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Coconut chicken curry with Thai-style pesto
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph: Lauren Mclean
Coconut chicken curry with Thai-style pesto
This curry is really mild, and any leftover pesto will be delicious on fish, pork or chicken, or stir through noodles with some steamed veg for a quick and easy lunch
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time:
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
486Kcal
Fat
31gr
Saturates
21gr
Carbs
16gr
Sugars
13gr
Fibre
6gr
Protein
33gr
Salt
1.4gr
Rebecca Woollard
Rebecca Woollard started her culinary career as a chalet cook. She is now a food stylist and recipe writer with 10 years of magazine experience.
See more of Rebecca Woollard’s recipes
Rebecca Woollard
Rebecca Woollard started her culinary career as a chalet cook. She is now a food stylist and recipe writer with 10 years of magazine experience.
See more of Rebecca Woollard’s recipes
Ingredients
For the curry
- 1 tbsp sunflower or coconut oil
- 1 onion, finely sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 40g root ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 tsp Chinese 5 spice
- 2 yellow peppers, finely sliced
- 1 lemongrass stalk
- 150g button chestnut mushrooms, halved
- 6 skinless and boneless chicken thighs, sliced
- 1 x 400g tin coconut milk
- 150ml low-salt chicken stock
- 2-3 tbsp smooth peanut butter
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- juice of 1 lime, or to taste
For the pesto
- 1 x 100g pack fresh coconut pieces
- 1 x 100g bunch of coriander
- 1 lemongrass stalk, roughly chopped
- juice and zest of 2 limes
- 1 green chilli, roughly chopped, deseeded if you wish
- 1-2 tbsp Thai fish sauce, to taste
Step by step
Get ahead
The pesto makes about double what you will need for the recipe (see intro) but keeps for 3-4 days in the fridge. Both the curry and pesto can be frozen
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the onion, garlic and ginger, and fry, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes until slightly softened. Add the 5 spice and peppers, and fry for 3-4 minutes.
- Bash the lemongrass with the flat of a knife to release the flavour, then add to the pan with the mushrooms, chicken, coconut milk and stock. Bring to a simmer, reduce to medium-low, partially cover with a lid and simmer, stirring from time to time, for 20-30 minutes.
- Make the pesto by putting everything except the fish sauce in a food processor and whizzing until you have quite a smooth texture. Add the fish sauce to taste (2 tablespoons is more authentic, but may taste too strong if it’s an unfamiliar flavour). Set aside.
- Stir the peanut butter, sugar and lime juice into the curry, to taste. Take out any portions you want to serve without the pesto, then either mix the pesto through the curry to taste, adding extra seasoning, or ladle the curry into bowls with rice or noodles and serve the pesto on the table for everyone to help themselves.