Chicken with Lemon Grass Curry

From the kitchen of Martin James – Copenhagen, Denmark

Curry Paste:
1 stalk lemon grass, coarsely chopped
1 inch piece galangal, coarsely chopped
2 lime leaves chopped
3 shallots, coarsely chopped
6 coriander roots, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves
4 dried long red chiles, deseeded and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric powder

Chicken Curry:
3 tablespoons oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
12 ounces chicken on the bone, chopped into mall pieces
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 cup stock or water
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 stalk lemon grass, chopped into 3-4 pieces and gently crushed
5 lime leaves, finely sliced

With a pestle and mortar or blender, pound or blend all the ingredients for the curry paste together until smooth.

Prepare the chicken curry. In a wok or frying pan, heat the oil until a light haze appears.

Add the chopped garlic and fry until golden brown. Add 1 tablespoon of the curry paste, stir together and cook briefly - 4 to 5 seconds. Add the chicken pieces and stir, ensuring that each piece of chicken is thoroughly coated with the curry mixture. Add the fish sauce, stock or water and sugar and stir to mix. Add the lemon grass and lime leaves, stir, lower the heat and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes. If the mixture should become too dry, add a little more stock, though the final result should be quite dry. Turn onto a serving dish.