Monday Nights Tea / Dinner - Thai Red Chicken Curry This was a meal I had not made before but I boldly ventured into the unknown and my family all enjoyed this.

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Lemongrass Paste - the recipe calls for this and you can buy this as a jar but I could not find it - so made my own. Ingredients • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil • 6 shallots, finely chopped • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger • 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 stalk lemongrass, pounded, cut in 1/2-inch pieces (1 tablespoon dried) • 1/4 cup water Directions Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add shallots, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and water. Cover; cook until very tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Uncover; cook until liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a food processor; puree to form a smooth paste. Keep, refrigerated, up to 2 days.

Ingredients • 1 tbsp vegetable oil • 1 onion peeled and chopped • 3 chicken breasts about 720g chopped into bitesize pieces • 2 cloves minced garlic • 1 tsp minced ginger • 1 tsp lemongrass paste • 1 chicken stock cube crumbled • 1 red pepper sliced

• 4 tbsp red Thai curry paste • 14 oz (400g) tin coconut milk • 2 tsp fish sauce • 1 tbsp palm sugar or light brown muscovado sugar • 8 oz (225g) tin of bamboo shoots, drained • 10 fresh Thai basil leaves • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice about half a lime

To serve: • Boiled rice • 5-6 Fresh Thai basil leaves • 4 sprigs fresh coriander cilantro • 2 Thai chillies thinly sliced • 1 lime sliced into wedges

Instructions • Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. • Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened.

• Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes until sealed.

• Add the garlic, ginger, lemongrass paste and crumbled stock cube and stir together to coat the chicken.

• Add the curry paste and stir together. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• Add the sliced red pepper, stir together and cook for a minute.

• Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, palm sugar, bamboo shoots and curry leaves. Bring to the boil, then gently simmer for 10 minutes until thickened.

• Stir in the lime juice, then serve the curry with boiled rice.

• Top with fresh curry leaves, coriander, chilli slices and lime wedges before serving. Although a Thai and not Indian dish per our oldest’s request we had popodoms, naan bread and mango chutney on the side.