Chicken Curry with a Thai Twist

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil, or as needed
• 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 tablespoons Thai yellow curry paste
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• ½ teaspoon Thai red chile paste
• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 cup water, divided
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips
• 1 cup sliced zucchini
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 lime, juiced

Step 1

Heat some sesame oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Toss in the onion and garlic, cooking them until the garlic starts to turn golden—this usually takes about 3 to 4 minutes. Next, add the potatoes, carrots, curry paste, ginger, fish sauce, chili paste, and coriander. Give everything a good stir so the veggies get nicely coated and all those flavors start to mingle.

Step 2

Pour in the coconut milk along with half a cup of water, then season with a bit of salt and pepper. Cover the pot, turn the heat down to low, and let it simmer gently for about 10 minutes. After that, add the chicken, zucchini, and bell pepper. Pop the lid back on and cook until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink, which should take another 5 minutes or so.

Step 3

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with the remaining half cup of water until it dissolves. Stir this into the curry, then take the lid off and crank the heat up to high. Let it bubble away for 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce thickens nicely. Once it’s done, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice just before you serve.