Ingredients

• 20 red dried chillies
• seeds removed
• halved
• soaked for 30 minutes and then drained
• 50g/1¾oz coriander root (available online)
• 8 lime leaves
• shredded
• 4 lemongrass stalks
• roughly chopped
• 100g/3½oz galangal
• peeled and sliced
• 2 tbsp lime zest
• preferably kaffir limes
• 50g/1¾oz Thai shallots
• peeled and sliced (available online)
• 50g/1¾oz garlic
• sliced
• 2 tbsp shrimp paste
• ½ tsp coriander seeds
• ¼ tsp cumin seeds
• small piece of mace
• 5 white peppercorns
• 2-3 tbsp coconut cream
• 4 tbsp curry paste (see above)
• 1cm/½in piece fresh root ginger
• peeled and chopped
• 6 boneless chicken thighs
• skinned and chopped
• 2 tbsp palm sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 sticks lemongrass
• bashed
• 6 lime leaves
• crushed
• 2 x 400ml tins coconut milk
• 100ml/3½fl oz chicken stock
• heated until boiling
• handful fresh coriander
• leaves picked
• handful Thai basil
• leaves picked
• handful mint
• leaves picked
• 2 long red chillies
• seeds removed and cut into long thin strips
• 2 small shallots
• sliced
• fried until crisp
• 2 garlic cloves
• sliced
• fried until crisp
• 2 garlic cloves
• thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger
• 6 coriander roots or stalks
• 50ml/2fl oz vegetable oil
• 300g/10½oz rice noodles
• soaked
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• handful fresh coriander
• 100g/3½oz beansprouts

Directions

• For the curry paste
• put all of the ingredients except the coriander seeds
• cumin seeds
• mace and peppercorns in a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Add a little water if needed.
• Toast the coriander
• cumin and mace in a frying pan until fragrant. Add the peppercorns. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Grind in a pestle and mortar and add to the paste.
• For the curry
• heat the coconut cream. When the cream splits
• add the curry paste and fry
• stirring constantly over a medium heat. Add the chicken
• palm sugar and the fish sauce. It should look like a sticky jam. Add the lemongrass
• lime leaves
• coconut milk and stock. Bring to the boil and cook for 4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Keep warm over a very low heat while you make the noodles.
• For the noodles
• put the garlic
• ginger and coriander in a pestle and mortar and pound to a paste. Heat the oil in a wok and add the paste to the oil
• fry at a very high heat for a minute until fragrant and starting to colour.
• Stir in the chillies and noodles. Add the sauces
• mix and when hot put in a large bowl topped with the fresh coriander and beansprouts.
• Serve the curry with the noodles alongside. Top with the curry garnish
• if using.