Tasty Recipe : Basil Chicken Coconut Curry

One of the important things I love about curries is that they are so diverse and versatile-- from slushy to thick and velvety, from moderate to fiery, in colors yellow, green, red, or brown.
This is among my favorites, a yellow curry in a coconut milk base, with chicken, onions, jalapeños, lime juices, and lots of fresh basil.
We utilize chicken thigh meat due to the fact that its stronger taste holds up well to all the spices. It comes together quickly, and makes for great leftovers too!

Basil Chicken Coconut Curry Recipe

We use chicken thigh meat because of the much deeper flavor, however you can utilize chicken breast meat if you prefer.

This is a mild curry. You can enhance the heat with more cayenne. Please note that jalapeños vary significantly in heat. Examine the spiciness of your jalapeños and adjust the recipe to taste.

Keep in mind that exactly what we typically purchase labelled "curry powder" is simply a spice mix, made up of numerous spices, like those in the following ingredients, including a great part of turmeric, which gives the curry powder its yellow color. Do not hesitate to experiment a little with the spices noted here to get the taste you like the very best.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• A little pinch of ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2- inch chunks
• 1 large onion, sliced root to idea
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
• 2 Tbsp canola oil, rice bran oil or Indian ghee
• 1 14-oz can coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp lime juice, or to taste
• 12-20 fresh basil leaves, torn roughly
• Hot cooked rice for serving

Method

• Mix the spices: In a small bowl, mix together the salt, ground coriander, cumin, ground cloves, cinnamon, ground cardamom, black pepper, cayenne and turmeric. Set aside.
• Sauté onions, jalapeños, ginger, garlic, spices: In a wok or deep sauté pan, heat the oil over high heat. The moment the oil starts to smoke, add the onions and jalapeños and toss to coat in oil. Burn the veggies for 3 minutes, stirring only enough to keep them from burning, however still allowing the onions to scorch.
• Include the ginger, garlic and spice mixture and toss to integrate, cook for 1 minute.
• Add coconut milk, chicken, simmer: Add the coconut milk and chicken. Stir the mix so that the chicken pieces are coated in the coconut milk. Give a simmer, reduce the heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
• Add basil, lime juice: When the chicken hurts, switch off the heat and add the basil and lime juice. Include more lime juice and salt to taste and serve over rice.

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