A spicy Thai-style meal with chicken, green curry paste and vegetables.

Ingredients
Green Curry Paste (makes 1-1/2 cups)

• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 small shallots, peeled and quartered
• 1 cup fresh cilantro roots
• 10 green chilies, seeded
• 1 3" piece galangal* or ginger, peeled and chopped
• 3 stalks lemongrass, tender inside hearts
• 8 kaffir lime leaves
• 2 tbsp water

Curry

• 1/4 cup Green Curry Paste
• 8 skinless boneless chicken thighs, chopped
• 1 400-ml can coconut milk
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp shrimp paste
• 1 cup snow peas, stringed
• 1 can baby corn, drained, rinsed and halved
• 2 red finger chilies, chopped
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Directions
1 Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a hot skillet for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant, then grind in a mortar and pestle or with the side of a knife blade.

2 Place the spices in a food processor, along with the garlic, shallots, cilantro roots, green chilies, galangal, lemongrass hearts, lime leaves and water.

3 Pulse, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until a paste forms. Heat 1/4 cup of the green curry paste in a skillet over medium heat.

4 Add the chicken and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until just beginning to brown. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce and shrimp paste and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

5 Add the peas, corn and red finger chilies and cook for about 2 more minutes, until the snow peas are tender-crisp. Stir in the lime zest and juice, basil and cilantro serve over rice.

Prep and cook time: 1 hour
Serves 4

Tip: Galangal is a member of the ginger family, with a similar - but much more potent - flavour that pairs well with South East Asian cooking. Buy it in its root form, and peel and slice it with a very sharp knife.