongrass paste
1 fresh kaffir lime leaf, roughly chopped
handful of fresh coriander
juice of 1 lemon or 2 limes
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp Olivado High Heat Oil

1. Blend all of the above ingredients together or using a mortar and pestle to make a paste.

2. Place the paste into a low heat pan and saute for the 20 minutes. The paste should be dark and thick by the end of the cooking process.

1 tsp cumin powder
¼ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
3cm palm sugar, finely grated
¼ tsp cinnamon powder
¼ tsp nutmeg powder
¼ tsp clove powder
1 tsp powdered turmeric

Add the above ingredients to the paste and cook for a further 10 minutes on a low heat. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Chicken

Splash of Olivado High Heat Oil
6 chicken thighs, roughly chopped, larger the better as they hold in the moisture and will not dry out. For a healthier option use skinless chicken, although keeping the skin on adds extra flavour
½ cup water
2 cups frozen peas
1 can coconut milk is a healthier option than coconut cream
3-4 tbsp Country Goodness Sour Cream

1. In a medium pan with high heat oil, add chicken and saute till the outside of the chicken has sealed.

2. Add paste and water and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

3. Add peas and coconut milk and quickly bring to the boil. Simmer until the sauce slightly thickens. Leave this to stand for as long as you can as the flavours will infuse more. While it is still hot stir in sour cream.

4. If you are serving this as a family meal and your kids don't like spicy hot food, then this is where you can take out their serving and add more sour cream to mellow out the flavours. It also helps make your curry thick and creamy.

5. Serve with rice.

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