Hunter S Thompson and I once drove the length of Thailand. We were looking for coriander. The best coriander. Cilantro, as Hunter called it.
Now it turns out darlings, that the best coriander isn’t, in the end, in Thailand. It’s in the Tamar Valley and grown by Sam, but for now that’s besides the point. Because in between some extraordinary benders that took this silver fox and Hunter to some very dark places indeed (the less said, the better, mes choux – trust me), it was in Thailand I came to see coriander in an altogether different light….
Jack Nicholson had given Hunter the address of a farm in an awfully remote hilltop village, the name of which will, for legal reasons, forever remain between Jack, Hunter and myself. As we arrived, I got the willies – and not in a good way, darlings. An eerie silence greeted us, with not a soul to be seen.
Ever impatient, Hunter sounded the horn, multiple times. Mortified, I sunk further into my car seat. “Really?,” I hissed at his crassness through my teeth, “Must you?”
“Shut up, fox,” slurred the father of Gonzo and so, darlings, I did.
Eventually, a wrinkled nonagenarian shuffled out from a hut. He gesticulated at us animatedly while shouting. Notwithstanding the language barrier, this was not, I think it’s fair to say, what could be termed a friendly greeting. In any sense.
Hunter, though, was drunk enough to not pick up on what, to this fox at least, felt like the very obvious social cues.
“WHERE. IS. THE. CILANTRO?” he shouted back at the geriatric, in staccato American. My vulpine form forced itself further down into the seat of the car, wanting to disappear and aching, positively aching, darlings, with British shame and sensibilities.
But, to give Hunter his due, that’s when everything changed. On hearing those very words, which turned out to be some sort of code, the old man’s hostility instantly melted. He smiled broadly before yelling “Chariya!!!!!!!!!!” back towards the tiny hut from which he had emerged. And from the tiny open doorway stepped 21 incredibly glamorous individuals, very obviously led by one confident-looking woman. None of them, darlings, was wearing very much at all. It was dashed hot, after all.
The leader of this stunning pack approached our car and leaned in seductively. “Jack sent you?” she asked, excitedly. We nodded. “I am Madam Chariya, and this,” she continued, with a wink so theatrical that it would have put my old chum Christopher Biggins to shame, “will be a night to remember!”
True to her word, darlings, Madam Chariya and her wonderful colleagues then went on to treat Hunter and me to what one might, perhaps, call ‘dinner and a show’ (many would opt for considerably more colourful terms).
In any event, mes choux, you can draw your own conclusions from the fact that the recipe for Madam Chariya’s exquisite chicken curry dinner is set out below.
And that the contents of her ‘show’ are most definitely not.
Let’s just say that both involved incredibly liberal (in every sense of the word) uses of the locally grown coriander….
R.
X
PS - all my recipes are now listed here, mes choux.
MADAM CHARIYA’S THAI CHICKEN CURRY
Serves 2
Ingredients
For the curry paste:
60g – 80g fresh coriander
2 green chillies (adjust to taste)
3 garlic cloves
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger
1 or 2 baby leeks
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of ½ lime
1 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce for vegetarians)
1 tsp white pepper (optional but traditional,darlings)
1 tsp ground coriander seed
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp coconut milk
For the curry:
c.400g chicken breast, cut into pieces
1 can full-fat coconut milk (400ml)
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 courgette, sliced into half-moons
Handful of green beans
Juice of ½ lime (or more to taste)
Extra coriander leaves to finish
Salt to taste
Instructions
Make the paste:
Blitz all your paste ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add a splash of water or coconut milk if needed, mes choux.
Cook the paste:
Heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the paste and fry for 2–3 minutes until fragrant and the oil begins to separate slightly.
Add chicken:
Stir in the chicken and coat well in the paste. Cook for 3–4 minutes until sealed.
Add coconut milk:
Pour in the coconut milk, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.
Add vegetables:
Add the courgette and green beans or sugar snaps. Simmer for another 5–7 minutes, or until the veg is just tender and the chicken is cooked through.
Finish:
Stir in lime juice and season with salt to taste. Add more fish sauce for umami or a dash of chilli if desired.
Serve:
Ladle into bowls, garnish with extra coriander, and serve with rice. And I have to tell you, darlings, that Hunter always insisted on an ice cold Grenache with Thai food.