Hot and Sour Chicken Curry

Step 1: Prepare Base Paste Ingredients

Roughly chop the shallots, leave garlic cloves whole, roughly chop ginger into 3 pieces, and halve the chilies. Roughly chop a handful of fresh coriander. Set aside the limes and lemongrass for later.

Step 2: Blend Base Paste

Add the roughly chopped shallots, whole garlic, chopped ginger, halved chilies, and a little cooking oil into a blender. Blend until it forms a coarse pulp. Then, add the fresh coriander and blend again until fully incorporated into the paste.

Step 3: Prepare Lemongrass

Chop off the top and bottom ends of the lemongrass sticks. Peel off the tough outer layer. Place the inner, tender parts on a cutting board and bruise them thoroughly with the flat side of a cleaver or a rolling pin to release their aroma.

Step 4: Sauté Lemongrass and Base Paste

Heat cooking oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the bruised lemongrass and let it warm through for a minute. Then, add the blended base paste to the pan. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture softens and becomes fragrant.

Step 5: Add Seasonings and Tomato Puree

Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, a good squirt of fish sauce, a good squeeze of tomato puree, and a twist of black pepper to the pan. Stir well to combine. Then, add 1 dessert spoonful of homemade curry powder and stir until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed and fragrant.

Step 6: Add Liquids

Pour the blended chopped tomatoes into the pan. Add the frozen block of homemade chicken stock. Cover the pan with a lid and allow the stock to melt and the mixture to simmer for about 15 minutes.

Step 7: Add Lime Juice and Taste

After 15 minutes, remove the lid. Squeeze the juice from one half of a lime directly into the curry and leave the squeezed half in the pan to continue infusing flavor. Taste the curry to check the balance of flavors. If more sourness is desired, you can add more lime juice later.

Step 8: Add Chicken and Simmer

Add the boneless, skinless chicken thighs to the curry. Ensure they are submerged in the liquid. Cover the pan with the lid and let it simmer on a low heat for a minimum of 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.

Step 9: Reduce Liquid (Optional)

If the curry is too liquid for your preference, remove the lid and increase the heat slightly to allow some of the liquid to evaporate, thickening the sauce. Continue to simmer until the desired consistency is reached.

• Use room temperature limes for easier squeezing and more juice.

• Bruise lemongrass to release more flavor.

• Cook tomato puree to remove its raw taste.

• Taste the curry before adding all the lime juice to adjust sourness to your preference.

• Chicken thighs (especially bone-in, skin-on) add more flavor than chicken breast.

• Making your own curry powder and chicken stock enhances the dish significantly.

• For a fish curry, add a firm white fish (like cod) much later in the cooking process, just before serving, as it cooks faster and can fall apart.

• Use skin-on and bone-in chicken thighs for an even richer flavor.

• Adjust chili quantity for desired heat level.