basil chicken coconut curry

Ingredients

spices (mix together and set aside):

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

A small pinch of ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil

1 large onion, sliced

2 bell peppers, sliced

2 minced jalapeño peppers

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

1 14-oz can coconut milk

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 eggplant, cubed & roasted

1 block firm tofu, cubed & baked (or fried)

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks

1 tablespoon lime juice (or more, to taste)

15-20 fresh basil leaves (preferably Thai or holy basil, but use whatever you can get)

Instructions

1. Prepare all of your ingredients before you start cooking. This recipe moves fast and you won't have time to chop as you go.

2. Heat oil over high heat in a wok or deep frying pan.

3. When oil begins to smoke, add the onions, bell peppers, and jalapeños and stir to coat in oil.

4. Sear the vegetables for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Add the ginger, garlic, and spice mixture and toss to combine. Cook for 1 minute.

6. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, and soy sauce and stir.

7. Add eggplant, tofu, and chicken, and stir.

8. After curry comes to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

9. When the chicken is tender, turn off the heat and add the basil and lime juice. Serve over rice.

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About this recipe

I'm a huge fan of spicy, flavorful dishes, so when a good friend sent me her go-to curry recipe, I knew I had to try it. I believe more is more with flavor, so I doubled most of the spices in the original recipe and added soy sauce and fish sauce. To make it a more hearty meal, I also threw in tofu and more veggies. The add-ons are pretty versatile here, so you can omit the chicken and fish sauce to make it a vegetarian dish, mix up which vegetables you add, skip the tofu, etc. If you’d like a milder curry, reduce the amount of cayenne and de-seed the jalapenos before adding them.