northern thai curry with chicken and peanuts

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 3 large, dried red chile peppers
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander seed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mace
• 2 tablespoons peeled and chopped galangal
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced lemon grass
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fermented shrimp paste
• 1 tablespoon peeled and chopped fresh turmeric root
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons palm sugar
• 2/3 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
• 1 (2 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
• 2 tablespoons tamarind juice
• 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts

Recipe

Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 30 mins Ready Time: 1 hr 15 mins


• place the chili peppers in a bowl; pour enough water over the chili peppers to cover. allow the peppers to soak until softened, about 10 minutes; drain. chop the peppers and set aside.
• grind the cumin, turmeric, coriander, and mace using a mortar and pestle into a fine powder. add the galangal, lemon grass, salt, shallot, garlic, shrimp paste, fresh turmeric, and reconstituted chile peppers and grind into a paste. stir the fish sauce and palm sugar into the paste. transfer to a large bowl.
• add the chicken to the paste and toss to coat the chicken evenly; allow to marinate for at least 20 minutes, or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
• heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook the chicken until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 5 to 7 minutes. stir the water, 1/2 cup peanuts, ginger, and tamarind juice into the chicken, bring to a simmer, and cook until thickened, 20 to 30 minutes. you can also cook this at a lower temperature for up to 2 hours. garnish with 2 tablespoons peanuts to serve.