Thai green curry with sweet basil

Method

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a hot wok. Add a good tablespoon of green curry paste and stir-fry.

2. Tear up the lime leaves and add to the pan. Spoon in the cream from the coconut milk (the thicker top half of the liquid) and then add the chicken pieces (the cream helps to tenderise the chicken).

3. Once the chicken is half cooked, add more of the watery part of the coconut milk (roughly half the remaining quantity). Leave to simmer for two or three minutes. You should see the oil from the curry paste and coconut begins to rise to the surface.

4. Pour in the chicken stock, and then season with a dash of fish sauce and a teaspoon of white sugar. Add the slice bamboo shoots and roughly chopped aubergine. Finally stir in the red and green chillies and the sweet basil. Simmer for one to two minutes, until the aubergine is soft. Serve with Rice