Thai Green Curry with Avocado

Those of you who follow my blog will recognize parts of this recipe. I used the same base for Thai Green Curry with Chicken and Eggplant as before, but with the addition of blended avocado this time. The blended avocado makes the dish very creamy, rich and buttery. It is absolutely delicious! In this recipe, I made a base from blended avocado and green curry paste, which gives texture to this curry. I then make a regular batch of curry, with its usual spiciness. The eggplant is cooked in the curry to infuse flavor into the eggplant. Chicken is cooked in the curry coconut milk slurry. Finally, vegetables are added.

Ingredients
For the Avocado Base thickening agent:
1 avocado
Cooking oil
1 tablespoon green curry paste, or to taste (Mae Ploy is my preferred brand)

1/2 cup coconut milk


For the green curry base:

1.5 cups coconut milk (1 can)
1 tablespoon green curry paste, or to taste (Mae Ploy is my preferred brand)

Rich Dark Chicken Stock, 1/4 cup
 2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 lemongrass stalk, bruised and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 Kaffir lime leaves, cut into thin slivers (use a pair of scissors)

2 Thai, Chinese or Japanese eggplants, cut into cubes (don't use Italian eggplants)
2 red tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
15 fresh basil leaves, cut in half
Fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions

Avocado based thickening agent

Cut the avocado in half and remove the stone. The best way to remove the spoon is to hold the avocado half in your left hand and with your right hand make an incision into the stone using a knife. Turn the stone counter clockwise and it should pop out. Make incisions vertically and horizontally into the flesh with a pairing knife. Taking a spoon, peel out the avocado into a food processor (I use Cuisinart).


























In a wok, heat some oil on high until hot but not smoking. Add the curry paste, it will sizzle a bit so be careful. Stir fry it for 1-3 minutes, or until the curry paste releases its aroma. Add 1/2 cup or less of coconut milk into the wok. I will usually pour a little coconut milk from the can into the wok and spread it around so it evenly and thinly covers the side of the wok. It is easier to add a little coconut milk at a time and adjust upwards than  it is to take coconut milk out of the wok. The more coconut milk you add, the more the flavor will be diluted. So less is more! Mix the coconut milk in with the curry paste until it is dissolved. Keep a close eye on the coconut milk, you do not want it to boil. Adjust the temperature downward to prevent the coconut milk from boiling. You want to make sure that the coconut milk takes on a nice green color, mixing thoroughly with the curry paste. Taste. Add more curry paste if you like it spicier.


Transfer to the food processor with the avocado in it. Thoroughly blend the curry paste, coconut milk and the avocado in the food processor, until the mixture is very smooth and thick.

Transfer the blended avocado back to the wok and heat for a few seconds, again making sure not to bring the coconut milk to a boil. Transfer to a smaller bowl. This is now your thickening agent!








From here, it is just like making regular green curry found on Shokubi!

Green Curry Base:
Heat the wok and add a swig of coconut milk, again just enough to thinly coat the wok. Adjust heat downward to ensure that the coconut milk doesn't start to boil.

Add 1 tablespoon of green curry paste and lemongrass and mix it in with the coconut milk. Taste, and add more green curry paste to make it spicier.

Add homemade chicken stock, fish sauce, turmeric and lime leaves.










Add the eggplant and let the eggplant cook until it is cooked. I like my eggplant soft, but with a little structure.


Add the chicken and let it cook until white, around 3-5 minutes.












Add the tomatoes and let them start to cook. The tomatoes will release their juices, thinning out your curry. Add the remainder of your coconut milk.

Now for the avocado thickening agent: Push all your vegetables and chicken to the side of the wok, allowing the liquid to pool in the center. Add a spoonful of the blended avocado and mix into the green curry sauce. Taste. If it is too thin, continue to add more blended avocado until you reach the consistency you like. I like my curry creamy enough so it sticks onto the meat and vegetables, but runny enough that it still feels like a curry.

Serve with hot freshly cooked rice!

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