Burmese Turmeric Chicken Curry

📝 Ingredients

• 700 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 brown onions (about 150 g each)
• 4 garlic cloves + 20 g fresh ginger
• 3 tomatoes (about 120 g each)
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tsp turmeric (½ for the marinade, ½ for the sauce) + 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (1 for the marinade, 1 for the sauce)
• 300 g basmati rice
• 400 g green beans
• 15 g fresh coriander
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Flameproof casserole dish with lid
• Blender
• 2 saucepans
• Colander
• Mixing bowl
• Chopping board and knife

📖 Steps

1. Cut the chicken thighs into 4 to 5 cm pieces, trimming off any visible fat. Put them in the mixing bowl with ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp fish sauce and a little pepper, mix with your hands and leave to marinate for 15 min while you carry on.
2. Peel the onions, garlic and ginger (scrape the ginger skin off with a teaspoon). Cut them into chunks and blend to a coarse paste, without adding water. Cut the tomatoes into small dice, keeping their juice.
3. Heat the oil in the casserole over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger paste, the rest of the turmeric and the paprika, then cook for 12 to 15 min, stirring often, until the mixture is golden, reduced by half and the oil separates at the edges. Lower the heat if it sticks.
4. Add the chicken and fry for 5 min over a medium-high heat, turning it, until white on all sides and well coated. Add the tomatoes and the remaining fish sauce, then stir, scraping the bottom to release the browned bits.
5. Add 150 ml water, cover and simmer for 25 min over a low heat, stirring from time to time. Remove the lid for the last 5 minutes: the sauce should be thick and glossy, with a thin layer of orange oil on the surface, the sign of a successful Burmese curry.
6. While it cooks, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Rinse the rice in the sieve until the water runs almost clear, then cook it for 10 to 11 min (according to the packet), drain and cover to keep warm.
7. Top and tail the green beans and cook them for 7 to 9 min in another pan of boiling salted water: they should be tender but still slightly crisp. Drain and run under cold water for 10 s so they stay bright green.
8. Taste the sauce and add salt only if needed, as the fish sauce is already very salty. Finely chop the coriander. Serve the curry on the rice, with the green beans alongside, and scatter over the coriander at the last moment.