Gaeng Om Gai (Herbal Chicken Curry)

Gaeng Om is the ultimate meal if you are feeling under the weather, if you're eating light and fresh or it's dark, cold and raining outside. It's light but filling, fresh tasting but complex and is versatile and quick to make. It's also not exactly a curry (though it does start with a paste) and is more broth like so it can be eaten with rice or alone as a soup. Like other northern Thai dishes (jungle curry, hanglay/northern curry) it doesn't use any coconut milk.

For 3-4 portions, use:

• 2 large lemongrass stalks, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 shallots, peeled and chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 3 red chillies, chopped
• a chunk of galangal, finely chopped

• a small handful of lime leaves, ripped up
• a few dried red chillies
• 2 small chicken breasts/ 4 thighs, trimmed of fat and sliced into thin pieces
• a handful each of dill and Thai sweet basil
• 3 spring onions, chopped in a few pieces
• 3 or 4 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
• a large splash of fish sauce
• 300ml of chicken stock

Start by making a paste of the first 5 ingredients by pounding them up in a mortar. It'll take some time (10-15) but stick with it and you should have a fairly smooth paste by the end of it.

Heat half the chicken stock in a large pan and add the paste, heat until fragrant and some of the rawness is cooked out. Next add the chicken and mushrooms and cook for around 10 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked. Next in goes the dried chillies, lime leaves and fish sauce and the remainder of the stock; the consistency you're looking for should be broth like, rather than curry sauce so add a little more water if needed, or reduce down if it's a bit too watery. When the gaeng om has reached the desired thickness, add in the spring onions and herbs... 

(The observant among you will notice I haven't used Thai basil but tarragon; unfortunately there was none to be found when I made my gaeng om and tarragon is the best substitute to my mind with its anise flavour- never mediterranean basil which so many UK restaurants resort to- ugh)...

Back to it- once the herbs and spring onions have gone in, you can turn off the heat and simply stir them through the broth, they'll wilt quickly. Serve either with rice or a big spoon and feel gaeng oms healthiness sink in!